jay leno on a more serious note, if you live in the US, read this Options

[celicaST]

Jay Leno wrote this; it's the Jay Leno we don't often see....

"The other day I was reading Newsweek magazine and came across some poll data I found rather hard to believe. It must be true, given the source, right?

The Newsweek poll alleges that 67 percent of Americans are unhappy with the direction the country is hea ded, and 69 percent of the country is unhappy with the performance of the President. In essence, 2/3's of the citizenry just isn't happy and want a change.

So being the knuckle dragger I am, I started thinking, ''What are we so unhappy about?''



Is it that we have electricity and running water 24 hours a day, 7 days a week?

Is our unhappiness the result of having air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter?

Could it be that 95.4 percent of these unhappy folks have a job?

Maybe it is the ability to walk into a grocery store at any time, and see more food in moments than Darfur has seen in the last year?

Maybe it is the ability to drive from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean without having to present identification papers as we move through each state?

Or possibly the hundreds of clean and safe motels we would find along the way that can provide temporary shelter?

I guess having thousands of restaurants with varying cuisine from around the world is just not good enough.

Or co uld it be that when we wreck our car, emergency workers show up and
provide services to help all, and even send a helicopter to take you to the hospital.

Perhaps you are one of the 70 percent of Americans who own a home. You may be upset with knowing that in the unfortunate case of a fire, a group of trained firefighters will appear in moments and use top notch equipment to extinguish the flames thus saving you, your family and your belongings.

Or if, while at home watching one of your many flat screen TVs, a burglar or prowler or intrudes, an officer equipped with a gun and a bullet-proof vest will come to defend you and your family against attack or loss.

This all in the backdrop of a neighborhood free of bombs or militias raping and pillaging the residents. Neighborhoods where 90 percent of teenagers own cell phones and computers.

How about the complete religious, social and political freedoms we enjoy that are the envy of everyone in the world?

Maybe that is what has 67 percent of you folks unhappy.

Fact is, we are the largest group of ungrateful, spoiled brats the world has ever seen. No wonder the world loves the U.S. , yet has a great disdain for its citizens.They see us for what we are. The most blessed people in the world who do nothing but complain about what we don't have, and what we hate about the country instead of thanking the good Lord we live here.

I know, I know. What about the President who took us into war and has no plan to get us out? The President who has a measly 31 percent approval rating? I s this the same President who guided the nation in the dark days after 9/11? The President that cut taxes to bring an economy out of recession? Could this be the same guy who has been called every name in the book for succeeding in keeping all the spoiled ungrateful brats safe from terrorist attacks?

The Commander-In Chief of an all-volunteer army that is out there defending you and me? Did you hear how bad the President is on the news or talk show? Did this news affect you so much, make you so unhappy you couldn't take a look around for yourself and see all the good things and be glad?

Think about it...are you upset at the President because he actually caused you personal pain OR is it because the "Media" told you he was failing to kiss your sorry ungrateful behind every day.

Make no mistake about it. The troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have volunteered to serve, and in many cases may have died for your freedom. There is currently no draft in this country. Th ey didn't have to go.

They are able to refuse to go and end up with either a ''general'' discharge, an ''other than honorable'' discharge or, worst case scenario, a ''dishonorable'' discharge after a few days in the brig.

So why then the flat-out discontentment in the minds of 69 percent of Americans? Say what you want,but I blame it on the media.If it bleeds, it leads; and they specialize in bad news. Everybody will watch a car crash with blood and guts. How many will watch kids selling lemonade at the corner? The media knows this and media ou tlets are for-profit corporations. They offer what sells, and when criticized, try to defend their actions by "justifying" them in one way or another. Just ask why they tried to allow a murderer like O.J. Simpson to write a book about "how he didn't kill his wife, but if he did he would have done it this way"...Insane!

Stop buying the negativism you are fed everyday by the media. Shut off the TV, burn Newsweek, and use the New York Times for the bottom of your bird cage. Then start being grateful for all we have as a country. There is exponentially more good than bad.

