This Christmas, This is What I'm Tired Of...

Peace on earth, goodwill to men the song says. Christmas makes us all just a bit introspective, me included. But the season also evokes another emotion in me, a more self-directed emotion--a weariness of fighting battles in society that should not have to be fought, battles we know how to win but won't.

• I grow tired of hearing of helpless seniors who freeze to death in their homes because they can't afford heat. Shame on us. We know better.

• I grow tired of seeing the homeless sleep on the streets just feet away from warm, dry, empty buildings that have been closed for the evening. If we add up all the vacant square footage in any given town, we would find more than enough to always house everyone who finds themselves homeless. We just can't seem to figure out how to get the two together. Shame on us.

• I get tired of hearing that children in third world countries have no clean water. Dammit. Dammit. We know how to solve this. We must solve this. Today.

• At Christmas, I get tired of hearing about children who will have no gifts. We figured out social security--and it once worked--can't we figure out holiday security for those in need just one day a year? Yes, we can.

• When I see people who go without adequate healthcare, I get tired. Turn this into a thread of debate over healthcare and I'll likely scorch your earth because we all agree upon the ideal that everyone should have some access to healthcare and this thread is specifically about ideals. It grieves me that our country is home to some of the world's greatest statesmen, diplomats, scientists, economists, statisticians, and financiers and we can't solve this problem. I don't think the problem is that we can't. I think the problem is that we won't. Shame on us.

Idealist? Of course. But what I really want for Christmas--my dream--would be one day, just one day, when our society could sit down and agree that we actually can solve these problems and make the world a place without hunger, without thirst, without joylessness, and without health, hope and happiness. I believe we can. I know we can. Will we? More importantly, will I?

Merry Christmas everyone. I believe great days are ahead for us in 2011. May yours be among them.

What I want for X-Mas is a magic power that allows me (or society) to perfectly & objectively seperate the users/losers from those that truly need a helping hand...(implicit in that is we could legally discriminate between the two groups with our aid/support)

BTW as for the clean water, great strides have been made in the that area over the last decade.

• I grow tired of seeing the homeless sleep on the streets just feet away from warm, dry, empty buildings that have been closed for the evening. If we add up all the vacant square footage in any given town, we would find more than enough to always house everyone who finds themselves homeless. We just can't seem to figure out how to get the two together. Shame on us.

Originally Posted by FLWrite

The homeless problem is more complicated then just giving people a place to sleep. I'm no expert but I did spend several years of my childhood homeless with my mother. Giving people a space would help a lot of people, shelters and streets are chalk full of the everyday down trodden. But not everyone.

One consideration people often forget is the issue of mental illness. Even when brought indoors they can do a great deal of damage to property or the people around them. Or their illness makes them paranoid in such a way that living in one space in closed walls aggravates their condition.

Further there are people who have been given housing, and somehow manage to screw up the situation so they are back on the street. There are those that are bent on a path of self destruction.

It's hard to tell who is a victim of circumstance, and who keeps recreating their own hell. I think those in social services are brave souls as I imagine their work to be draining and soul destroying.

I am tired of day dreamers.

I am tired of day dreamers. Originally Posted by macksback

Without them there would be no movement forward. You need the darkness and the light for balance.

My pet peeve is left-handed Lithuanians.

I'm tired of good will to all mankind with peace on earth a close second

This Christmas I am tired of men asking me to wear clear stripper heels.

I don't think those even look good on strippers.

I don't think those even look good on strippers. Originally Posted by pjorourke

Frenchy Fuqua was the only I ever saw pull that look off. Of course, that depended upon what fish was inside them on any given Sunday...

http://trooperyork.blogspot.com/2010...shoe-blog.html

• I get tired of hearing that children in third world countries have no clean water. Dammit. Dammit. We know how to solve this. We must solve this. Today.

Originally Posted by FLWrite

This is a "Christian" program, but I throw it out for those of you who might be interested: http://www.adventconspiracy.org/water/.

TRAFFIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!

I don't think those even look good on strippers. Originally Posted by pjorourke

Agreed. I've always thought they looked tacky.
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My Christmas wish would be for Obama to one day grant amnesty to the illegal children/teenagers here in the United states.

I have cousins that entered this country legally but can't work, school or drive because of expired visas/undocumented status and can't do anything about it because they've been here for years.

I am tried of the corruption in my country (Lagos, Nigeria)
50 years of corrupt government and bad leadership. Something's got
to give!

I am tired of the electricity issues in Lagos. Lagos is a beautiful city in
darkness. The whole city is running on generators.. why?
Hopefully this time next year things will be better.

I'm tired of the people who develop a hyper social conscious one day a year...and whine about it.

I'm tired of the people who develop a hyper social conscious one day a year...and whine about it. Originally Posted by gnadfly

+1

I grow tired of people who complain about what other people don't have, but use their disposable income on things like providers. And in the same paragraph ask for more of other peoples hard earned assets for people who don't even try to better their situations.