I am sorry, I just have to get this off of my chest.
President Obama was in Ohio yesterday afternoon speaking at Lorain Community College with his latest theme ‘all jobs all the time.’ While I have no problem with the President speaking about jobs what continues to shock me is the citizenry reaction and expectation.
Most of the local TV networks the day before had multiple interview spots with the citizens of Lorain County which has been struggling for at least a decade with job losses, you know auto plants, steel mills, etc. What continues to frustrate me is how many people actually expect the President to be able to create a job for them, he will make it better is what they feel.
When did this patriarchal (someone who is the father figure and can fix all things) orientation begin? When did people stop taking personal responsibility for themselves and expect a politician to magically out of thin air give them a job. Maybe it is the fact that the government has branded itself as the solver of all problems, the caregiver to all that created the expectation.
But hold on, I know life is difficult for many people, I just helped feed a hundred families at church today and many of those don’t have the physical or mental capacity to be gainfully employed. I understand and have compassion for all humans but I pray they will take self-responsibility for their situation and do what they can to make it better and not rely on the ‘hope’ that our government will pull off a miracle for them.
Ok, I feel better now, thanks for listening. I have complete faith and ultimately know that what will make this economy better (we all act as if this has not happened before) is what many belittle today, the American Spirit. There are millions of individuals going to school to learn new skills, millions more looking for a way to start their own business, millions are working hard to find a job and millions more working even harder at the job they currently have.
Making our lives better happens one person at a time, repeated millions of times.