We are among the most blessed people on Earth, and should thank God several times a day, or at least be thankful and appreciative.

"With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, "Are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?"

Jay Leno
2007

[MaskedMan]

Wow that was a good read.

[MarcoGTS]

yup verry good read...hmm...made me think for awhile..

[j0e_p3t]

damn, that is exactly how i feel. was never really a fan of jay leno till i read that.

[Supersprynt]

So now I should feel guilty for living in this country?

Gimme a break. It's all relative.

[Punisher]

I never would have figured Leno for the God type.. but anyway.. he has a great point. Although, what pisses me off about our president is how uneducated and untrained they can be.

[xs94st]

i work and pay for my sh!t. the president doesnt. and when im outta luck without a job, the president isn't there to help me out, its us who pay for unemployment that help me out.

where are the cops when we need em? what about the damn gang members that kill kids n parents and grandparents every year with stray bullets? yea, there may be less 'gangsters' out on the streets, but nowadays they are full of stupid kids trying to be better than the previous generations, making it more dangerous than before. my father's relatives are split within the family because half of em are in one gang n half of em are in another. people have been shot and some have died. kids i've known through working with the local little league in my hometown have died. its sad to hear when a kid you knew and practiced with is dead. its worse when you find out that it was gang related.

i am an ungrateful bastard because i want more than what i have. its easy for me to want more, i dont have much to start with anyways. to want is to be human. i've never had anyone wipe my ass for me and never will.

people volunteer for the service. volunteer is the key word. i'm appreciative of what they do, but does that mean that i'm less patriotic to not want to go out and defend the country i live in? does that make me a disgrace to the US?

choice, people, freedom of choice. its protected by these men and women, and if i had to, i would go out there n kick ass to defend it. but i choose not to. i have my own life to live and i have my own choice. when i lose that choice, that is when i will fight.

**mispelled / miswrote a sentence and edited**

This post has been edited by xs94st: Nov 18, 2007 - 4:40 AM

[goferris]

to jay leno
i really enjoyed that read. i think he hits it on the button.
honestly people, it could be a lot worse. we can't blame everything on bush. we put him in there. he's not the best president the country has ever had but he isn't the worst either. to be completely honest i could care less who is in the white house because in all honesty it is mostly congress that does all the work. the president is the mouth piece and the one that gets all the sh!t when it hits the fan. should we do our best to try to put the best candidate in office? you bet your a$$ we should but nowadays how can you tell that the person you are voting for isn't full of false hopes and promises? when arnold ran for governor i laughed and thought to myself "that's a disaster waiting to happen" and to my surprise he is doing a really good job from what i have been told. i haven't heard anyone say anything bad about him.

do we have to be agree with everything the president does? no
are there times when we should show our disaproval? yes
do we have to bitch and moan about every little thing? no! and that's is what is happening.

thank you for this post celicaST

[Punisher]

I will fight for my country when our country is being attacked... when the enemy is on our doorstep. This whole thing now is a fluckin joke.. if we are "weeding out" terrorists then we will be occupying the middle east FOREVER or until they stop breeding.

Now if the enemy is attacking our country or a similar situation such as WWII, then yes I will pick-up arms and fight for my life, freedom and country with out hesitation.

[jgreening]

So now I should feel guilty for living in this country?

No. Just gratetful. The main point is that too many times people bitch and complain rather than express gratitude for the things we tend to take for granted. Its an attitude and has a lot to do with whether you approach life with the glass half empty or half full. The other primary point is that people spend so much time and energy wanting what they do not have rather than enjoying the riches (both material and non-material) that they do have. That seemingly endless pursuit strangles the life out of those who engage in it. I recommend reading the french philosopher Bataille for more on this point.

