This is a significant weekend, one that memorializes those who have gone before. Hopefully we feel every, reverent emotion for those who have died in our service and those who developed this country through their sweat and sorrows; not only our dedicated military, but our forefathers who religiously worked to support their families and others who needed a hand up.
Our conservative values come through them. They gave hearts and souls to make this country the greatest. And, now, there are those who don’t care what was sacrificed. Instead, their entitlement attitudes bastardize the American model of sacred freedoms, which encourage dreams to unfold.
My own forefathers built roads and earthen dams in Arizona during the Depression, cutting the way for you and me to live more easily. Their every sacrifice came through their understanding that they and they alone were responsible for their lives, their paychecks, their families. Yet, we see the slobbering, old media, left wing radicals and even our president, crown respect on groups such as the Wall Street Occupiers who still, to this day, cannot define why they belly-ache over their lot. Many choose not to work. They snivel over what is not handed to them; some students lament that they must work and pay their own way. Occupiers breed entitlement, camp in public places, which others paid for through their labor and taxes. They are using violence and fire.
I’m biased because of my ancestry’s understanding of their personal power to build a nation. Plus, I’m married to my best example of the American way. David was born in poverty during the Depression. Raised in Sparks, Nev., the child helped his mother in her tiny store; plus he delivered newspapers and cleaned office buildings before he reached age 12. He took his musical talent and created a dance band at age 14, which over decades blessed him with income. At 15, he worked as a restaurant fry cook in Lake Tahoe every summer. He served the rich, yearned to have what they enjoyed, thus he tried harder.
Working his way through college, he lived in and managed a flop-house where he shoveled out crap left behind by drunken tenants. He joined the Air National Guard where his cooking skills qualified him as head cook in the mess hall. He went on to manage two apartment complexes, living in one. His labor blessed others right and left, including his struggling parents and siblings who he employed at the apartments.
His chosen occupation was in education, plus he eventually developed a large resort at Tahoe, where he employed hundreds of skilled laborers. Over years, he won and lost, but always, the American way provided the next step. However, he had to find it and he had to do it.
Every single thing that boy/man did, in the way of earning his living, went on to bless him and others. Today he mentors every person he can. Though there was some playtime in all those years, 99 percent of his life was hard, long work, some of it heartbreaking.
And so the Wall Street Occupiers call themselves the “99 percenters.” No. They are not.
The protestors, laced with anarchists, leave bitter impressions of those who refuse personal responsibility, while in the guise of patriotic indignation. They openly promote the taker mentality.
As for the banking and Washington corruption that bothers us all? Takers have little, respectable influence. Those who understand personal responsibility are in a much better place to generate change, which clearly explains the differences between the Occupiers and the Tea Partiers.
This weekend for me is about those who are devoted to America: the military, the working American, the American actively seeking work, and the hard-working student. You know them. They are the genuine “99 percenters.”
East Valley resident Linda Turley-Hansen (turleyhansen@gmail.com) is a syndicated columnist and former Phoenix veteran TV anchor.
downtownresident posted at 4:08 pm on Sun, May 27, 2012.
Once again, a hollow, pointless feel-good piece by some one who is dripping arrogance and superiority for no obvious reason.
Tea party????? Tea party???? You're just another bunch of radicals who don't want to recognize that not everyone can be rich.
Your self serving oratory is typical of overcompensation for the empty life you must truly lead.
IceCat posted at 4:46 pm on Sun, May 27, 2012.
Let me remind Linda:
Memorial Day is a day of remembering the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces.
We really don't care about for forefathers or the OWS crowd during this weekend.
Elijah Tai Wah Wong we miss you...
fae4now posted at 5:25 pm on Sun, May 27, 2012.
I really wanted to take this opportunity to point out how clueless Linda is once again, but then I saw your post IceCat.
And you're right. Much as linda may try, it isn't about her.
My deepest sympathies to you on the loss of someone dear to you.
Anyway, Downtownresident already said all that was needed.
samkat posted at 9:22 pm on Sun, May 27, 2012.
Sorry Linda but from my perspective, the tea party crowd is just as bad as the occupy bunch. they want to force their myopic ideology upon everyone one else. We just had a taste of it with the spate of bills passed by the idiots in the legislature and signed by our illustrious governor who had the gall to state she had a mandate. I spent my adult life serving and fighting for our citizens to have the right to free speech but I darn well did not do so to have a bunch of idiots who claim they have a mandate from God to restrict or do away with my own religious and personal rights.
chatmandu002 posted at 12:18 am on Mon, May 28, 2012.
Linda,
Good article and on point. It's really a shame that a democracy such as ours is succumbing to the mentality of takers instead of makers. We are now at a point where the takers can out vote the makers.
k33j88 posted at 4:00 am on Mon, May 28, 2012.
Thank you Linda for another insightful, purposeful letter. There are tax/payers, and there are tax/users. November can't come soon enough. Thank you veterans for your service!
mnjcpa posted at 6:11 pm on Mon, May 28, 2012.
Looking through the first four posts made my stomach churn at the lack of decency some people hide behind. Downtownresident has a history round this column of spewing the most hate filled comments I've seen - one being pulled recently due to its indecency.
Linda's story is exactly like mine. It's why I do what I do, and for the first time in my career am vocal this election. This crowd in office do not represent the majority of the country. They've stifled creativity and stomped on free enterprise with class warfare as one of their tools. We only had a hint of what this President was about because he was and still is protected by the media.
Fantastic job Linda for illuminating what is still right and will be once we get this group out in November.
VofReason posted at 1:22 pm on Wed, May 30, 2012.
Yes, why do they let Linda Turley write a column. They should give more space to mental "heavyweights" like Jon Beydler and Tina Dupey who write the word of the people. Everyone knows that those Tea Party crowd are just a bunch of tax limiting racists. As DTR says, some people just know that they can't be rich and the people talking to them tell them so. Someone has to get the government to take money from those who think they can be rich and give it to those who sit around and believe those who tell thenm they can't. Then the world would be a better place. Right?
VofReason posted at 1:24 pm on Wed, May 30, 2012.
Question- who's responsibility is it to make sure people are successful? The answer says more about you then anything else.