Thank God for the OldGeezerS of the " Gray-Haired Brigade..

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   OLYHOOCHposted 13 years ago

   Thank God for the OldGeezerS of the " Gray-Haired Brigade..
   
   
     They like to refer to us as senior citizens, old fogies, geezers, and in some cases dinosaurs.  Some of us are "baby boomers" getting ready to retire.  Others have been retired for some time.  We walk a little slower these days and our eyes and hearing are not what they once were.
   
   We have worked hard, raised our children, worshipped
   our God and grown old together.  Yes, we are the ones some refer to as being over the hill and that is probably true.
   
   
   But before writing us off completely, there are a few things that need to be taken into consideration.  In school we studied English, history, math, and science which enabled us to lead America into the technological age.
   
   Most of us remember what outhouses were, many of
   us with firsthand experience.  We remember the days of telephone party-lines, 25 cent gasoline, and milk and ice being delivered to our homes.  For those of you who
   don't know what an icebox is, today they are electric and referred to as refrigerators.  A few even remember when cars were started with a crank.  Yes, we lived those days.
   
   We are probably considered old fashioned and out-dated by many.  But there are a few things you need to remember before completely writing us off.  We won World War II and fought in Korea and Viet Nam .  We can quote the pledge of allegiance, and know where to place our hand while doing so.  We wore the uniform of our country with pride and lost many friends on the battlefield.  We didn't fight for the Socialist States of America , we fought for the "Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave."  We wore different uniforms but carried the same flag.  We know the words to the Star Spangle Banner, America , and America the Beautiful by heart, and you may even see some tears running down our cheeks as we sing. We have lived what many of you have only read about in history books and we feel no obligation to apologize to anyone for America .
   
   Yes, we are old and slow these days but rest assured, we have at least one good fight left in us.  We have loved this country, fought for it, and died for it, and now we are going to save it.  It is our country and nobody is going to take it away from us.  We took oaths to defend America against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and that is an oath we plan to keep.  There are those who want to destroy this land we love but, like our founders, there is no way we are going to remain silent.
    
   It was the young people (and liberals) of this nation who elected Obama and the Democratic congress.  You fell for the "Hope and change" which in reality was nothing but "Hype and lies."  You have tasted socialism and seen evil face to face, and have found you don't like it after all.
   
   You make a lot of noise but most are all too interested in their careers or "Climbing the social ladder" to be involved in such mundane things as patriotism and voting.
   
   Many of those who fell for the "great lie" in 2008 are now having buyer's remorse.  With all the education we gave you, you didn't have sense enough to see through the lies and instead drank the cool-aid. Now you're paying the
   price and complaining about it.
    
   No jobs, lost mortgages, higher taxes, and less freedom.  This is what you voted for and this is what you got.  We entrusted you with the Torch of Liberty and you traded it for a paycheck and a fancy house.
   
   Well, don't worry youngsters, the Grey Haired Brigade is here, and in two months we are going to take back our nation.  We may drive a little slower than you would like but we get where we're going, and in November we're going to the polls by the millions.  This land does not belong to the man in the White House or to Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid.  It belongs to "We the People", and "We the People" plan to reclaim our land and our freedom.  We hope this time you will do a better job of preserving it and passing it along to our grandchildren.
   
   So the next time you have the chance to say the Pledge of Allegiance, stand up, put your hand over your heart, honor our country, and thank God for the old geezers of the "Grey-Haired Brigade."

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   Quilligrapherposted 13 years ago

   Thanks, Olyhooch, for ya great tribute to us OldGeezerS.  Although I wanted to be in the Gray-Haired Brigade, I couldn’t join.  They said I didn’t have enough of them to qualify. So I ended up in the Gray-Hairless Brigade.
   
   Like you, I know the pledge of allegiance and I know to cover my heart when I say it.  I also know to remove my hat when the colors go by.  Something not all the younger guys have learned to do, I’ve noticed. It’s so obvious we both grew up in the same country and we’re both proud of what it stands for.
   
   Then you started saying stuff that had me scratching my head. Like, “It was the young people (and liberals) of this nation who elected Obama and the Democratic congress.” Golly, Oly, you gotta get your facts straight. A heap of young people voted for Obama, for sure, but they didn’t make the difference. Take a look at http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1031/young- … 8-election and you will see young people were not crucial to Barack Obama's victory. In fact, if you read further, you’ll learn that about half of us “Old GeezerS” over age 30 voted for President Obama. So please, Oly, don’t blame it all on the younger generations.
   
   I agree with you, though, our country is sure in a hellava mess, my friend. I’m just as frustrated as you are but I can’t blame the present administration or the voters who wanted “hope and change” when they went to polls in 2008.  It sounds so ill-informed to say “Now you're paying the price and complaining about it. No jobs, lost mortgages, higher taxes, and less freedom. This is what you voted for and this is what you got.”  Statements like that will just make our kids believe we old fogies haven’t a clue about what’s really happening in the world.  The bad economy, lost mortgages and less freedom started under the previous administration. Don’t you remember, Oly?
   
