Posted on 07/14/2004 8:20:15 AM PDT by Ditto
Yes, and that story contrasts with his single "major" public speech on Two America's...which says that we are divided into a nation of haves and have-nots who can never rise to the other side.
In other words, everything about the Democrats is a study in self-contradictions.
My grandfather had to drop out of high school to help support his family when his father, a Civil War veteran, died suddenly. My grandfather's job then paid $1.50 per week.
His son, my father, was the first in that family to go to college. He lived at home and attended Johns Hopkins. Became an engineer, and got a job with the phone company during the Depression.
All three of his children, all sons, did attend college, the youngest one attended with that arrogant twit, John Kerry, in New Haven. LOL.
My oldest child is 10 years younger than Edwards. All of my children are more honest, more professional, and better people than Edwards.
Congressman Billybob
ARGGHHH! This is what gets my goat about Edwards' story.
My father's grandfather came to America with his mother after his father died in the famine in Ireland. He started working when he was still a child to help his mother save to buy their own farm in America. He joined the Union Army at age 20 and fought in the Civil War for 4 years.
He married after that and had 11 children. Every one of those 11 children not only graduated from college, but got a post-graduate degree - including the daughters. 4 sisters taught school and helped put my grandfather through medical school. After he was in practice, he put them through college. One of his sisters was among the first women to be a professor at Columbia University.
Am I LESS of an American than John Edwards because my ancestors worked hard to be educated? Lord knows they didn't do it for the money, because we've never been wealthy.
My mother's father quit school after fourth grade to work. Her mother never made it past the sixth grade. They were farmers in West Texas in the Depression and raised nine children. He served on the school board for 30 years and three of his nine children graduated college. My mother was not among them.
I am far less concerned about the circumstances of John Edwards' raising than about the make-up of his politics and personal character.
I started my own business in the basement of my home working 18 hour days some 20 years ago after receiving my MBA while working full time at another job. I have achieved riches beyond my wildest dreams. We have a huge estate with a brand new home and an apartment in midtown Manhattan. What a country! And, I did it providing useful goods and services rather than on the backs of others.
I was hoping to get the thread to over 100 before I hit the punch-line, but you beat me to it. ;~))
You are absolutely correct. The opportunities are out there ready and waiting to be grabbed. If anything, with every generation, it actually becomes easier to move up the social and economic ladder. In the rarefied media culture, guys like Edwards and Kerrey find it easy to convince the media saps that the "little guy" has no chance. Nothing is further from the truth.
Yes, and not only is there a nice marker on his grave but the grandchildren and great grandchildren will all receive college educations, since their grandparents have put "money back" in one way or another for them.....Education is truly valued in this family....and it is a priceless gift...not withstanding the price of tuition and books and laptops and......
Prior to that, he was in the Army and served in Korea as an only child who dodged the draft by volunteering. He took shrapnel to the huevos and EARNED his purple heart. They also guestimated that his chances of having offspring were slim and none. Well, that doctor was wrong, too...times five.
Being the patriot that he was, he did not go home after being the only child and male who might or might not have been sterile. He became an ASA who visited foreign dignitaries with John Dulles, Secretary of State under Eisenhower...
The rest is in the book to be written.
Did I mention that he just turned 69 on Sunday and is "disgustingly healthy...all things considered" as quoted by his osteopathic physician.
Mom was the first of three surviving daughters. Both of her brothers did not survive. One had childhood lukemia and died at two and the other was stillborn.
Her father grew grapes in the desert of Saudi Arabia and it was during that time that she attended a Swiss boarding school.
A brain tumor was discovered in my mom shortly before I got married. During my first pregnancy my mom was told that they were developing an implant that would shrink the tumor and she could expect a full life. She had a stroke about three nights later and died the next day.
I have a bachelor's degree and a dual master's degree that I earned by myself as a divorced single-parent and was not only the first of my siblings to graduate from high school, but also first to finish college. (Then again, PL 94-142 had not been passed and none of us received gifted services and the concept of gifted-special ed. hadn't been conceived.)
My late brother earned his PH and sKerry can stuff it.
Due to my dad's health status, I am still the poorest kid in college as I am getting ready to apply to the doctorate program at ASU in the field of testing and measurement in the educational psychology department. Stuff it Senator Edwards.
Dad was reintroduced VIA cyberspace to Bush 41 after about 35 years. He is currently working as a deputy registrar and is as dedicated to the FRepublican party as ever!
Mudfight will be a part of the "spirited" fall campaign.
firstiamaussoldier and I approve of this message...
The spirit of America is alive and well at Free Republic! I am enjoying hearing these true stories from all of you. Keep 'em coming!
bump!
Exactly. If you work for it!
John Edwards' dad worked in a mill?!? Does everyone know that John Kerry served in VietNam?
At 67 I am still reading, learning, and hungry for more knowledge.
My children are big readers too.
I can never remember a time when we weren't reading a book.
Well, WOW and double WOW!
"I do hope you'll consider sending these wonderful stories to Bush-Cheney."
Your post #39 was great! Edwards' cry of 'Two Americas' rings hollow here.
This is a great idea, Ditto. My dad lied about his age to get into the Army in both WWI and WWII. There was no way they believed him the second time, but they took him anyway. He was injured and considered, I believe, 100% disabled, but he worked for the C&NW RR, first as a fireman, and then as an engineer, for years. My grandfather was an immigrant from Ireland who started a plumbing business in Chicago with his dad and brother, then read for the law (no college involved) and got himself elected to the Illinois State Assembly. My mom worked when she was younger, but stayed home after we were born. My sis and I were the first to graduate from highschool.
I worked in a dairy after highschool, but, when daddy died, I found out I could avail myself of the GI Bill as a war orphan. I took a full load, continued working at various jobs ($175/mo for 9mo of the year was pretty thin,even back then and alot went to my mom). I graduated in 4 years with a fellowship to study in Europe, came back and got a teaching certificate from UCBerkeley, and a law degree from Wash. U in St. Louis. I did not become a money grubber who lives high off the tragedy of others, Mr. Edwards.
Oh, I did take out 1 student loan in my junior year when the IRS said I had not properly reported some income and threated to take my car (purchased for $400 and then having a probably negative value, if possible. I guess you can get something for scrap). They wouldn't let me wait until summer when I could work enough to pay it off. I formed a definite opinion of the IRS at that time and sorely miss Chief Negotiator.
I'm noticing we have a number of lawyers here at FR. See, we are not all bad people. :)
"...we are divided into a nation of haves and have-nots who can never rise to the other side."
Edwards want people to believe that failure to suceed is someone else's fault and the FEDGOV is needed to correct this terrible unfairness. It is such bunkum.
That is a wonderful and amazing story, Ella.
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