This post has been edited by jgreening: Nov 18, 2007 - 6:15 PM

[lagos]

jay leno seems to be living in his own big screen fantasy world.
its not all about having things. our civil liberties are being stripped away. our president and vice president have started illegal wars based on lies and thousands of people have paid the price for it. thats what people are pissed about.

This post has been edited by lagos: Nov 18, 2007 - 3:40 PM

[Gatz]

This was really dumb... you cant say that that people are whiny, miserable, and hate America because they aren't happy in the direction that the country is going... I'm not happy with the direction the country is going but yeah I'm still real happy I live here... All that says is I feel things are getting worse between the war, civil liberties, and the economy... not that I would rather live somewhere else... I don't see it as being a bad American to want your country to improve... This country was based on not just settling and always looking for something better... It seems like Jay is just saying sit back and let the government lead your life... just because it will still be better than other peoples...

[jgreening]

I agree with this:

you cant say that that people are whiny, miserable, and hate America because they aren't happy in the direction that the country is going... I'm not happy with the direction the country is going but yeah I'm still real happy I live here... All that says is I feel things are getting worse between the war, civil liberties, and the economy... not that I would rather live somewhere else... I don't see it as being a bad American to want your country to improve... This country was based on not just settling and always looking for something better...

but not this:

It seems like Jay is just saying sit back and let the government lead your life... just because it will still be better than other peoples...

Where do you get this last part from his message? I see nowhere any kind of indication that people shouldn't be involved in politics or should accept what the government is doing without question. His point is that the level of whining is more akin to what we would expect from people in some third world country and that many people just don't appreciate how good they have it when compared to others who are much less fortunate.

[94CelicaDragon]

Man, **** that ****. Jay Is makeing a bull **** point, stateing the obvious thing's that we have In this country, but not pointing out why we want a change, and why we're unhappy. We're not unhappy because of the the running water and power and blah blah. We're unhappy because, Bush Is spending 12 million dollar's an hour on a war that Is going no where, Half the people In this country dont have/or cant afford health coverage, The american dollar Isnt worth **** right now, We're headed for a recession, we're tired of the lie's from out government, and other thing's. I mean, think about It, If we spent 12 million dollar's on our own country, think of all the thing's we could fix, then once we do that and get our selve's sorted out, then we could start helping the other country's. And another thing, Jay Is ****ing rich, he's not middle class, he's not struggling to keep his head above water, he doesnt deal with the **** that we do. He has no problem paying $100 to fill up his gas tank, to the middle class, that's a lot of money to spend just on gas, get my point?

I agree with this:

you cant say that that people are whiny, miserable, and hate America because they aren't happy in the direction that the country is going... I'm not happy with the direction the country is going but yeah I'm still real happy I live here... All that says is I feel things are getting worse between the war, civil liberties, and the economy... not that I would rather live somewhere else... I don't see it as being a bad American to want your country to improve... This country was based on not just settling and always looking for something better...

but not this:

It seems like Jay is just saying sit back and let the government lead your life... just because it will still be better than other peoples...

Where do you get this last part from his message? I see nowhere any kind of indication that people shouldn't be involved in politics or should accept what the government is doing without question. His point is that the level of whining is more akin to what we would expect from people in some third world country and that many people just don't appreciate how good they have it when compared to others who are much less fortunate.

I bet you people In third world country's are complaining, but you know what? They dont have new's coverage, and even If they did, It wouldnt get broadcast over here, so we dont hear about It...

[Remy]

Jay Leno didn't write this I've read it before forgot who wrote this though but ask google he can tell you.

[Punisher]

Heh.. ya know what though? STFU .. because we elected Bush and then RE-ELECTED HIM. He's almost done with his term.. so what moron are we going to put in charge this time? How about Hillary? Maybe she will make a HUGE turn around for our country? Yea.. the terrorists won't have a real hard laugh when we have a WOMAN running our country... Iraq is bull****. Like CelicaDragon said, how about we work on fixing our own country before we go and force our way of life on other countries. The amount of money the gov. has spent on this war could do a HELL of a lot in our own country if it was put in the right hands. Hell that money could be put towards a gas relief fund to help middle and lower class citizens... or maybe be put towards helping people with out medical insurance? How about border security? The list goes on...