   The economy of the USA collapsed 6 to 8 months before Obama was elected. The first stimulus package was designed by the Bush administration with the blessings of the Democrats in Congress.  Do you remember TARP and the $700 billion released by Congress prior to Obama’s inauguration on Jan. 20th, 2009?  Don’t you remember President Bush, on December 19, 2008, used his executive authority to declare that TARP funds would be spent ONLY on programs he personally approved.  And don’t forget February 5, 2009, when Elizabeth Warren, chairperson of the Congressional Oversight Panel, told the Senate Banking Committee that during 2008, the federal government paid $254 billion for assets that were worth only $176 billion.  She reported billions of our dollars, yours and mine, fell into a black hole at the Bush controlled US Treasury Department.  All of that took place before, and was in fact inherited by, the present administration.  I'm a registered Republican and these facts make me feel a little uncomfortable. How about you?
   
   Do you really believe the voters of 2008 are responsible for higher taxes? We Americans are always complaining about taxes, but few of us noticed the $116 billion in tax cuts for individuals bundled in the stimulus legislation enacted in February 2009.  It is a fact that more then 30% of the benefits provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act took the form of payroll tax credits for people earning less than $75,000. As a result, 97% of American households saved an average of $1,179 in taxes during 2009. The current administration also promoted and enacted the December 2010 bill that extended all the “Bush” tax cuts and thereby avoided higher taxes. It has been a long, long time since we have seen an income tax increase. Don’t you agree, Oly?
   
   Finally, I’m not one to think everyone on my side of an issue is right and everyone else is wrong. In a pluralistic democracy, different viewpoints are normal and healthy. To imply liberals always get it wrong or to insinuate conservatives are never on the right side of any issue reveals a closed mind and narrow vision. The preservation of our nation depends on our respecting different points of view and accepting we are not always going to have it our way. I know you and I are concerned about the future of this country.  And I value your opinions about this administration. But I go to sleep every night confidant our great nation will survive and benefit from this President as it did the 43 before him.

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      Pandoras Boxposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Excellent post, thank you.

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   Paragliderposted 13 years ago

   Hi Q - I enjoyed your response. I have very little time for this notion that there is room in the political landscape for only one flavour of politics, and everyone else has to subscribe or be branded traitorous. It does seem to be mainly an American disease; European politics tends to be more inclusive by nature.

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      Quilligrapherposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Nice to hear from you, Para! 
      You are right about our political rhetoric. Too many Americans arrogantly proclaim their impatience with having to wait for their turn to come again. They openly ridicule EVERY citizen’s right to participate in the governing process. I can spot them here in the forums by their Posts to Hubs ratio and by their comments, which are usually a lot of amplitude and very little modulation.

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         Doug Hughesposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Quillighapher - I also have to applaud your carefully crafted argument.
         
         You might not know it from my biased posts, but I believe in the two-party system and the process of conflict and compromise which results in better legislation than either side would craft alone.
         
         If you observe the process of getting a sharp edge, it requires the sword AND the stone.

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            Quilligrapherposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            Well stated, Doug.  There is nothing wrong with biased posts when they are the products of your own intellectual conclusions.  They miss the mark, however, when they lack respect for other opinions. I become nervous when one segment in our society resents having to share the role of governance.

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   Amanda Severnposted 13 years ago

   Not quite one of the grey-haired brigade just yet, but certainly getting there! Olyhooch, there's a lot of lessons to be learned from looking at the past. The good old days were often bad old days. You mention cars starting with cranking handles, and outdoor privies. You could also have added Rickets, TB and Polio, Black Lung Disease, rationing and trench warfare. Yes, there's a whole lot of good stuff back there in our distant memories, but there's also some black, bleak moments of gloom and despondency.
   
   As a child here in the UK I was taught to vote Conservative (our version of the Republicans). My parents remembered Churchill, and remained loyal to his party. Times have changed since then. The Conservative party of today is not necessarily the Conservative party of yester year. Just because the name has stayed the same, doesn't automatically mean that modern Conservatives still espouse Churchill's (or Thatcher's) specific brand of politics. The same is true for your Republican Party. 'Republican' and 'Conservative' are just broad brush words that cover a wide range of ideas and policies, some good, some bad.
   
   The younger generation do, however, have a lot to learn from the older generation. They can look back on the greed and corruption of the last 20 years and witness first hand the carnage unfettered Capitalism has wreked on our lives. In fact not only can they learn from it, they can also pay for it. How's that for a history lesson?

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   lovemychrisposted 13 years ago

   No Kidding!! And, if you want to talk socialism, I was just watching this forum on medicare, and one provision was called "an un-earned hugely costly bonus".  Un-earned. Paid by taxes. For the old geezers. Maybe you should thank god for that.
   
   Obama represents the young generation. I really don't think they want to go back to your ideas. Look where it got us.

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      Jim Hunterposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      "Obama represents the young generation. I really don't think they want to go back to your ideas. Look where it got us."
      
      Yeah, the leader of the world.
      
      Derrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

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