There is a scene in the movie ‘Cinderella Man‘ which never fails to get me misty-eyed. It’s when Russell Crowe’s character, James J. Braddock, begins his inexplicable comeback from penniless dock-worker to Heavyweight champion:
Then, he took on Art Lasky, who had won all but one of
his last 15 fights—yet Braddock dispatched him, too, in a thrilling 15-rounder.
With these remarkable wins, Braddock’s spirit became renewed. Remarkably, one of the first things he did with his earnings was to pay back his Public Relief debt to the government.
Braddock had sacrificed everything for his family: his career, his house, even his pride…attempting to feed and shelter them. He eventually needed help, just a little, to keep going. And as soon as he was able, he repaid that help, in full.
So…., ‘Remarkable’? Is it “remarkable” to pay back a loan he wasn’t “forced” to repay, just because it was the right thing to do? And (especially) judging by today’s standards?
Yeah, it was. Definitely. Because now, our nation doesn’t perceive Government Assistance the same way. It’s now not just for absolute, dire emergencies; it’s for everyone, anytime.
Want proof?
The reason that scene came flooding back to me was a report I heard on the news last night, where some of the Hostess bakers were being interviewed:
Put WHO in the zoo?
[Note: Although “two heads are better than one,” my brother has been ably holding down the fort “single-headedly” for the past two weeks. I’m hoping to have more of a presence here in future. Today’s post is an apt illustration of the fact that fodder for blogs can be found anywhere…]
Lucy loves animals and I was counting the days last month until our local zoo opening. We’ve visited at least five times so far…including twice this week.
We are fortunate to live in the same town as the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo, which has been voted one of the ten best zoos in the country. With a huge African Journey section, (which includes a herd of giraffes that come to a viewing station where we can actually feed them!); Indonesian Rain Forest (tigers and orangutans, among other delights); Australian Adventure (walk-through aviary and kangaroo areas); and model Indiana Farm, this zoo is not only beautiful but focuses intentionally on educating all its visitors.
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Tagged Conservative, economy, food, food stamps, opinion, Section 8 housing, unemployment, zoo