[Slick]

Interesting. I really hope Jay's (or whoever's) figures are wrong as to how many people are complaining, or at last as to the target of their complaints. I really hope its the war that they are complaining about and not the other stuff that Jay mentioned. This is my 14th assignment and its to a 3rd world country and I can tell you that the war in the middle east is the last thing on these people's minds.

Things that i deal with on a daily basis:
1) Everything, i mean EVERYTHING is imported.
2) Supermarket stocks are limited.
3) Fresh milk? What's that?
4) Electricity outages 3-4 times a week without any explanation.
5) Water outages once a month.
6) The capitol city has one, yes one, firetruck available.
7) There are only 5 ambulances available at the public hospital.
8) On my way home everyday i get harassed by the $68-a-month cops for old and outdated rules. Ex: Tire sizes must be listed on the registration. So if you change your tire size or the color of you car, then you have to change the registration which is about a 6 month process.
9)Corruption is everywhere and blatant. Even the cops will accept, or even ask for bribes.
10) There is media coverage, but its all controlled by the ruling political party. Anyone who speaks, or writes anything against the party runs the risk of being imprisoned, beat up, or killed. Google Carlos Cardoso.
11) There are no public areas. I would give anything to have access to a park to take my dogs for a walk, or just to lay around and read a book.
12) It is mandatory to pay your income tax and SS. however, you never see any returns, roads fixed, and most retirees die without ever seeing any SS.
13) There is not one road here that has been repaired by the local Goverment. All repairs are being conducted by donor governments ore NGO's.
14) Cops rob you. if you get carjacked, you have to pay the police half the value of your car for them to help you recover it on their off time.
15) "Expedite" does not exist here. Things will come when it comes.
16) Medium to serious health conditions or accidents are taken care of out of the country due to lack of proper infrastructure.
17) You think car dealers charge alot for pieces? we pay up to 3 times the amount and there's a 60 day waiting period.
18) Muliplex theatres? We have one theater that plays one movie, 3 times a day for one week.
19) Democracy: people are threatened or beat to ensure that votes are directed to one party or another. Other governments, even the U.S. sends volunteers to help verify the legality of the voting booths in different parts of the country.


I could go on....

[snapshotgt]

+1 for Jay Leno.

[Rayme]

Heh.. ya know what though? STFU .. because we elected Bush and then RE-ELECTED HIM. He's almost done with his term.. so what moron are we going to put in charge this time? How about Hillary? Maybe she will make a HUGE turn around for our country? Yea.. the terrorists won't have a real hard laugh when we have a WOMAN running our country... Iraq is bull****. Like CelicaDragon said, how about we work on fixing our own country before we go and force our way of life on other countries. The amount of money the gov. has spent on this war could do a HELL of a lot in our own country if it was put in the right hands. Hell that money could be put towards a gas relief fund to help middle and lower class citizens... or maybe be put towards helping people with out medical insurance? How about border security? The list goes on...

That's probably why 2/3 of people aren't happy, *thumbs up.

[94CelicaDragon]

Heh.. ya know what though? STFU .. because we elected Bush and then RE-ELECTED HIM. He's almost done with his term.. so what moron are we going to put in charge this time? How about Hillary? Maybe she will make a HUGE turn around for our country? Yea.. the terrorists won't have a real hard laugh when we have a WOMAN running our country... Iraq is bull****. Like CelicaDragon said, how about we work on fixing our own country before we go and force our way of life on other countries. The amount of money the gov. has spent on this war could do a HELL of a lot in our own country if it was put in the right hands. Hell that money could be put towards a gas relief fund to help middle and lower class citizens... or maybe be put towards helping people with out medical insurance? How about border security? The list goes on...

Hey man, thanks for supporting me! You rock! Thumbs up!