Put yourself in the shoes of a young immigrant about to embark on a life-changing journey.
You’re packed onto a boat with hundreds of people chasing one dream – the American dream. The weeks pass, you eat your rations of food and drink a few sips of water. Your morale is tested again and again.
Discomfort culminates in a feeling of madness… but then you look up and finally see her.
Lady Liberty…
Standing tall and dominant in her copper form.
She’s wearing a free-flowing robe to honor the Roman goddess “Libertas,” who was cherished by freed slaves…
Broken shackles lay at her feet. She too is free… no longer bound to anyone or anything.
On her head is a crown declaring, “Here, freedom reigns supreme.”
In her right hand she holds a torch. Its flame illuminates the world with America’s freedom.
In her left hand she holds a book of America’s founding principle: Law. The book is carved in the shape of a keystone. Without it everything would crumble, just as freedom and democracy would crumble without law.
The book’s inscription reads JULY IV MDCCLXXVI – the day our founders won their independence.
The day America was truly born.
The Rise of the Dependent Citizen
Once upon a time, Lady Liberty embodied everything immigrants left their homelands to search for. But fast-forward to today, and we see that the country Lady Liberty represents no longer exists.
Sure, millions still immigrate here in hopes of a better life. But the dream today is no longer fueled by fierce ambition and a resilient work ethic. It’s a dream of spoon-fed government handouts spawned from a corrupt and decaying political system.
Truth is, America as we know it is on the verge of breaking through an extremely symbolic threshold.
It’s a few percentage points away from half of all its households receiving some type of benefit from the government.
Forget about the unfathomable economics of that for one second, and consider this: Having a society with that much government assistance undermines the independent spirit that once defined being an American… a spirit that people died both seeking and defending.
A vision our forefathers spilt blood to achieve… A vision my ancestors left Rome and Sicily for.
Yet now we’re a nation split almost equally between givers and takers.
And the central problem is the way in which the federal government (the current administration, especially) tries to resolve things.
Not once has President Obama put forth a major initiative to grow the job market. The JOBS act helps venture capitalists and entrepreneurs, no doubt, but I’m referring to the millions of Americans who just need a job – not a means to crowdfund a startup.
And the president can only wrap duct tape around something that’s broken for so long before it finally snaps.
You see, rather than nurturing an environment that promotes thriving industry, he offers more handouts. If there are fewer people working, his solution is give them more help. Throw a free cell phone in the mix, too!
There’s a reason why Obama’s referred to as the “Food Stamp President.” Since taking office, Obama has created 20 new food stamp recipients for every one job he’s created.
Here’s an even more sobering statistic: Since Obama took his hand off of the Bible, the number of food stamp and disability recipients has increased by roughly 18 million.
The Shocking Truth
We’re constantly hearing from the mainstream media how economic turmoil is easing and the job market is growing.
Floyd and I have pointed out several times how much of a façade the unemployment rate is. It doesn’t account for the people who dropped out of the job hunt altogether. And March of this year was proof of that. The Labor Department reported an increase in hiring – in fact, 138,000 jobs were added and the department issued a surprisingly positive outlook for the road ahead.
Yet, they failed to announce that in that very same month there was a 15% spike in food stamp recipients.
You see, we don’t just have an unemployment problem… we have an underemployment problem as well. And people with low wages also qualify for food stamps.
Now, the issue isn’t whether people deserve assistance. It’s the fact that the government, namely this administration, doesn’t promote a “provide for yourself” mentality.
Instead, it inspires a nation of citizens who turn to Uncle Sam and expect him to lend a helping hand.
And how can you blame them? It’s no surprise when seventy percent of federal spending is shelled out towards dependency programs.
It’s a death spiral that is snowballing out of control.
So as you celebrate this Fourth of July, remember that this is no longer the America that unshackled itself from an oppressive monarchy hundreds of years ago.
We’re drifting away from the very spirit we extol on Independence Day, and that’s truly a shame.
Your eyes on the Hill,
Martin Biancuzzo
Source: capitolhilldaily