Sheep, Ostrich, Falcon, or Owl?

It is interesting to note how many times we may refer to someone in terms of an animal. Sometimes, we may describe someone as a "beast". What we are saying is that person acts like a beast, that they do not demonstrate human characteristics or traits. Other times, we may say of a person that they are "sheepish". In this case, we mean that they are somewhat timid or meek in their behavior, they are easily led. There are quite a few other animals that have taken their place in our everyday language to describe some one's traits.

Believe it or not, some folks believe that after they die, they will be reincarnated in the form of an animal. Gee, I wonder just what kind of an animal I would like to be if I held that same belief? Would I be satisfied to be a sheep? If so, I would find it difficult to make decisions, always look to someone else to lead me, almost be afraid of my own shadow. No, I don't think I would want to be a sheep. Perhaps it would be better to be an Ostrich. I could run very fast but as soon as I was faced with a problem I would "stick my head in the sand"! Ostriches really don't do that but it is widely thought they do. It is the reason anyone who is faced with a problem and tends to not make an attempt to solve it, their behavior is referred to as the Ostrich syndrome. They hope that if they don't admit there is a problem, it will resolve itself without their intervention. No, I wouldn't want to be an Ostrich.

There are however, some animals who are thought of as having traits that are enviable. A dog for instance. A dog will, if treated with kindness, always greet you with tail wagging when you return home. It will never complain when fed the same thing day after day. It will always try to please you by obeying your commands. I'm not sure I'd like being a dog however. I'd always have to depend on my owner being thoughtful of me. Unfortunately, not all dog owners treat their animals with kindness.

I know!! I believe I'd like to be a Falcon or Owl. Even though they have to find their own food, they do not have to depend on unkind human owners. They are their own masters, free to go where they want when they want. They even develop hunting strategies to increase the chance of getting food. In fact, the Owl is spoken of as "the wise old bird". Wisdom is a great attribute. With it, one can reason. With reason, one can figure out how to solve problems.

You may wonder why I have chosen the foregoing to begin this week's blog. It is because we, us Pennsylvanians, are faced with a monumental problem. At least those of us who are "home owners". In fact, we will never "own" our homes. We are forced to keep paying year after year for the privilege of staying in not our homes but the homes that apparently are owned by the state and our local school district. In case you have wondered what would happen if you failed to pay the state and the school district, you would be evicted!! You would find yourself outside the house you thought you "owned". Certainly, not a happy prospect.

Now that I have identified the problem, are we going to be like sheep and timidly be forced to give up not just the "extras" but some of the necessities in order to stay in the home we thought we owned? Or, are we going to be like an Ostrich burying our heads in the sand, hoping the problem will just resolve spontaneously without our intervention? The latter of the two was adopted by our present governor when he did not deal with the "pension grab" problem that will rear its ugly head in 2012. In case you're not aware of it, the current estimate of the increase of property / school taxes in all of Pennsylvania in 2012 is 29.7%!!!

Instead, why don't we be like the Falcon or Owl and rise up to the occasion and do something about it? I don't know about you but my wife and I worked hard to build and "own" our home. I'm not ready to give up and meekly be told to, "Get out". Neither am I ready to be told that I have to give up any of the necessities just to be able to pay the state and the school district year after year in order to stay in "their" home.

There is someone who is, and has been for years, working diligently to make it possible for us to actually stay in the homes we thought we owned and without paying anyone for the privilege.
That person is Sam Rohrer. If you haven't looked at his web site, I strongly recommend you do it. The address is www.SamRohrer.org . Even if you believe you may have the tendency to be like a Sheep or an Ostrich, all you have to do to keep your home is look at his web site. In the blogs I have posted during October and November, I have described how you can insure that Sam's plan (HB 1275) will be passed in Harrisburg. Notice, I did not say "may be passed". I said "will be passed". If you are reading my blog for the first time, I strongly recommend you read those that I wrote starting with the first one "Are You Fed Up Yet?"

As always, I invite any questions you may have or objective criticisms. My e-mail is johnjhere@gmail.com .

Semper Fidelis

Nurse John