I have just finished watching "It's A Wonderful Life" for the umpteenth time. I love that movie! People say, "Merry Christmas" throughout the course of the movie so often I would imagine that it must make the skeptic, bah humbug anti-Christmas types cringe! Ha!
Plot summary:
George Bailey has spent his entire life giving of himself to the people of Bedford Falls. He has always longed to travel but never had the opportunity in order to prevent rich skinflint Mr. Potter from taking over the entire town. All that prevents him from doing so is George's modest building and loan company, which was founded by his generous father. But on Christmas Eve, George's Uncle Billy loses the business's $8,000 while intending to deposit it in the bank. Potter finds the misplaced money and hides it from Billy. When the bank examiner discovers the shortage later that night, George realizes that he will be held responsible and sent to jail and the company will collapse, finally allowing Potter to take over the town. Thinking of his wife, their young children, and others he loves will be better off with him dead, he contemplates suicide. But the prayers of his loved ones result in a gentle angel named Clarence coming to earth to help George, with the promise of earning his wings. He shows George what things would have been like if he had never been born. In a nightmarish vision in which the Potter-controlled town is sunk in sex and sin, those George loves are either dead, ruined, or miserable. He realizes that he has touched many people in a positive way and that his life has truly been a wonderful one. Written by alfiehitchie
When George Bailey's Uncle Billy accidentally left the $8,000 in the newspaper that Mr. Potter took back with him into his office, I watched the expression on the face of the man who wheeled greedy Potter around in his wheelchair. The sidekick's silence while watching such an injustice happen right before his very own eyes spoke volumes about the empty, couldn't-care-less attitude he harbored as Potter ordered him to wheel the nasty old man back towards the door so he could view Uncle Billy frantically looking for the lost money. Potter's "assistant" was obviously bought and sold and wouldn't betray or snitch on his evil boss - no matter what he did or how much harm he inflicted upon the people of the town. Remember, that money belonged to THE PEOPLE who were investing through Bailey's savings and loan company.
I see that a similar kind of theft is (unfortunately) alive and well within our current corrupt government.
Potter practically owned the entire town - except for Bailey's savings and loan company. He desperately wanted that too because the beautiful little homes being built by the company were taking people out of poverty and out from under the clutches of this money grubbing evil marketer.
Hmmm... it seems that Obama & cohorts are intent on keeping millions of Americans at the mercy of the government instead of doing what is right to help get jobs for people in order to get them out of poverty.
Recall that Bailey was offered a dream job by Potter - $20,000 a year (a fortune in the 1940's - when the film was made), but as Bailey started to shake Potter's hand, the slimey sweat he was feeling awoke George to what Potter was actually doing. Potter was going to "draw up the papers" of the agreement and you can bet that such an agreement would have taken Bailey's building and loan company away from George.
I see so many parallels in this movie as compared to what is going on via our current gangster government today. But some people STILL don't see the harm Obama & his cohorts are doing to our economy! The lure of "free" money - a third extension of unemployment benefits - is keeping people from seeking jobs. Some people choose not to make an effort to get off of the dole until the unemployment runs out. Many take the benefits and at the same time work "under the table" in order to get paid tax-free.
So, what is the solution to all of this? I think it would definitely help to keep the Bush tax cuts in place so that people will keep more of their earned money while at the same time, not add any of the pork or earmarks that the Dems want to the bill. Unfortunately, this lame-duck Congress will probably keep the pork in there and add more to the deficit before their final hurrah is over at the end of the month.
Yesterday, Legal Insurrection blog had a good post about this bait-and-switch scheme that the liberal leftist Dems and some of the more progressive RINOS are attempting:
I Have A Sinking Feeling That We Wuz Had
posted by William A. Jacobson at Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion - 1 day ago
When the "framework" of the tax deal was announced, I wrote that Obama "had a pretty good day." As the details of the actual bill are coming out, it looks like Obama had a great day, Senate tax bill lures...
My comment there:
Christinewjc said...
I, along with millions of Americans want the Bush tax cuts to remain in place. However, whenever this liberal leftist majority in Congress is involved in anything, you know that they will sneak stuff into the bill that doesn't belong there!
When Harry ReiDUNCE comes on board, you know the bill is troublesome and the RINOS in Congress have NOT learned their lesson from the TEA Party protests and the Nov. election results!
I'm so proud of Jim DeMint for being one of the first to recognize, and resist, this stink bomb for what it is!
The "deals" that this corrupt Congress are trying to press through are just as damaging to our nation's free market capitalistic system as was Potter's evil, money grubbing schemes which allowed him to take over most of the town of Bedford Falls economic industries.
More great comments at the Legal Insurrection link. In one of his latest posts, blog author William A. Jacobsen writes:
More Cornhusker Kickbacks and Louisiana Purchases
posted by William A. Jacobson at Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion - 20 hours ago
The original compromise tax bill was a mixed bag, at best. I understood the benefits, as well as the conservative arguments against. At least we were arguing over the merits of the bill. Now the tax dea...
Mr. Jacobsen concludes:
So, once again we get a Cornhusker Kickback and Louisiana Purchase in order to pass legislation which apparently cannot stand on its own merits. Except this time it's worse, because Republicans are a party to the payoffs, not standing in opposition as they were with Obamacare.
If there aren't enough Democratic votes to pass the tax deal without payoffs, then let it fail. Elections matter, and the nation is sick and tired of passing unpopular bills by paying off Senators.
If the original tax deal was good enough, then there will be plenty of opportunity in January to pass a bill without these payoffs. Or perhaps an even better bill.
I think he's correct! It would be better to hold off and vote on a clean bill without the Louisiana Purchase or Cornhusker kickbacks that the Dems want to pile onto the Bush tax cut extension bill.
The corruption, dishonesty, evil intent and willful ignoring that our current elected officials in Washington D.C. are guilty of is like the U.S.A. having a boat load of "Mr. Potters." I pray that things will change - for the better - with the new Congress getting into office.
One commentator at the "Wonderful Life" link (above) wrote something about the film that I think also could be related to the message that was sent by WE THE PEOPLE during the November election results of 2010 (see italicized portions):
This film has become a Christmas tradition in my family. We watch it every year and never tire of it. Frank Capra is a master of creating films with a message that reinforce strong values. This is probably his greatest film in that regard. Both he and Stewart have publicly stated that this is their favorite film.
The message in this film is one of courage and sacrifice for the greater good as George Bailey, a man with big ideas about seeing the world, continually forsakes his own desires to do what is right for the town. The second message is that each life [is] important. No matter how insignificant we feel we are, we are all inextricably linked to each other and play an important part in the fabric of one another's lives.
Capra's direction is brilliant. His genius is bringing human stories to life in ways that not only make a point, but that totally involve the audience in the lives of the characters. He is always extremely optimistic about the human condition. He is known for testing his characters with overwhelming adversity to make them struggle to triumph in a way that causes the world to change and the character to grow.
That is the exact prescription that our nation needs to learn and understand in order to get out of the grip of tyranny that the current liberal leftist cronies of Obama want to inflict upon the American people:
1. We need leaders in Washington who: "forsake [their] own desires to do what is right for the [nation].
2. WE THE PEOPLE must realize that perhaps God is "testing his [people] with overwhelming adversity to make them struggle to triumph in a way that causes the world to change [away from evil and back towards the Lord] and the [individual] character [within each of us] to grow" more in the direction of what God's Word would have us do.
Hat tips to all links.