Things every American should know

There are certain things that each and every American should know to be responsible and good citizens. Unfortunately, most if not all of these things are not taught in public education.


This is not everything you should know, as that requires continuing education and involvement in current politics and government, but the basics that will help you understand your role as a citizen in this, the greatest Country every created by man.


They are:

1. The American Independence movement didn't start in 1776. That is when 37 brave men committed treason by signing their names to a document announcing their commitment to Independence. It had been moving forward for the space of almost 20 years by that time.


2. The war of Independence lasted 5 years. Longer than WWII. From 1776 to 1781. It ended with the treaty of Versailles in Paris.


3. The Constitution did not exist then. We had at the end of the war what was known as the Articles of Confederation. A loosely worded document that gave no power to any central government, just an agreement with the states to TRY and work together.


4. The Articles of Confederation lasted 6 years. With not much if any thing being done because none of the States could agree with one another.


5. The Constitutional Convention began in late spring of 1787 and lasted until early fall 1787. It had 55 delegates attending. Not all States sent delegates. Not all delegates voted for it.


6. It took two years for the States to ratify (agree to) the Constitution, from 1787 to 1789. George Washington was sworn in as the first President in the Spring of 1789. 13 years after the start of the war.


7. The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution deal with Slavery and it's abolishment in the Country. For over 100 years it was the Democrat party voicing its opposition to these amendments and trying to subvert them. While the Republican Party were fighting for and advocating for freedom of all blacks.


8. The U.S. Supreme Court failed to uphold these amendments with one of its rulings. Headed by a Democrat Chief Justice and a Democrat President. This allowed the practice of segregation to be used and proliferate for almost 100 years.


9. The 19th Amendment gave the right to vote to Women. This came after Strong opposition by a Democrat controlled Congress and a unsympathetic Democrat President. Several Women went to prison and suffered untold hardships. This process went on for almost 40 years to allow all women the right to vote.

Corruption was one of the greatest worries of the Founding Fathers. A quote:

"He who is void of virtuous attachments in private life, is, or very soon will be void of all regard for his Country. There is seldom an instance of a man guilty of betraying his Country, who had not before lost the feeling of moral obligations in his private connections." Samuel Adams, A letter to James Warren, November 4, 1775.

Take care to pay attention to what is going on. Stand Up for what is right and help save this great Country.

ENOUGH!

I know I need to do better. It has been quite some time since I wrote on this. I encourage all readers to write, non-stop, your Representatives and express similar sentiments.

Dear Senator,
I am very disheartened by what is going on in Washington. I never thought in my wildest dreams that America would be turning to the course that it is. We need to slow down and return to the heading we were on the first 100 years of this country’s existence. Unfortunately, I don’t see you doing that. It seems to me that you are so worried about getting re-elected that it is no longer IF we need the programs, but how do we tweak it in a Republican way. I refute this notion.
We do not need Government health care, and we don’t need government getting in the way….not any longer. What we do need are strong willed representatives who will say STOP IT! And STOP IT NOW. We need representatives who will start cutting and, here’s a novel idea, actually eliminating programs and entire departments.
We no longer have the money…PERIOD! Sadly it seems to me that you are choosing not to be fiscally conservative with my money. Your way of thinking is the same as the Democrats of the 90’s, hollering that if we reduce the amount of growth of a program then it is a cut. That is what Republicans in both houses are sounding like. Instead of saying NO, JUST PLAIN NO, you and your counterparts are saying “let’s have the program just not as big as the Democrats want”.
This is what you and all of the other Representatives need to understand, it is not the size of the program or the degree to which the government is involved with it. IT IS THE PROGRAM!
It is as though poverty, illness, and sadness didn’t exist in the first 150 years of this country. When the Founders were framing the Constitution and stating to what extent the government would get involved they knew people were then, just as they are now, sick, hungry, poor and had the chance to be miserable. It isn’t that they didn’t care, in fact they cared greatly. They knew the best way to help the most was for government to get out of their way and to allow people to experience poverty as the best motivator to self improvement.
Several of the Founding Fathers wrote about this and the problem with government trying to solve it. In essence saying “Once government sees that they can vote themselves a raise and give money to the poor, essentially buying votes, then the Republic is in danger”.
Sir that is what you have done. You have CHOSEN to discard the wisdom of the people who wrote the plan and have backed several attempts at doing precisely what they cautioned against. And now you want to say that “well I’m not at fault for the problem”. Yes you are and you continue to be. Until you have the spine to stand against the Washington Machine and say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! And actually start repairing some of the damage, then you are to blame as well as your colleagues.
I am no longer going to be a part of this. Come the first chance that I have I am going to vote you out of office. You might still win, but at least I can hold my head up and know I said ENOUGH! Not anymore, not on my watch. When I die and I meet the Founding Fathers and they ask me what I did to preserve the Constitution and uphold Freedom for the world as a shining example for all. I will know I did my best.
Sincerely,
Jeffrey D. Wood

