The Messiah

Random Ramblings
61
The one thing that I hope would be changed with this administration is the use of the politically correct [fill in blank]-American. You're either American or you're not, plain and simple. How stupid does it sound to say African-American President?

Right on Raj!

I absolutely agree! If you were born in America then you are an American, regardless of your heritage or race. This is what continues to keep driving a wedge and increase tensions between the races. Racial tensions will never disappear until this BS stops.

If you do not like being an American…then leave and go back to your “homeland”.

62

I’m am white guy…not that it matters…just stating that for perspective purposes.

I have to say I felt a real PRIDE when Obama was elected.

I recently watched a PBS special on African Americans and their heritage.

The thing that I found incredibly sad was the fact that because most slaves could not read or write there is very little written material from THEIR perspective on what being a slave was like. The producers did manage to find a few diaries and they were absolutely CRUSHING.

One of the dairies was written by a woman (a slave) who was obviously extremely intelligent. She learned to read by watching the plantations owners children being taught.

In this original diary she writes about her son…What a bright and intelligent boy he was. The games he liked to play, just regular things we ALL write or think about our children. At some point when the boy reached about 5 years old, the owner of the plantation decided to SELL THE CHILD…This woman wrote about seeing her 5 year old son taken to the court house steps and SOLD. She NEVER saw him again. Her description of that event was beyond my ability to recreate…I have a son not far from that age…Her words hit me… HARD.

There’s not much more I can add to this story…but it did give me a MINISCULE look into what African Americans understand that I didn’t. To watch Barack Obama elected to the highest office in our nation I understood why Jesse Jackson, Oprah, and countless other AMERICANS were crying…It was like a terrible wrong had been SLIGHTLY corrected, not completely, but a new start!!

I wish this man (who ironically has no roots to slavery) the best.

I think he could be a great President. I have always been proud to be an AMERICAN…On that night I saw a lot of people who were proud to be witnessing a historic event. The full meaning of which, I can only imagine.

This is CLASSIC America…At the darkest of hours, we consistantly shine our brightest.

63

I think he could be a great President. I have always been proud to be an AMERICAN

My 3 closest friends are Jamaican,Trini (Trinidad) and Italian…To me this isn’t about race…I have to agree with Mike and disagree…I agree that I too am concerned with his policies,and I disagree to how bad Bush was as a President…But the latter is not open for debate,the man is done so lets move on…Back to Obama…There isn’t one person I know wall street or main street that isn’t feeling some kind of slow down in their business…I had dinner the other night with a senior partner at a top tier law firm here in NYC…He is a high yield debt attorney,so naturally this guy is feeling it alot more than the bankruptcy attorney…Point being he is petrified of Obama’s policies and the guy is a devoted Democrat and he is Jewish…There are many people at the top of the food chain that are fearful,the ones with the most to lose…I can see why many voted for him…He is charasmatic,well spoken,young,intelligent etc etc etc…If I had nothing to lose and all to gain I would love this guy also…If he can pull this country together and somehow (which I doubt because it’s out of his control) pull the economy out of this nightmare spiral downturn we are in I will stand behind this man…I won’t lie though,many of the attorney’s,traders,strategists I work with have all been consulting with accountants on how to rebase their incomes so we aren’t unfairly crushed by this new administration…Yes I’m one of those people that Obama will be targeting and yes it bothers me…What I pay in tax people don’t make a year (not bragging)…I just don’t want to be unfairly punished for my accomplishments and so far I haven’t heard different…In the end I know I came off strong in my earlier posts because alot of the topics others spoke about fall into my area of expertise and you guys were clearly off base with assumptions as to who holds the blame etc…But thats not here nor there…I agree we all need to come together as a country and give this man the shot he deserves but at the same time you can’t expect me to like the guy putting his hand in my pocket further than it already is…I love this country and I’m damn proud to be an American…I truly hope that I’m wrong about this guy ( I sincerely mean that)…I’m sorry if I offended anybody with my earlier posts because that was not my intention…

64

I like to be politically correct at all times, but I’m going to deviate from that just this once.

There is absolutely no reason that we all need to come together behind an OVERT SOCIALIST! All this “pride” over Barack becoming president just because he is black is nonsense. I firmly believe that racism died an entire generation ago and it would be largely irrelevant if not for the left CONSTANTLY playing the race card. Personally, I’m sick of it. No-one alive today was a slave. Very few people alive today were the children of slaves. It’s time to stop whining and get over it!

This country has very serious problems. If Barack shows that he can do something to help, I’ll be his biggest fan. However, to date, his stated agenda has been that of a socialist and Marxist. I am a capitalist and an entrepreneur and I have absolutely no use for socialism. So, I have no intention of holding hands and singing happy songs with a bunch of socialists just because the new president happens to be black and the left has some misplaced guilt about slavery that happened in the 19th century.

Having said that, I’m not sure that there will be ANYTHING remaining to socialize by the time Obama takes office. At our current pace, we’ll just fly right past socialism and into communism before Obama gets to office. I’m planning to beat the rush and send in my application for one of those sweet politburo jobs now!

