Daddy Week: Days 5 & 6

Nothing of much significance has happened the past two days other than lunch at Ronald's. It is too bad that I don't have anything fun or exciting to blog about with respect to Michelle being gone.

I did read an article (here) about Mitt Romney saying he wouldn't mind running as a vp with McCain. The funniest part of the article was when he made fun of both Obama's and Clinton's credentials in regards to national security:

"Listening to Obama and Clinton discuss their national security credentials, Romney said, is akin to 'listening to two chihuahuas argue about which is the biggest dog'."

I haven't posted much about politics this year despite being very involved and interested in the campaigns. I have been amazed at the reasons people are voting for the candidates they are voting for. Some of the reasons include: "women should rule all the countries", "so and so 'feels' like a better choice", "so and so is more diverse." The list goes on and on, but rarely do I hear something that demonstrates actual achievements the candidate has accomplished. Obviously all the candidates are successful and have some achievements to their name. But when you are running for president they had better be noteworthy.

I used to get more upset when I heard people talk about new programs and support systems. Now, I am getting a bit more calloused to it and realize I subscribe to and ideology that is a losing cause. People rarely want to take MORE responsibility for their: selves, families, health, financial situation, education, spending habits, etc.

I remember being a young scoutmaster for about ten boys ages 11-16. We were dedicated to camping once a month. At first I made sure that once we arrived to our destination, the tents were all erected, the dinners were cooked, dishes were done and everyone was ok. It was a lot of stress and I was doing all the work. The boys relied on me to help them put up their tent, cook meals, and clean the dishes.

One campout I said, "to hell with it", I am going to cook for just me and my assistant, get bedding ready for me, and do nothing with dishes or food. To my surprise, the boys figured out how to get their sleeping bags and tent ready. The dinner was made, in the dark, but everyone ate. They didn't do their dishes that night, however, they never made that mistake again. Basically, when I let them take care of themselves, by golly they did it. And, they became independent and responsible. Occasionally a boy would struggle and I would either help him or the others would help him.

I believe people could do more for themselves if they had to. Wanting to get rid of government programs and let people be responsible for them self often gets labled as being cold-hearted, mean-spirited or whatever you call it. I just don't think it works. And the fact is that many of us give more to charity, serve just as much, and genuinely care about people just like everyone else. I just hate being forced into having to do it.