Thanksgiving? 47 Million Americans On Food Stamps

The recession ended in June of 2009; 5 months after Obama took office.  According to our President, that signaled that America had turned the corner from one of the worst recessions that this country had ever faced.

If that was true, why are 47 million people, today, on food stamps; up from roughly 32 million when Obama took office and up from 27 million when the recession began in December of 2007?  And the numbers just keep growing at a faster and faster rate; as can be seen from this chart:

On this day of Thanksgiving, this is a said commentary.  Literally, 1 out of every 6 Americans depend on the government for their food.  A shameful statistic for a country that supposedly had so much greatness.  This, to me, is another one of the President's legacies of failure.  A sure sign that Americans are only getting poorer under Obama, as the eligibility for food stamps keeps rising.  This isn't redistribution of wealth.  Instead, it represents an increasing destruction of any financial independence that our previously low-income and middle-income American families once had.

--- Chart Source: Reflections of a Rational Republican: http://reflectionsofarationalrepublican.com/2011/08/09/bush-vs-obama-food-stamps/

How Mary Went From Having A Little Lamb To Mary Having A Lot Of Turkey

Most Americans don't really know how Thanksgiving became a U.S. holiday or how the turkey became the symbol of this national day of thanks.  Most, erroneously believe that it was a tradition established by the first pilgrims; with the turkey being the centerpiece of the event.  While the turkey may have been served at this supposed first Thanksgiving, it is more than likely that the pilgrims, in British tradition, preferred the choice of  a holiday goose.

Then, there's the issue of this feast being a fixed tradition throughout the growth our fledgling country.  At best, there may have been scattered celebrations for having a successful autumn harvest; but, nothing even close to having a national holiday.  Certainly, any of these events were primarily isolated to farming communities.  The city dwellers had no such celebrations.

The real Thanksgiving holiday came about almost 200 years after the Pilgrims cordially sat with the Indians and broke bread (so to speak).  The actual holiday was literally the product of one person.  A woman by the name of Sarah Josepha Hale; known more famously for her "Mary Had A Little Lamb" nursery rhyme.  As the editor of a publication called the Ladies' Magazine, she became an advocate of a holiday where family and friends sat down and feasted and gave thanks; openly writing about it in her magazine and often referencing those first pilgrim gatherings.  Then, too, she often included menus and recipes; many of which starred the now-famous centerpiece: The humble turkey.  Over a period of 17 years, she wrote letters to whomever was the current sitting President of the United State imploring each of them to promote legislation that would declare Thanksgiving a national holiday.  Finally, in 1863, the then-President, Abraham Lincoln, sponsored legislation and this famous American holiday was born. 

So, as you sit and enjoy your Thanksgiving turkey, always remember it was the writer of a story about a little girl who had a little lamb that started it all.

--- Wikipedia: Sarah Josepha Hale: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Josepha_Hale

A Cornucopia For Some

For many years, the holiday of Thanksgiving was symbolized by the Cornucopia , a.k.a., the Horn of Plenty. It was a wicker basket in the shape of a horn that was filled with the fruits and bounty of the annual harvest. It was particularly symbolic, because the first celebration of Thanksgiving in 1621 was in gratitude for all the bounty of food that God had bestowed on one of our first settlers to this country: the Pilgrims.

Today, the Cornucopia has been pretty much replaced by the turkey. Some would actually say that Thanksgiving is more represented by football and a rest-up before Christmas shopping on Black Friday. But, neither of those things are in the original spirit of the holiday.

While there are many of us who may have lost our jobs, their homes, or both, we are still a lot better off than the many of this world who will die starving on this day. A day when we will typically eat our fill. As bad as it may seem in America on this particular Thanksgiving Day, it is a whole lot worse in many other parts of the world. For that, we should be thankful. But also, for that, we should always be mindful that those, like us, who are better off in this world, should pledge to help those who are in dire need. Then, too, someday, the whole world could celebrate their own day of thanks; and, not just us.

Enjoy this holiday. And, please help others whenever you can.