Comrade Mike

65

Mike,

For a guy with your lifestyle, you sure are one pissed off person.

This guy ISN’T EVEN IN OFFICE YET!!!

It’s got NOTHING to do with SLAVES…it’s about a COUNTRY that 40 years ago had BLACK and WHITE water fountains electing a black man as President.
That’s what makes this country GREAT, the ability to MOVE FORWARD…You obviously can’t or don’t see it.

Am I gonna pay more in taxes??? YES…But it won’t change a SINGLE thing about my life…It’s not gonna change Rookies either…If he makes what he says he makes, along with his Lawyer wife…it’s time to PONY UP. You and I had a nice ride for 8 long years…now it’s time to pay a little more. Even BUFFET says it crazy that his SECRETARY pays a higher percentage in taxes than he does!!!

The gravy train is OVER…Stop the crying. We’ll survive.

66

I have always been proud to be an AMERICAN.

…I love this country and I’m damn proud to be an American…

I guess I’m going to get smacked in the mouth for this…but….

WHY???

Be careful how you assign pride and shame.

Why are you proud to be an American?

If there is anything that I am proud of, I am proud to be a thinking person in a world with many people who do not. I am proud to have accomplished the things that I have. I am proud to have put myself through college when no one else seemed to care or support that endeavor. I am proud to have been working since I was 9 years old. I’m proud to support the individual rights of everyone in this world regardless of the circumstances that are beyond their control.
I believe that there are racists from all races, there are bigots from all walks of life. I’m proud that I have not decided to join any of them.
I am a white, straight, fiscally conservative, socially liberal American male. I’m proud to be fiscally conservative and socially liberal.

I have no control over the rest.

 We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they 
 are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these 
 are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, 
 Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the 
 consent of the governed. That whenever any Form of Government becomes 
 destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and
 to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and 
 organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect
 their Safety and Happiness. ... 
 [b]But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same
 Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right,
 it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their
 future security. [/b]

I would like to quote another source that I happen to like:

 These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine
 patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands
 it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not
 easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict,
 the more glorious the triumph. [b]What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly;
 it is dearness only that gives everything its value. [/b] I love the man that can smile
 in trouble, that can gather strength from distress and grow brave by reflection. 'Tis
 the business of little minds to shrink; but he whose heart is firm, and whose
 conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death." 
                                                                                   Thomas Paine
       
 What can I take away from the idea that you are an American?

Do you believe in Bush?
In Obama?
Are you a Christian?
A Jew?
A Muslim?
A Buddhist?
An Atheist?
Are you gay?
Are you straight?
Are you white?
Are you black?
Chinese?
Indian?
Hispanic?
There just seem to be so many reasons that people claim to be proud; none of them having to do with FREE WILL and I wonder why.

 If your ancestors ever gave you a reason to be proud, it is the act of being free.

If you have obtained a reasonable amount of money because you have contributed housing to people, thanks to your ambition, thanks to your altruism, then be proud only because you used your free will to bring value and kindness to the world.

67

I was referring to living in a country that shows it can move past… IT’S PAST. And be BETTER, because of the abililty for ANYONE, of ANY RACE, RELIGION, or Social stature, to TRUELY have CHOICE and OPPORTUNITY.

THAT my friend…IS FREEDOM…In it’s TRUEST SENSE.

68

I agree with you FDJake. The one bright spot about the election is that it clearly shows that RACISM IS OVER! I’m just hoping that the leftists will finally let it go.

Comrade Mike

69
The one bright spot about the election is that it clearly shows that RACISM IS OVER!

It’s not over, but it may well be on it’s way. :beer

70
It's not over, but it may well be on it's way.

What’s it going to take for it to be over?

Mike

71
What's it going to take for it to be over?

I wish I had the answer to that one. Although it is a Holy War the Middle East has been fighting since Biblical times. Until we, as a society, learn to accept people who are different than ourselves, it may never end.

I think that in the U.S. it is a great moment and we now have a chance to move forward, but will/can we?

72

Racism will never end…There are too many deep rooted issues in all races…There are too many ignorant people in all races…But I think we are moving in the right direction…

73

I’ve been following this thread for quite some time and think one of the best economists/authors on the subjects of economics and race is Thomas Sowell. He is an American of African descent who has authored at least 30 books and hundreds of essays/articles. His books are fantastic. Titles such as Basic Economics, Economic Facts and Falacies, Ever Wonder Why?, and others will enlighten the those who consider themselves liberals. One of his works is even entitled " Black Rednecks and White Liberals".

www.tsowell.com

JP

74

(I’m going to write this tongue and cheek but here goes)

In my opinion, when we stop saying "First Black, Chinese, Mexican, Spanish…(Fill in the blank) to do something. If you were born in America guess what? You are American. 99% of the people that live in America came from somewhere else anyway, (Unless you are native american).

