November 2012 Articles

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Just Rambling, November 2012

Just rambling:
My granddaughter, Savanah, told her Paw today, November 5th, that we need to have a celebration. You ask what’s the occasion—the occasion is to celebrate the good medical report my daughter and Savanah’s mother got today from her oncologist. Velvet has been fighting cancer since March of this year, going through surgery and 18 weeks of chemotherapy. She has been a real trooper—amazingly strong—a lot stronger than her father could ever have been. I am so proud of her, and I thank God for her every day. We are so blessed to have her. Savanah and I stayed home today, and the phone call we received from Velvet was the best call a granddaughter and her Paw could ever get. I agree with Savanah—it is celebration time.
Recently as I was driving home on interstate 20 from Shreveport, I met an ambulance travelling at high speed with all its lights flashing. A few minutes later, I met two police cars with lights flashing and also traveling fast. When I saw these vehicles, my mind immediately went back to an early April morning this year when I had to be carried by ambulance to the hospital. I remembered how well I was treated on the way to the hospital and how professional the CMT’s were. For some strange reason, I began to think about our first responders—policemen, firemen, emergency medical personnel and others. How well trained they have to be, and how they work to help keep us safe. They are special people that exhibit knowledge, kindness, compassion, courage, and leadership. They serve their fellow man, but they also attain a fulfillment or gratification for themselves by doing their job. As I thought more about this, I began to think about the business people of our nation—the entrepreneurs that develop businesses which employ tens, hundreds, and even thousands of workers. I also thought about the fulfillment and the personal gratification they receive from owning their own business, whether large, mid-size or small. When these businesses are passed on to the next generation, when employees derive livelihoods from these businesses, when taxes are paid on profits from these businesses to support our nation, our states, and our local communities, we all benefit as citizens of this nation. We all, whether public service or private service employees, contribute to the financial health and well-being of this great nation. This may be through our ingenuity to establish and operate a business, through our labor as an employee of that business, or through our employment/service as a public employee. What happens if we become a hand-out society? Rather than pursuing a career, a trade, establishing a business or becoming a public servant, we decide to develop an entitlement attitude? The “you owe me” attitude relies on others through the government for their livelihood. Sure there are legitimate cases of needy people throughout our nation that deserve help, but those people are those that CAN’T help themselves, not those who WON’T help themselves. There is a big difference between these two types, but today these two groups seem to be synonymous. What happens when everyone develops that “you owe me” attitude. Entrepreneurship is gone—new business development is zero. Labor force is non-existent for private employment. Public service employees are a thing of the past—no more policemen, no firemen, no emergency medical personnel—people on the dole don’t have to work—the government takes care of them until there are no people to support the government. What happens then? America as we know it comes tumbling down—destroyed from within by a population that knows no work, does no work and has a hand-out for help– a Handout Society! What happens when those farmers are not there to produce our food and fiber, those businessmen are not there to operate their businesses which employ people, those public servants are not there to teach our children, to police our streets, to care for the sick or to aid us in emergencies? My drive on Interstate 20 would be quite different—no policemen, no EMT’s—no civil society would exist. This Thanksgiving and every other day may we all thank God for our Nation, our people, and our abilities to work to keep this great nation strong. Van Bennett