Hard Work

What is the value of work? It seems to me most of us try to avoid this at all cost's. We do anything to put off or avoid spending any energy or as little as we can anyway. The harder a job is the more likely we are to avoid it at all cost's. I know because I am guilty of this too, just ask my wife.

And yet how foolish! My wife's boss has a saying she signs off of each email with. It says "We can do hard work". This to me is inspired.

In today's culture it seems that no one is willing to sacrifice or do hard work. And yet they hold it against those of us who do. To get an education is hard work. You need to sacrifice time with friends and family and often doing things that you would rather do. Like reading a book you want to instead of have to. Math! For most of us is very hard. This is probably why I am not a physician, math has been a very hard subject to me. And yet science has been a very natural, easy subject for me. Go figure!

We need to do a better job of teaching hard work to our youth. Many are mislabeling racism and lack of opportunity as really an unwillingness to do hard work. Many feel that getting a job at McDonald's is somehow beneath them. Or if they are asked to clean a toilet, mop a floor, empty a garbage that they are somehow being singled out and persecuted. This is nonsense. I am 45 years old. Except for the time I was in Junior High and High School during the school year. I have not had more than 6 months cumulative of being unemployed in my life since being 13 years old. Now I gratefully acknowledge the kindness of a loving Heavenly Father in this, still it is also due to my willingness to take any job I could get to take care of myself and my family. I have cleaned many toilets and done worse in my lifetime. I have never felt like something was beneath me. I have acknowledged early in my life that it is no ones business or duty to take care of me or my family, but me.

So much of this has been lost today. It is the Governments job somehow to take care of us if things become hard. My wife has headed up for several years various charity drives and sub for Santa drives at Christmas. My children and I have often helped her with these. It has never stopped amazing me and my wife how many people come to these for help who are driving brand new, better cars than me. Ladies come with manicured finger and toe nails. Expensive hand bags and cell phones. Somehow the logic has been instilled that "we deserve these things, it is our "right" to have them, if this means spending money on them first and then going to the food bank or sub for Santa because I had to have them first over saving, then so be it".

Now we have people who are saying "If I am poor it is the responsibility of the government to take from the rich so it is more even". How about a novel idea. If you don't like being poor, then work hard! Sacrifice to go to school to make a better life. Does this mean you will ever be "rich", NO! But it does mean that you won't be poor!

I am trying to teach this to my youngest son right now. If it is hard, that doesn't mean you can't or shouldn't do it. Life is not always fair, in fact it usually isn't. Some people may not have to work very hard to make a living, or may have things handed to them. This is the exception. Most people have to work hard for their money, what ever money they get. Most aren't willing to work HARDER still to move from middle class to rich. It can be done. I want him to learn this lesson.

I love the ad on television that shows a pair of young brothers being told by their father to build a brick wall around their dad's business. This wall was expected to be 6 feet tall and all the way around the business and to be done right. Not sloppy. They sacrificed their whole summer building this wall. While friends went off to play or party, they worked. They worked into the night and sweated during the day. But at the end it was done and done well. It looked beautiful. The father came out and said simply "don't ever tell me you can't do something just because it is hard". What a lesson.

Teach your children to work! To not shy away from hard work. This is one of the most valuable lessons you can teach them. After all when God created the world he "rested" on the seventh day; implying it was WORK to build the earth. Even God needed to work to fulfill his plans.

Stand up! And work hard at what you do and don't accept the notion that because others don't want to the results should be equal.