I Love My Country..but Fear My Government

Not too long ago, I received an email about a bill that was in The House of Representatives regarding the minimum wage and finally increasing it. Now this is important to me since I live in New Hampshire where we have no State minimum wage, but rely on federal guidelines, so an increase here is long, long overdue. While the cost of living is starting to rise to dangerous proportions here in NH, we are still working for peanuts. Mind you, there is an upside, we truly believe in the motto "Live Free or Die", and we take it very seriously. At the same time, how can we live free if we cannot afford to live here at all?

So, back to what I was telling you, there was a bill that had passed the House that would raise the minimum wage over the next FIVE years, but the catch was, you guessed it, a boon for the rich. The proposal included yet another attempt by the Republicans to eliminate the estate tax so that they can keep all their money, and we can remain poor (Working Families Party, 2006). Now, our current financial status in this country has already just about eliminated the middle class and has more than doubled the amount of people who live below the national poverty level. Never fear, at least a third of these people owns their own homes and has a car and other goodies like electronics and nice clothes (U.S. Census Bureau, 2000). Those that are actually poor have many of these material things, so we are still the richest country in the world, materialistically anyway. The price the average family pays is far more than monetary, the loss of the American Dream that many of us have felt at some point is far more substantial to the decay of our country's families that a lack of money.

Why is this you may ask? Well, first of all, we need to make sure that our government is getting their money from the right sources. In all fairness, those that have more money, should pay more taxes on that money. It is simple common sense that we as a nation ensure our own security; this means all of us not just those who already have an obscene amount money. Don't misunderstand me, I firmly believe that each of us is responsible to do everything we can to improve our own lives, but if we continue to allow our government to run unchecked by us, then when we get screwed we have only ourselves to blame. In the email I received, I was requested to contact my local legislators and tell them that I did not agree with the details of this bill and how long term effects of this bill would hurt those of us who are busting our backs everyday working for what seems to be nothing. But it is not nothing after all. I did as requested and I forwarded to email to those I knew were interested so they could do the same.

The end result, the bill was defeated in the Senate (Union Leader, October 2006) and while we may not get a raise in minimum wage just yet, we will not end up trillions of dollars in debt as a nation as a result of tax breaks for the richest members of our society.

So, I have a request for all of you that read this essay, remember that your voice counts and that you have a responsibility to use it every time you learn the government and the people YOU elected to represent you in Washington hear you when you don't like what they are doing. One voice does make a difference; many voices are a chorus that can be heard from coast to coast. If you do not participate in the process, then do not whine about the result.

I have said this before, and I am sure it won't be the last time I say it, but if you do a little research, you will find out that there are people out there making a difference every day. They are regular people like you and I; not rich powerful people, just average Joe's and Jane's who pay attention to what is going on and if they do not like it, do something about it. If you want to be a part of the future, then your first step is to fight in the present, use the voice that the founding fathers fought and died to give to each of us, the freedom to speak out is our right because of their efforts. VOTE! The responsibilities that come with true freedom are greater than we realize, one of them is to use your voice, fight for what you believe in. Make those that have fought and died for us proud of what we do to maintain what they created.