By Dee “Baby” Baysinger

America is struggling — and I don’t need an arrogant Donald Trump to tell me that disheartening news. Never in my lifetime did I think I would see the United States being drug down slowly, but surely to its knees and not by outside forces such as ISIS, but our enemy within. America, we are our own worst enemy.
Respect — We have crippled our school systems by essentially tying the hands of our educators by taking away the ability to even reprimand misbehavior without a threat from irate parents or a possible lawsuit. I applaud the actions of the security officer who dragged that brat out of her chair on the news after she refused to listen to her teacher and principal! Yet, the officer was fired for doing his job. Parents, let your children take the repercussions of their actions. By the way, we did not need security in schools when I grew up. We lived by the rule if you got in trouble at school, you would be in double trouble when you got home.
Drugs — Appalling to me that we would see the headlines “Drug Resort” at Flandreau, likening it to going to relax at a spa. Our court system would contemplate that idiotic notion when our prisons are bursting at the seams with drug addicts who have stolen from hard-working people who work for a living. Our leaders in Pierre should go spend a week in rehab to listen to the people’s stories of how drugs have “improved” their lives! As long as I’m on the subject, why are we paying for thousands of dollars of dental work for prisoners with rotten meth teeth?
Laziness — I can’t tolerate laziness! A great majority of the next generation has no work ethic. A typical example is at our own nursing home in Woonsocket, where workers continually don’t show up for their “weekend shift” so the other responsible workers have to do double and triple shifts. We see it at Van Dykes, also. One young man showed up two hours late on his first day and just said, “I’ll just start tomorrow” and then left early on the second day. Again — parents, you are not doing your kids a favor by not making them hold a job as a teen just because you think you want them to have an easier life than you did. Stop paying their phone bills, car insurance, payments and credit cards!
Welfare — One of the biggest “maggots” of our nation. Welfare was meant as a temporary step to help people who were down and out — not as a way of life. I wish they would put me in charge of the system.
#1. You will be tested for drugs — one strike, you’re out!
#2. You will be installed with a birth control device. We will aid the children you currently have, but you will not go on to have numerous children to be raised in a continuing spiral of poverty.
#3. You will not be rewarded by the government with “child credit” and receive thousands of dollars when the working people are supporting you already!
#4. Go back to food stamps. I don’t care if it’s embarrassing. The stupid decision to give them credit cards allows them to get alcohol, cigarettes and money for video lottery. The needy children are not getting their food.
Believe me when I say where there is a will there is a way. The woman with the “card” at County Fair in front of me ran her groceries up and then had the clerk take back so many she decided she “didn’t need,” got the cash and bought high dollar scratch tickets. (My hand is getting tired writing at this point.)
Spoiled — We are a spoiled nation who takes for granted so many things other countries die for — clean water, just to name one, even one meal a day. I can see why other countries despise us with our excess. Movie stars, as an example, are paying $10,000 for a purse or more for a pair of shoes. How far would that go to help our veterans returning home who are permanently disabled? How about the person who just spent $2.4 million to purchase John Lennon’s guitar?
Clean out Congress — If you are caught accepting lobbyist bribes, no pension for you. (Outlaw the lobbyists.) We elect people who steal from our social security system and they aren’t thrown in jail? Hire a team like “The Untouchables” and ferret out and expose and terminate whoever allowed the construction of a $45 million gas station in Afghanistan and a $200 million highway. Think how far that alone would go for our national debt.
I started writing this at 4:30 in the morning, and now I have to step down from my soapbox and go to my job so I can pay for my health care, care insurance, etc., that middle class America is saddled with so other people can sit home and watch TV and not work.
Irate,
Dee Baby