Quote of the Week & Commentary

"What a different world this would be if people would listen to those who know more and not merely try to get something from those who have more."

The quote above is from the late William J. H. Boetcker. If you are not familiar with Mr. Boetcker, let me give you some background I found on his Wikipedia page.

<William John Henry Boetcker (1873–1962) was an American religious leader and influential public speaker.

Born in Hamburg, Germany, he was ordained a Presbyterian minister soon after his arrival in the United States as a young adult. He quickly gained attention as an eloquent motivational speaker, and is often regarded today as the forerunner of such contemporary "success coaches" as Anthony Robbins.

An outspoken political conservative, Rev. Boetcker is perhaps best remembered for his authorship of a pamphlet entitled The Ten Cannots.>

What really strikes me in this quote from Mr. Boetcker is the second part: "...[N]ot merely try to get something from those who have more." Now I know everybody has a tendency to want to "get something for nothing." I know I do. Who doesn't want life to be easier?

But, when you take a step back, you realize how being handed something cheapens its value.

People have often said to me that they feel this is exactly what the welfare system does to folks. I have a friend who is an inner-city school teacher. She tells me constantly about how her students are given new sneakers every other month. What do they do with the old pair of white sneakers that have a small scuff mark on them? Throw them in the trash.

Ask yourself something: would you do the same? I mean if people give you handouts or you live in government housing...how much do you really care about where the money goes or the condition of the property? You don't.

Are we really helping people on welfare or keeping them from helping themselves? Does the government think that they are giving these people a better lease on life or merely trying to keep them in poverty?

We, as a society, need to stop expecting the rich or the government to bail us out. We need to do it ourselves. Everybody is dealt a hand of cards in life. You will have to fold sometimes and you will feel like a failure.

But, let me tell you something: failure is a good thing. Failure is the breeding ground of success. Who cares if you fail 9 times and succeed once? You do the best with what God has given you.

The worst thing you can do in life is not make the most of yourself. In doing so, you fail yourself, your family, your community, your country and the world.

Stop expecting things to be easy. Stop expecting somebody to bail you out of debt. Stop expecting a handout.

And President Obama, Speaker Pelosi, et al: stop expecting redistribution of wealth to fix America's problems.