One More Time With Feeling

TSPLOST, Youth, and the Future

As a 17 year old, I unfortunately was not able to vote on Tuesday in the regional referendum for the transportation sales tax commonly referred to as TSPLOST.  But even if I couldn’t make my voice heard at the ballot box, I would like to send a message to the majority of Atlantans who voted down the measure at the polls. 

TSPLOST was about more than raising sales taxes by 1%, it was about more than building and maintaining our transportation infrastructure, it was about more than the economy and politics.  TSPLOST was about the future of Atlanta as a city and region, and I am frankly disgusted by the result of this referendum.  It has sent a clear message to me that the people of this region are willing to throw away a good opportunity just to prove a point. 

And what is the point that voters were trying to prove?  From what I gather, Atlanta has shown that it does not care about the future, that its voters are selfish, and that this region is not open to change.  Many of the supporters of the “No” campaign stressed their lack of trust in the government.  To this I must wonder how we can ever trust the government if the government is never given an opportunity to be trusted.  Additionally many voters felt that the project list had too few projects that would benefit them directly.  This ideology of “I will automatically reject any government expenditure which does not have a direct positive result for me today at a little to no cost” is quite simply selfish and unintelligent. 

Young people are listening to you.  We are hearing your message loud and clear, you have made a point by rejecting TSPLOST.  You have shown that educated young people who will innovate the future, create jobs, and raise future generations are not welcome to do any of those things in Atlanta.  Those of us who have the option to start our lives elsewhere will be doing so in a heartbeat.  Those of us who must stay will be looking for every opportunity to get out to a place more accepting of change and with more opportunities to thrive.  The future is bright, but not in Atlanta.  

Excuse my political rant:

Recently, a lot of conservatives have been getting angry over a recent Obama speech.  

If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help.  There was a great teacher somewhere in your life.  Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive.  Somebody invested in roads and bridges.  If you’ve got a business — you didn’t build that.  Somebody else made that happen.  The Internet didn’t get invented on its own.  Government research created the Internet so that all the companies could make money off the Internet.  The point is, is that when we succeed, we succeed because of our individual initiative, but also because we do things together.

Its the line “If you’ve got a business — you didn’t build that” of course that is getting heat.  And while I don’t think this was exactly the best sentence, maybe if he would have said “you didn’t build that alone” it would have been better, the point is absolutely, undeniably, true.  

Obama is reaffirming what the preamble to the Constitution when it states: 

We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

If you are against what Obama and the constitution have described, if you think that you really did get where you are today all on your own through hard work alone, I must ask you: why do you think the government exists?  If we follow your logic then we should get rid of: public education (the Texas GOP is already against critical thinking skills, but that’s another rant…), the public defense system (aren’t you guys the ones who love to say that “freedom isn’t free”?), all doctors, the monetary system (we can use gold like Ron Paul wants us to), the internet (especially this since it was invented by that dirty liberal Al Gore), electricity, transportation infrastructure (and cars, trains, boats, and planes for that matter), safety regulations, the court system, cities, and all other modern aspects of life.

Conservatives seem to think that we the people should, to establish sovereign citizenship, insure chaos, allow everyone to defend themselves, promote social darwinism, and secure fear in ourselves, ordain and establish a new era for the United States of America based on ignorance, stupidity, and selfishness. 

Our own hard work and willpower are incredibly important, but at the same time people need to start looking at the bigger picture as well.  I am sick and tired of this attitude towards the government that “if I can’t see a direct result personally, right now, for free, I am against it.”

What this country needs is intelligence.

It is currently 104 degrees (Fahrenheit) outside. Ugh…

I need to teach classes about how to use Facebook.

I’m sorry, but I’d rather not hear about the “cunt-shattering orgasm” you just gave your girlfriend.

Or the details of your parent’s nasty divorce.

Or that you are watching some TV show that you feel the need to update us all on every five seconds.

Overall: Facebook is not anonymous people, think about what you’re posting before you put it on the internet for everyone to see.

My parents excitedly made me listen to some “new” music…

it was Bruno Mars.

I think this proves that I’m the only person in this house that has contact with the outside world.

A Most Visually Appealing Poem

I just want to tell you something,

something of significance.

I just want you to know,

how I feel about it.

What can I say?

I don’t know, 

I never will.

Shit.

-tk