When I tell people that my parents are basically communists, they ask, well what happened to you?

I used to say, "they taught me to read."

But now...it seems the proper answer is that people like that don't live the way they preach. None of the things that they have done in raising me squares with what they advocate for other people.

Indeed, I see that by not living by the standards by which I was raised leads to your men being shiftless, lazy, and bad parents. That the women end up, well, at best as girls gone wild. From that point forward, the path is down, not up. I see no reason to advocate raising a feral human. I want everyone to experience what I have and more.

The people that force others into public education where social promotion is the goal, won't send their children to public schools. The easy living of rewarding single motherhood isn't an option. Neither is an abortion. Be responsible. That's what they wanted for me.

From where I was raised, things like bad education, being a victim, living off of others, and countless other things taken for granted were granted to others, but never an option. So, why should I be treated, and expect to be treated, one way, the way that they expected of me, but wasn't expected of others?

Not everyone is gifted. But everyone can do well. I could squander my gifts. You could work hard and be better than you, by all rights, could be. I realized, that what's good for me, is good for you. Not some other standard. I may be fit, but my fitness didn't cause your sloth. My virtue didn't cause your weakness. Jesus said that the poor will always be with us, but he never said that we had to encourage them that their poverty led to a poverty of their souls. The way I was raised wouldn't allow that for me.

There are, it turns out, plenty of poor people. But they still live moral, virtuous lives. Moreso than I could dream of. And these people are looked down upon because they're bitter clingers. Screw that. They are the model, an example.

Some say the poor (or the rich) are different. No. They aren't. Anyone who goes down the wrong path ends at the wrong place. Turn around, it's never too late.

So, in my mind, when Rand wrote, "I swear -- by my life and my love of it -- that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine," I realize that that I can't say rest, do nothing, it's ok, someone else will give you stuff.

I chose another viewpoint. What's good for me is good for others.





So, yeah, live by the same rules. please.

UPDATE

Of course, for most "socialists, libs, etc." types, their positions are more intellectual preening than anything else. Conservatives offer arguments, Liberals offer alliances. To put it clearly, Conservatives want to win the argument to win the crowd, liberals wish to win the crowd to win the argument. It's tribalism versus rationality. Think about that the next time, while watching Jon Stewart, he mocks a political opponent or praises HugObama. You are being told who is cool. Not who is right. So, flush away America's future, ignore what the uncool kids say. It's obviously not important. Following the herd is no excuse, and they should still pay for their thoughtless advocacy, of course.

PS. wow, I got a 3000 word comment. Easily readable because the author managed to condense his thoughts into 4 paragraphs. Very pithy and informative, I am sure. I liked the excess use of all-caps. Persuasive. and deleted.