Mike:

What you are reffering to is what you call: “Slave Mentality” it still haunts some African American people to this day because mentalities most often get passed on from generation to generation. If your ancestors came to this country as slaves and been degraded to the fact that they lived worse off than farm animals and were treated as such but helped build this country and got no credit for it you would have a vastly different view of the world simply because it was passed down to you from previous family and friends, (This is in some cases) If you hurt someone physically that may last for a lifetime, but if you destroy someone physically AND mentally that lasts for generations. Mike, please don’t speak about something you totally don’t understand. I have some friends who are Jewish who talks about what happened in the Holocaust. I just stay quiet and just listen because I can learn something from the experience. No, I am not Jewish but I understand and sympathize with what they have been through.

So my point is this: It’s true that some people need to get over what happened but until you UNDERSTAND FULLY the ramifications of degrading, raping and killing an entire race for HUNDREDS OF YEARS and don’t expect some sort of negative effects on them then you are sadly mistaken and you need to take the time to try to understand them.

See now you made me speak about race on a Real Estate Investing website!! :banghead

75

“…I’m sorry if I offended anybody with my earlier posts because that was not my intention”

No offense taken RookieNYC, we are all on this site to learn something and I think we all did out of the situation.

76

After almost an hour of reading the posts in this thread, it is disheartening to see the lack of understanding of not only the basic tenants of our country and the willingness to stray so far from it, but in the understanding of civics and political stucture of our government.

Please keep this in mind, if you choose to use Bush as the boogey-man for all our ills, you do understand that at anytime over his term, the Democrats could have stopped anything they disagreed with him on? The Republicans did not have a fillibuster-proof control. The question you want to ask yourself is WHY they did not do so? Why did they not do so over the past two years when they have been in control of the Congress (who writes the checks)?

Who are you going to blame next year (or over the coming months) when this gets much worse, and the same socialist/nationalist mistakes are compounded? You have already seen how the Dems plan to deal with these issues over the last two years, and more pointedly over the last few months in what they forecasted they will do. The Dems are not opposing this, but endorsing more of the same (which is HISTORICALLY their position)… You can choose, as so many here seem to be doing, to ignore this reality in defense of an ideology or individual, but you will soon find yourself wrapped and bound in the basis of your own criticisms, which is the very definition of CONTROL. Think about it…

I don’t believe anyone is saying that we shouldn’t pay taxes for things like roads, military, schools, etc. which we all benefit from, or taking care of those who are the most vunerable in society who cannot do for themselves, but the concept of explicitly or overtly taking the EARNINGS forecefully of one individual and redistributing it to another who did not earn it, is wrong. Let me say that again… it is WRONG!

It does nothing for the recipient except make them more reliant on someone in the government to take more and more from someone else for their benefit…

“When the people find they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic” - Benjamin Franklin

If you do not feel this is wrong or your feel the government DESERVES to be trusted with this responsibility, tell me, why not let the government take ALL of your earnings and redistribute it as THEY see fit. To “extreme” an example for you? OK, examine what you are espousing a little further… at what point do you think the EXTRACTION of one individuals earnings (as opposed to their freedom to freely give it) and redistributed to another individual who did not earn it in the first place becomes repugnant to you… 40, 50, 60%… 90%? After all, if a person EARNED $10,000,000 and the government TOOK 90%, they would still be a millionaire, SO WHY NOT? They would still make more than 20 times the average worker makes… right? Defend your position…

ANYONE can give 100% of THEIR earnings to whomever they want at any time should their conscious and pocketbook dictate it, WITHOUT LOSING BILLIONS in the administration of the same, but tell me why you feel it is OK to cede CONTROL over to the government in so many avenues of your life to the point where the “people” are willing to give up their freedoms of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness, in order to rely on the very government who is failing them now? This puts them in a form of financial slavery, subject to the whim of the government and what “it” can do for them, as opposed to what they can do for themselves. It does NOTHING to further develope their initiative to lead better lives, but rather drags them down. HOW can you support such policies?

Please tell me WHY ANYONE should trust the government with ANY form of financial security when EVERY program enacted to provide the same has miserably failed. That’s like hiring a financial advisor who has FAILED everytime to trust with your financial future… you wouldn’t do it, WHY would you then let the government perform this function for you, or worse yet, if you argue that you wouldn’t, then WHY would you subjugate your fellow citizens to that which you wouldn’t do yourself?

American coming together? I agree we should all come together, but not to support policies that run counter to the tenants of this country (no matter who is President or what party) all in the illisionary name of “bi-partisianship” or “getting along”, but rather to stand up and OPPOSE them… otherwise, you are complicit in the socialization of America, and the inevitable collapse, which has happened EVERYTIME it is tried… and in making this decision, this is what you make for your children and their childrens future… SUBJUGATION and reliance on the government…

Thanks, but no thanks…

77

It’s funny when you put what an individual or a group is espousing to the test… Kinda gives you clarity on what they actually believe…

Kinda like liberals and socialism… it’s great as long as it doesn’t affect me… :rolleyes