9/23/2008
Dear Granddaughter Jasmine:
I thank you very much for your ‘care' donation to me. I certainly can use the help at this time as I'm not able to work. Whenever someone cares enough to do this for someone right out of the blue, they must have real character and personality. I'm talking now about you!!
I want to say something that I've not had a real chance to say to you because of the distance between us and lack of opportunity. You are a very pretty and nice girl and you have come from a very interesting, proud, and patriotic family. Our ancestor to come to this country was Richard Cliburne. He came to this country from England in 1635. He came here on a ship, the "Globe" from London. Our family has been here every since. Now, of course like all families, we've had good people and bad people. We've had good people in bad situations (one was even hung). We've had rich people and poor people. We've had very religious people and not so religious people. Probably the vast majority of our family have been poor farmers.
1635 is only 15 years after the Pilgrims landed in Massachusetts. Even before the Pilgrims, many people had already came to Jamestown, Virginia. Our Richard came to Jamestown to start a life away from all his family and he must have been almost penniless. He was given a land grant when he came here, but, due to lack of funds, had to use it to pay for his passage to this country. This means that he had to work and save. He eventually married (we don't have her name) and they had at least two children. These were boys and this was the beginning our great American family (later during the American Revolution we had family who fought on both sides and during the American Civil War the same. Many died in these wars and the wars that followed. Also many from our maternal family lines came here and fought for our country)
At this time, of Jamestown, we were still British of course. Jamestown founded in 1607 by the London Company (later referred to as the Virginia Company) was built as an enterprise that a bunch of businessmen put together in order to make a profit. Not only for themselves as the King got his cut and taxes as well. This really was the beginning of Capitalism in this country. The Pilgrims came for Religious freedom in 1620 and this may be viewed at the first attempt of Socialism in this country. But they soon learned that Socialism didn't even work at Plymouth. It wasn't until the Pilgrims were allowed to grow food for themselves that they started to survive. Some were willing to work and they thrived but those who before wouldn't work and lived off the others were now forced to work. This kind of thing has been a kind of battle every since Plymouth but now it's becoming a battle for the very survival of our country. People who don't want to work and earn an income, wish for the government to provide it for them so that they can live as they see those who do work for an income live. There is the rub. Why should those who earn there living pay for those who don't earn their own living? Well..........there are those, of course, who are incapable of earning a living; the crippled, the mentally challenged, the old and decrepit, etc. So taxes which the people who work pay are used for these people who can't earn a living so that they can eat, get clothes, etc. But many of those who don't work, and could, now want much more. They perceive that those who have earned a living and those who have become wealthy should pay more so that they (those who don't earn a living) can live even better. When the government starts taking the money of those who have earned it and distributing it with those who haven't earned their living, this is Socialism. This can turn into Communism very easily.
Socialism has been tried, and tried, in Europe and has been found to not work very well. Communism has been tried in Asia by the Soviet Union and has been found to have not worked. China is Communist and is vicious to it's own people and it wasn't working very well, so they have blended it with a kind of Capitalism. It's thriving at the moment, but I'm sure that we'll see much blood there in the future as those people become more self-sufficient and gain a real idea of freedom. Now, our own country, or many of our citizens, seem hell-bent on trying Socialism. Why we should think that it works, I don't know. I simply think that many or of own citizens don't wish to work for a living and wish to vote themselves a living without working for it.
The reason that our country is currently the greatest country on earth and the Super Power that it is, is because of our Capitalistic opportunities and the freedoms we have here. Our citizens have the opportunity to dream, to build, to become anything that they wish. They can even become rich here, and why should they not? This truly is the land of opportunity, but if Socialism takes over then that opportunity will become almost non-existent. Socialism destroys incentive to build, it destroys opportunity, and it destroys hope, it also attempts to destroy family structure and religious beliefs. This is the battle that we face now in this current Presidential election. Voting for any Liberal is a vote for Socialism and voting for any Conservative is a vote to keep alive our opportunity, our incentive to grow and build, and it keeps alive our hope for bettering our lives through our own initiative.
I'm very happy to hear that you are working. This is the stuff that our family pride is built on. How can a person be proud of earning their own living? I'm so proud of your mother for wanting to work, even with all the problems that she has. I'm also very proud of your Aunt Ronnie for working to earn her own living and her initiative when the opportunity came up to start her own business.
Now, you are 18 years old. Wow...how time flies! Well, you now have a family obligation to take life by the horns so-to-speak. First you need to register to vote. You don't have to register for a certain party. I've always registered as an Independent though I'm not a member of the Independent Party. In Alaska you can register as non-affiliated, which I did while up there. Then you can carefully watch the issues as they develop. My advise is do not vote for anyone because they are black, white, minority, or male or female. Vote for the person who has a vision for this country similar to you own. I'm always very careful about voting on money issues. For myself, I read the proposal first. If I like what it's intended to do then I may vote for it. If I don't like what it's attempting to do or don't understand it, then I always vote ‘no' on it. If it's furthering our path toward Socialism then I vote ‘no' on it. If it helps our freedom then I may very well vote ‘yes' on it. Don't be bewildered about these things, because many others don't really understand what they are voting for either. My advise, for you, is to read about the things you will be voting on and talk to other folks that you respect and then make up your own mind what to do. Don't take just any bozo's ideas and make them you own....think for yourself.
Now regarding yourself and respect. Please remember that you are a Clyburn descendent! This is important and it's important the you respect your family and yourself. How do you do that? Well, it's simple. Dress nice (dresses always look good on women by-the-way), keep your language clean, think some thoughts about God and what He would want for you, and be honest. These are some of the things that you must do in order to get and keep your own self-respect. A person who doesn't have self-respect is very easy to discover. Are they dirty? Do they dress like a tramp? Do they cuss a blue streak regularly? Are they drug users? Do they speak badly about almost every one? Are they malicious gossips? These are people that you must stay away from and should not emulate if you wish for your own respect. You will always know when you've done something wrong and it happens to everyone. If it happens to you then you must do what you can to make it right. If you don't then you carry that scar with you until the time you do take care of it. If you don't take care of it and make it right, then you can not respect yourself.
Well, enough of the preaching...... It's simply that I do love you and I wish everything good for you in this world and the next. I may never write you another letter so I hope that you remember these things that I've said about our family and about personal respect. There was a time when I didn't respect myself but I've now eared my own respect, so I do know what I'm talking about...
Love,
Grandpa
