Angry Republicans

Here’s what confounds me most lately: All of these Republicans – they’re angry at people they’ve never met who’ve supposedly taken something from them they never had.

You know them.

The angry people. There’s a lot of them lately.

They’re angry at the current state of affairs and they’re blaming lazy, unmotivated, freeloading illegal immigrants and lazy, unmotivated, freeloading poor people. Or they're blaming socialist/communist Democrats (which if you understand anything about socialism, communism, or Democrats, you'd know there's no way in hell to be any of those three things all at once.)

Let’s take a step back, shall we?

Let’s take a long, deep breath.

Mmmmmm. Ahhhhhhhh.

Now let’s try – really try – to understand why things are the way they are rather than screaming at the sky all the time.

First, illegal immigrants. Republicans are very angry at people who come to this country illegally. Why don’t they go through the proper channels? Why do they think they can just come here and why don’t they learn English and why why why?

1) The majority of illegal immigrants come here for jobs
2) Jobs that are offered by people
3) People who, for whatever reason, don’t want to pay a fair wage or health insurance or unemployment insurance or anything else that employers are legally required to pay
4) If the illegal jobs weren’t offered, people wouldn’t come here
5) Why would anyone break the law to come to a foreign country to work at jobs that no one wants for crap pay and zero benefits?
6) Maybe it’s because it’s slightly better than what their own country has to offer and maybe they have families they need to feed
7) And wouldn’t you do the same?
8) Is it so hard to imagine someone desperate to provide for their family – are all of us fat, happy Americans so disconnected from reality that we can’t see this as a possibility
9) And have a little compassion?
10) Here’s a better question: Why is all the Republican outrage directed at illegal immigrants (foreign and brown) and not at the people making money off of them (wealthy and white)?
11) Republicans want a crack down on illegal aliens but they don’t want to look at the source of the problem – the illegal employers.

Next topic: Republicans are angry that someone, somewhere out there is getting a Free Ride.

Think of someone you know. I am right now. He’s a relative, so no, I’m not thinking of you.

They haven’t held a job most of their life, living off the good graces of family and friends. Occasionally, they come up with a Brilliant Plan for Making It Big This Time involving some un-small monetary investment on your part that invariably ends in a fizzled up pile of frustration and excuses.

We all know at least one person like this. Maybe two.

If you’re fortunate enough to be a member of two or three different families (mom’s, dad’s, spouse’s), odds are you’ll know two or three of these people, but no more.

Because:

1) Most people want to work
2) The national unemployment rate is around 10% right now; 9.7% to be exact
3) During good times, it hovers around 3%
4) Which means 97% of the U.S. population is gainfully employed
5) Which means 3% or less of the population will always be unemployed
6) Because for some, that’s the way they want it
7) And there’s nothing we can do to convince these people they should work
8) So why waste all of this anger on something a) will never change and b) we can’t do anything about?

Oh and if you’re thinking most of those people who don’t want to work are non-white – I hate to tell you this, you’re a racist.

Here’s the bottom line (mostly because I’m at work now and can’t write anymore):

Rather than being angry and/or afraid and looking for someone to blame – rather than being overly concerned with a small percentage of people you’ll never, ever change – here’s a thought: Why not be the fearless, powerful self you are and try to make a difference in the world?

You’ll feel better. And quite frankly, so will I.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I am listening to: Counting Crows – Rain King
I am reading: Nothing good lately
And I am: Fearless and powerful