Ask not what your country can do for you.....ask what you can do for your country.
On this day – the day of Senator Ted Kennedy’s funeral and the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina’s devastating impact on the Gulf Coast, destroying New Orleans, I’ve been thinking about a basic question that divides many people on a personal, political and emotional level, a question that goes back to the statement made by Ted Kennedy’s older brother made in his Inaugural Address.
How do you view America?
Senator and President Kennedy, as well as Senator Robert Kennedy were born of privilege and used the hand they were dealt to give other Americans more hope. More help. Another chance. Or, a chance. They looked for equality – whether it was in the workplace, mental health, civil rights or any of a myriad of other areas.
The belief, which I share, is that those in a position to help others, even at the expense of their own personal gain or wealth, should do that because this country is a country that gives tremendous opportunity to those who not only make the most of it, but just as importantly, to those who are in a position to even receive that opportunity in the first place.
Unfortunately, many Americans aren’t fortunate enough to be dealt a hand where those opportunities exist – yet there are those who feel that’s just tough shit. There are those who feel that (and who fight for) personal gain, personal wealth and personal power is for the taking and if you don’t have it, or you can’t get it, then that’s just how it is.
There are people who feel that the Constitution doesn’t guarantee healthcare coverage, or who feel that certain people are "less equal" than others – whether it is based on race, on wealth, on sexual preference or on "who you know". There are people who feel that those who lost everything from Hurricane Katrina should have known better than to live in an area that was ripe for Hurricanes. There are those who feel that only those who can afford certain basic healthcare procedures (or even preventative care) should be able to take advantage of such care.
These people view America as a "land of opportunity".
For them.
What Ted Kennedy has shown (and his brothers before him), is that it doesn’t matter if you are fortunate to get that "head start" or to be given opportunity because of who you know or what your name is. He has shown that his view of America - my view of America is one where we have a moral imperative to lift those up who weren’t born lucky. Or weren’t lucky enough to have a job that wasn’t outsourced. Or lost their home and savings because of an illness. Or couldn’t afford the most exclusive private education.
That is "my America". Even if it costs me a bit more of my paycheck (hell, I’d much rather it go to that then to big insurance and big oil profits or to an illegal and immoral war).
To others, it’s all about what their country can do for them.
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Update [2009-8-29 17:42:21 by clammyc]: I am hardly one to thank everyone for recommending a diary, and I'm not going to do that here (especially since some of my recommended diaries aren't of the "highest caliber"). However, when I wrote this, I wrote it thinking that it was one of my better ones as it says what I feel about so many issues in a simple and clear manner. I'm glad that others feel the same way.