Nation of Whiners?

About ten years ago I wrote this for the old public reader. After rereading it to see if it was applicable today ten years later, I concluded that we are in a bit more trouble now than we were then. We seem to have engaged ourself in three wars; a mini-depression; gas prices that will reach four dollars a gallon any day now; politicians that seem to have forgotten the phrase-for the people, by the people and substituted the word party for people; and a president whose high minded words seem not to match his mundane acts. But still I believe that the country that was born two hundred and thirty some years ago will set itself right when they remember that we are only as strong as our most needful citizens and become again the country of hope and promise, and act accordingly.


ARE WE A NATION OF WHINERS?
By Jim Kittelberger

Do we know how fortunate we are?

Fortunate in that we were born in a country that allows us to pursue whatever we desire. Be it riches or just the desire to be left alone. All because two hundred and twenty five years ago some rich white men thought their taxes were too high. Now rich white men still worry that their taxes are too high, but somehow I can't see that flat tax guy or the Windows guy in Seattle or The Donald in New York willingly risking their fortunes and lives for a principal.

We who are born in America take our freedom for granted and seldom reflect on a time when miracles took place on our continent of North America. From 1776 to 1788, a country was established and laws were enacted by a collection of men whom the term, imbued with greatness, would be an understatement.

It was indeed a miracle. I believe no other word adequately describes the caliber of men who guided our country into existence. They won a war that logically they could not win. They then set about framing our constitution and a bill of rights that spelled out the limits of government and the peoples rights under that government, that still exists almost unchanged over two hundred years later. These were well-to-do men who certainly were comfortable who risked it all and then forged so ingeniously these documents that are more, or at least as relevant today than they were then.

So listen up you whiners out there. Get up off your complaining hindquarters, and if you can't think of anything right about the world today, at least remember how lucky you are to be in a country that will put up with the whining. And will probably, pro bono, find you a group that will fortify what you knew all along, that somebody else is responsible for your unhappiness. Aren't they always? Have a nice day.