What have we lost - what are we losing??

It seems to me that we have lost an amazing amount of our personal independence and our confidence in our self-reliance in just my lifetime. It seems to me that we have lost much of the personal, individual drive to succeed that made this country great. When I was growing up, there seemed to be a stronger personal drive to become better. For example, a few years ago I was having dinner with a good friend who I have known since we were kids and who is now very successful and he made the following comment to me - he said, "We were very fortunate to have the friends we had growing up. The peer pressure to keep up with everyone else made me a much better person than I would have been without that peer pressure." I don't see as much of that in people today - today I see many, many, many people just doing what they need to do to get by. Where has the drive to succeed gone that made us great? And please, don't assume that when I talk about the drive to succeed that I am just talking about making more money....I'm talking about the drive to succeed in whatever we do.

Consider the following quote from Abraham Lincoln and the quotes from our founding fathers in my previous posts and compare them with quotes from today's "leaders" and politicians.
We are electing mediocre leaders and we are becoming a mediocre country.

Abraham Lincoln said the following:
"You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot lift up the wage earner by pulling the wage payer down. You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred. You cannot build character and courage by taking away peoples' initiative and independence. You cannot help people permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves."

Words of our Fathers

April 15, 2009 - Tax Day - Tea Party Day..........Can't think of a more appropriate day than today to share these thoughts from some of our Founding Fathers.....

"Honor, justice, and humanity forbid us to tamely surrender that freedom which we received from our ancestors, and which our innocent prosperity have a right to receive from us."
Thomas Jefferson

"A constitution of government once changed from freedom can never be restored. Liberty, once lost, is lost forever."
John Adams

"Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
Benjamin Franklin

Are we living in the America envisioned by our forefathers, or are we becoming what they sacrificed so much for to escape?

More from TJ

" My reading of history convinces me that most bad government comes from too much government"
Thomas Jefferson

Another thought from the past

I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.
Thomas Jefferson

Thoughts from the Past

"Democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not"

Thomas Jefferson