To me prosperity means that everyone has the same chance to make it. That the playing field is level. That the rich aren't favored over the poor and that the rich know they have a moral obligation to help their brothers and sisters as civilized society has always done. That the poor and middle class have the same tools and breaks to succeed as the rich do. The gap between the rich and the poor keeps getting bigger and bigger in this country. That having been said, and I feel strongly about it, that ALSO means that if you have a chance for an education, which everyone does, and most consider a blessing, you go to school instead of go to parties all night. That means that if you earn a dollar, you spend it wisely instead of on drugs,women, beer, and smokes. That means if you have a child that child is YOUR'S, not society's burden to raise. If you want to have a child be ready to support it, if not, don't have one. Condoms are free at most clinics and so are birth control pills. Having kids is not a way to get your government check increased, it is a responsibility. That means that no one owes you a damn thing, except a chance, and that if you get a good one, you better hang onto it. That means ( I hope I never have to) that when you get a check through the mail for welfare, EBT, food stamps, child care credits or whatever new government program is out there, you feel embarrassed and at the same time thankful, and resolve to try and pull yourself up, rather than go to the store and waste what the people of this country have given you to buy steaks, while the rest of us eat Spam. That means that instead of buying rims for your car, you buy books for your kids. That means instead of hanging out with the boys, you work at improving your home and enviroment, rented or owned, and take pride in it, not trashing it up and letting it become an eyesore. That means that instead of buying a stereo that irritates everyone else that doesn't like the lyrics that boom out, cussing, talking about killing cops, and other things I can't mention here, you spend the money on your wife and kids. It also means that instead of riding up and down the road like an idiot, with your music blasting, and the top of your head barely showing over the wheel, flashing your new paint job, you act like an adult and stay home and help your wife raise a family. That means that when you get a good job, you try and stick with it, rather than calling in sick every other day, trying your best to find something wrong with it and claiming someone has a reason other than the obvious one, for firing your lazy butt. My creed says that no one race owes anyone an apology for past events, it's called history, and it's over with now, but it still remains an excuse for some people to hold out their hands because they feel they are "owed" something. Prosperity means that you take the riches we have in this country and you work to make life better for yourself and your family, instead of complaining about every aspect of it. Prosperity also means that when crime is running rampant in an ethnic group, we all expect that group to accept responsibility and not make excuses as to why they have a high crime rate (see above). Honesty is sorely lacking in America today. We can't face the fact that there are problems, without someone yelling that we are racists or somehow insensitive to the plight of the poor. True prosperity means that someone is judged by character, not skin color and that that particular rule works BOTH ways, not just one way for one people. It means we are ALL one people, not groups of people, expecting all the others to support us. This goes for white, black, asian, mexican and everyone else in between.
