Why do a blog?

Why go to the trouble to write a blog that no one will probably ever look at? Well I decided to dedicate some of my time to writing my thoughts. This is where I decided on the name "Diary of a mad but proud American." You see, I am a tad bit opinionated. I like things done my way. Don't we all? But from what I have seen of this country lately I have begun to get a little bit mad at the way things are headed.

Huge entitlement programs, welfare running out of control, government bailouts, and my biggest concern a media who is in the pocket for whomever is in power. For those who do not know me who may have just drifted upon my page and have so much time on their hands to read the random thoughts of yours truly let me tell you about myself.

I love America, I believe in our place in the world, and believe that our people are some of the most charitable, giving and concerned people in the world.

I believe in a smaller government, one that can balance a budget, and one that does not infringe upon the rights of it's people under the guise of "helping" them. Sadly this is where I feel like our country is going in the wrong direction, even sadder to me, and what makes me mad is those very same people I love for their hearts and souls seem to be okay with this.

All too often we see my generation and the next expecting the government to help them out, like it is the government's job to bail everyone out. In my world it does not. A proud person looks for work doggedly, if they don't like their job, they look for better work while working. A proud person doesn't sit on their behind getting high and drunk and then blaming their situation on everyone else. A proud person doesn't indiscriminately have bunches of children and expect others to raise them and the government to pay for them so they can still go out and have fun. I guess what I am saying is I am mad at the current lack of personal responsibility going around. I am also mad at the media, and especially the irresponsibility of the editors of these rags at pushing this agenda.

Look to your newspapers, how often do you see stories of a person being shot while out with a crew of their friends at 2:30 A.M. and the newspaper bends over backwards to paint a pretty picture of the person shot as a potential brain surgeon or the inventor for the cure to cancer. In most cases people who hang out at 2:30 A.M. have a criminal history, and yes not everyone is guilty but isn't it the job of a reporter to find out the facts of everything they are writing about? If the person was coming home from work, was a legitimate honors student and had never been in trouble with the law, write that. But if the person dropped out of school, has been arrested for selling drugs and carrying weapons WRITE THAT don't paint them as misunderstood youth who were just about to turn their lives around and become pillars of the community. I remember last year the papers writing a story about a guy who the wrote had 6 children with 5 different girlfriends, was 19 and had been looking into possibly getting a GED at some point. Gone from the story was his facebook page with his gang buddies flashing gang signs, holding guns and stacks of cash and threatening to wipe out rival factions. Why wasn't that included?

Our media needs to wake up, go back to the way reporting needs to be: research the story before you report it. In today's ubercompetative world everyone wants to be the first to break a story, but if I were and editor I would much rather want to be known for reporting SOLID and TRUTHFUL stories that didn't have to be retracted because the original wasn't quite true.

It's a sad day when I can get a better story from Entertainment Weekly than from the Chicago Sun-Times or New York Post.

My future articles will focus on responsibility of the people, government corruption and sometime whimsical things that bring a smile to this mad guy. My hope is that other people may start liking what they are reading and start following this page and passing it on to others, maybe I can hit a nerve in someone and have them start asking the same questions, even if they find a different answer that works that is what true democracy is.