At the moment, I am kinda fed up with many of the blogs I generally read. I hear so much double talk ... not from the president but from the people!

On the one hand, we want lower taxes - a reasonable thing. But on the other hand, we want the gov't to be responsible for the personal welfare of each of her citizens in every contingency. This is NOT a reasonable thing, nor in my opinion, is it the gov't duty. It is OUR duty as individuals, as communities, as neighbors.

For those of you who believe Mr. Bush is 100% responsible for 9/11, the weather craziness, the increase in violence, and all the other ills of the world, I can only say that you are looking for a scapegoat and he is the front runner ... this week.

Do none of you understand that global warming is the responsibility of ALL of us? Even the President is just one man ... imperfect like the rest of us. It is also something that has been building over decades. It's also easy to "Monday morning QB" the fiscal decisions made over the past several administrations, but we were quiet then ... ? So though we bitch & moan now that President Bush didn't do anything while we continue to buy our SUV's by the droves ... etc. Just a bit hypocritical, don't you think? We seem very anxious to find a "villian" here, and I'm not certain there IS just one ... except perhaps US!

Like many of you, I struggle with the "war" effort. It is a horrible thing to see our young men and women in harm's way. I am, however, not among those who suggest we should never have gone. Like it or not, with freedom comes responsibility. We have many freedoms in the USA that are unknown elsewhere. Is it foolish to wish these freedoms for all? What IS foolish is when gov't tries to do the job of the military to appease the people who are spoonfed by a biased and dollar-driven media. I don't have the answers, and my assumption is that none of you do either. Bitchin and moanin accomplishes ONE thing - it disheartens both the speaker and the hearer(s). The media has become quite thorough in it's bitchin & moanin!

Another fact of the matter is that suffering even within the USA is NOT a new thing. How is it that so many perfectly healthy individuals grow up, live, and die dependent on the gov't? (I am NOT talking about the infirmed or disabled.) Why do so many individuals make it their career to "get around" the system? Why don't we bitch & moan about this? Why are there droves of homeless in every metropolitan area - and many of them are Veterans who have served their country (US) honorably? Why do we bitch & moan about the limited availability of programs to help our mentally or physically challenged neighbors but when they suggest building a facility near our homes, we fight it?

Bottom line? Why does it take a catastrophe to bring out the generosity of a people who have so much (relatively speaking)? Although we can be creative in our efforts to help these people, why can't this creativity continue and in fact multiply. In answer to age old question: Am I my brother's keeper? I answer most definitely, YES! It isn't the govt's job to take care of us. It is our job to help one another. After all, we are neighbors. Let's get involved!

~ B