"djay" wrote in message
news:T3HUe.393$YI6.386@trnddc05...
I agree with this line of thought. Kids should be taught at an early age
that the government can't offer them a handout all their lives. Education
will put these very kids in charge of their own destiny and not keep them
dependent on someone else (govt) for a handout. Reading, writing,
arithmetic and being able to understand follow simple, but important,
instructions like... "you need to evacuate right now" will help them in
their future.

I think that their aspirations are set too low. Maybe that's all they want
out of life.


Djay

"Oscar_Lives" wrote in message
news:%DqUe.319371$x96.123941@attbi_s72...
American middle and high school students everywhere should be required to
watch videotape of the poor people stranded by Hurricane Katrina.
Teachers should point out that many U.S. citizens without the financial
means to get out of New Orleans wound up floating face down in the water
or, at the very least, were subject to gross indignities and suffering of
all kinds.

The teachers should then tell the students that the local, state and
federal government bureaucracies failed to protect those poor people even
though everybody knew the storm was coming days in advance. The lesson
should then segue into how the most powerful nation in the world was
powerless to stop 9/11 and scores of other natural and manmade disasters
throughout our history.

After presenting those undeniable facts, the teachers should then present
two questions: Do you want to be poor? And do you believe the U.S.
government can protect you if you are poor?

For far too long, charlatan ideologues and dishonest politicians have
sold the concept that government can and will make your life better.
Well, if a cot in the Astrodome is the standard, maybe the promises are
true. But if you expect the government to provide you comfort and protect
you - P.T. Barnum had your number when he said, "there's a sucker born
every minute."

The affluent of New Orleans had options. Most of them got out ahead of
the storm simply by turning their ignition keys. But a professor friend
of mine stayed. However, when things got rough and the levees breached,
he was able to drive right out of town in his SUV.

But if you couldn't afford a vehicle, you might have wound up in the
Superdome, where there were few supplies and little security. With 20,000
folks in the building, bathrooms quickly broke down, and so did civility.
I covered the story almost nonstop for days. I didn't see one affluent
person in the Superdome. Not one.

The Bible says "the poor, they will always be with us," but it doesn't
have to be that way here in America. Here we have compulsory, free public
schools, scholarships and aid galore for higher education. We also have
affirmative action, job training, GED opportunities, military training
and options all over the place.

It is no accident that millions of poor people from all over the world
sneak into America because they can make money here if they work hard.
There are opportunities for people who can't even speak English.

Yet the racial hustlers and far left demagogues continue to sell
victimization to Americans living in the poor precincts. The poverty
pimps can't blame the establishment fast enough for ghettos and
deprivation and even hurricanes. But you rarely hear the words "personal
responsibility" when it comes to attacking the poverty problem.

Here's the end zone on this: The government can force your parents to
send you to school but can't force you to learn. If you do not educate
yourself or develop a marketable skill, chances are you will be poor and
powerless. If you react to that situation by committing crimes or
becoming addicted, you will sink further into the swamp of hopelessness
and your life will be largely meaningless.

Let the kids see the poor in New Orleans and the suffering they endured.
Then prod the children to connect the dots and wise up. Educate yourself,
work hard,and be honest. Then, when disaster occurs, you will have a
fighting chance to beat it.

If you don't do those things, the odds are that you will be desperately
standing on a symbolic rooftop someday yourself. And trust me, help will
not be quick in coming.

BY BILL O'REILLY
Published Friday, September 9, 2005