A New Year, And Hopefully Some Change?

While some of you are no doubt unpacking exercise equipment, and or stocking your fridge with the newest diet what-have-you, I sit here shaking my head in utter disappointment. Here we go again. Another year of people pretending they are going to turn their lives around. What kills me the most over new year's is how many people actually buy into it. The people who go all out and buy up everything they can in progression toward their great new year. Most people will buy into anything if they hear those magical words. You know those words, and commercialized America is more than happy to tell you exactly what you want to hear. But what the lovely people of this over glorified tradition don't know is that it's a setup. It's one big distraction to keep you from paying attention to things that are far more important than your own selfish needs. It prevents you from taking action against something that most of us are so used to ignoring by now. Some of you wont understand what I'm talking about. Others may be offended by what I have to say. Regardless of either of those things I hope that this will really make you stop and think. Because the truth was bound to catch up with you some time or another.

Millions of Americans don't know how to pay attention when it really counts. We step blindly into scenarios without really knowing the consequences. We hurt others without thinking of how our actions will affect others and purposely step on those who get in our way. We, as a people, have lost sight of what it's really all about. Money, power, and belittling people is not what the human race is supposed to stand for. What ever happened to morals? When did we lose our intelligence, our independence, and our integrity along the way?

Our nations schools no longer teach the truth. Instead public school systems have made it their mission to keep the young brain washed. I am stating that matter of factly, considering I did only graduate high school 2 years ago. I've been to over 20 different schools throughout my 12 years of schooling. Some of those schools had such a poor educational systems that they really didn't even deserve the title. With every school that I attended I soon discovered something very embarrassing. I wasn't learning anything. At first I thought it was me, that I might be stupid or have some kind of learning disability, until I noticed a pattern. As my years progressed through school I soon realized there wasn't much that I really needed to learn. Here's why. I learned the same exact thing almost every year. Math was always going to be addition and subtraction either way you look at it. It's always more of less whether or not you throw in multiplication and division. What I want to know is why the hell I had to learn about the square route of X rounded to the nearest 10th? When what I should have been learning about was how to feed myself this month with the little money I have left over after bills. Not to mention I manage to do this with OUT help from the ever present food stamps in today's society.

Reading and writing were already a dying art as far as any of my generation were concerned. By the time I was in 8th grade no one cared if they could read at a normal pace. You were lucky if you even knew how to form a proper sentence at all. I see it now even today as a 20-year-old. People really could give a shit less about how they present themselves to others, even if they do sound like a complete dumb ass. Of course that's what happens when students couldn't give a care less when all they can think about is sex. Even at the age of 12.

Peer pressure isn't just aggressive, it's out of control. Kids are always going to be followers. That's what they do. They learn by example because their brains are unable to do for themselves what we are now able to do as adults, which is to stop and think before acting. When you are a child there is nothing stopping you from giving into every impulse you are faced with, especially when fear is involved. This is the pure definition of peer pressure in it's rawest form. Kids follow because they are scared they will otherwise not be accepted by their peers. And that is where the problem is truly indentured. When no one stands up for themselves and takes their own path you have a mind that has been warped into believing a lie.

Remember earlier how I had mentioned food stamps? If you don't already know it is one of America's biggest down falls. The food stamp program was not designed for the millions of people it supports today. People that are more than happy to piss away hard earned tax paying money with no consequence. The act was invented in 1964 to help people get back on their feet, kind of like a helping hand to those who really needed a step up. Overnight people who weren't making enough or didn't have a job could sign up and be on their way to the store within minutes. Of course in order to compensate taxes were raised as a result. Large business owners started to see a decline in consumer products which drove up costs. Food corporations, along with many other business owners, were being taxed largely for reasons that were never disclosed to them honestly. This is the result of America's idleness in letting welfare programs get completely out of control.

Now that you have seen the truth there should be nothing left to argue about. Except for the fact of what should be done about it. People need to stop glorifying themselves and stop acting like they are entitled to these benefits. These programs aren't something to be proud of and they are not to be flaunted like a prize. Did you know there are actually mothers in this world that have children so that they can become lifers to programs like WIC, Food Stamps, and others welfare programs? Can you imagine what kind of world this will be with children like that being brought into society? Children that have no idea that they can rise up and be better people than those who raised them. Children that would have no clue of what the real world is like because they think it is as simple as being the next in line to receive a handout.

Have you noticed how I keep saying the word handout? I'm not saying it lightly and the reason I bring attention to the title is because I want everyone to understand the severity of it. Virtually anyone can go into a welfare office and get food stamps. They don't drug test you and they don't regulate the amount of time that you spend on welfare once you are in. If you still don't have a clear picture of the types of people that are on welfare then I suggest you watch this video. I do have to warn you, this video is very graphic and may have some harsh language.

I cannot hold every single person that is on welfare accountable for this kind of behavior, but I think I am permitted to be angry over the ones who do. I spent the better half of my childhood living through my parents making every mistake they could possibly think to make. They were just as selfish as the woman you saw in the video. My dad would get laid off of work and go drink himself into the toilet bowl. My mom was an alcoholic too and notorious for her addiction to prescription medications. I remember being so happy when I went to my neighbors house because I got to eat a nice hot meal. As you could probably guess the money my parents got for food either went toward booze or junk food for my dad when he got high. As far as I know they both still receive food stamps and are quite proud of it.

I managed to come out of that situation a far better person than either of my parents could even attempt to be. I am 20 years old and I graduated high school with out having to drop out because I was pregnant, which is more than I can say for most of my classmates. I am not embarrassed to admit that I am working at a gas station until I figure out my next big move in life. Like most young people I have no idea what I want to do yet. I do know that as long as I live I will NEVER have to receive help from the government simply because I don't want to take care of myself. I've been taking care of myself for far too long to throw it all away now.

So here's what I intend to do with my new year. I'm not going to pretend that I am entitled to anything, especially to something that is materialistic. I am going to work my ass off for the things that I need and work even harder for the things that I want. I am going to tell the truth always, even if that means hurting someones feelings. I am going to love just a little harder and smile a lot wider. I am not going to stress over the little things, and am absolutely not stressing over things that I have no control over. Above all of this I want to remain a genuine person. I want to be someone who can appreciate the gift of giving even though I have nothing.