It was 20 years ago, when my oldest daughter’s Odyssey of the Mind team, plus a second Laurel team, earned an opportunity to compete at the world finals in Knoxville, Tennessee. The problem for parents of the 12 competitors was shipping both teams and coaches to Knoxville and back without breaking the bank. Community support was generous, but traveling the 1795 miles by commercial airline was outside our budget. After much discussion, we loaded the teams, all their siblings and parents into our 5th wheel camper trailer plus one Dodge Caravan. The 28 hour road trip looked possible until we hit our first fuel stop in Buffalo, Wyoming. Emptying 25 bladders and buying 50 fistfuls of gummy bears and Hershey bars consumed 20 minutes more time than I had budgeted. The second fuel stop in Casper, Wyoming was no less a cluster than the first and I barked at everyone to hustle. Several fuel stops later, I snapped.

At every convenience store across the plains, Kathy, one of the coaches, was forever lounging on the curb while the kids dilly-dallied. Only after the kids loaded up, would she use the restroom or buy a snack before casually walking to the trailer. My polite and considerate suggestions regarding efficiency were being ignored leaving little hope of making Knoxville on time, so at the first re-fueling in Missouri I took action. The Dodge van was trailing us by a few minutes and we planned to meet for a picnic lunch in just another 10 miles. With Kathy, husband David and daughter Grace loitering in the check-out line at a 7-Eleven, I slammed the trailer door, hopped in the pickup and zoomed for the interstate leaving the three stragglers behind. Twenty minutes later, an over-crowded Caravan lurched to the curb at our rest area picnic table and Kathy exploded from the van door. She was a little hot. As she stomped towards me, my mind raced for a plausible excuse. Claiming I mistakenly thought everyone was already aboard would be a hard sell thanks to my waving and honking as I left the three confused and stranded in the 7-Eleven parking lot. Sometimes the best defense is a good offense so I barked, “There is no time to argue about who left who; eat your sandwich, or we will never make Knoxville.” In retrospect, my action seems extreme, but for the remainder of the trip every kid kept one eye on the trailer at all times. Everyone has a snapping point, so my question is this: When will voters say enough is enough and quit electing Democrats and liberal Republicans? How can citizens be so poorly informed they cannot follow the connection between our nation’s sad state of affairs and those they elect into the ruling class? Things will not change in Washington D.C. or in your state capitol until you demand they change.

If you want a scary view of our new America, look at Jason Greenslate, an unemployed 29-year-old California surfer. Holding down a steady job is just not for him, but thanks to President Obama’s 2009 stimulus package coupled with his suspension of President Clinton’s Welfare-to-Work plan, Jason does not need a regular paycheck. Mr. Greenslate was recently interviewed by Fox News as he used his $200 per month food stamps to purchase lobster and sushi, a practice made possible due to the generosity of politicians spending other people’s money. Jason thought it was great; free money every month to buy any food his heart desires and nearly 50 million Americans do the same. By the way, what is your monthly budget for lobster and sushi? If it is zero because you are busy working to pay taxes, I must ask why you support politicians who give your hard earned money to Jason so he can eat lobster? Do you purposely refuse to make the connection?

Someday, voters loyal to Democrats and liberal Republicans will snap. Just like happened to me at a 7-Eleven in Missouri, they will say enough is enough and abandon the wealth redistribution principles of Marx. If there is to be lobster and sushi, tax payers will buy their own and Jason can go pound sand. But, until voters reach the snapping point, things will continue as they are. By the way, the acronym for food stamps is Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. I do not think that is a coincidence.