---
title: Scared
abstract: a paragraph-by-paragraph translation of Lou Pritchett
categories:
- culture
content-tags:
- politics
---

Herein, I offer a paragraph-by-paragraph translation of [Lou Pritchett’s “You Scare Me” op-ed](http://www.canyon-news.com/artman2/publish/Point_of_View_1136/They_Never_Expected_Govt_To_Offer_Anything.php):

> I was born in year two of  the Great Depression (1931) and spent the first 10 years of my life  influenced by the extreme hardships of the depression. By today’s standards my family was about a mile below today’s so-called ‘poverty level’ but if you never ‘had,' doing without was not so ‘bad.’ Borrowing shoes to graduate from the 8th grade didn’t seem at all demeaning because most of the 8th graders did the same thing.

I'm old and was once very poor.

> In June 1944, my only brother, Joe, was killed in action on Utah Beach in Normandy, France during the D-Day landings. Exactly one year later, my father died and left me, my mother and my sister to go it alone... and alone we went. My mother went to work at a department store, my sister dropped out of school and joined her and I went to work shining shoes on the streets of Memphis for a dime a shine. Government assistance was not available, and if it were, I am confident my mother would have refused it because she never wanted the government involved in our lives.

My brother died in war. Life was very hard for my family, but I like to imagine my mother preferred that to the horror of living with social support like the Canadians and Germans suffer with today.

> I mention this bit of personal history to help you understand that millions of Americans, including your parents and grandparents, grew up like me  during the Great Depression and never expected nor wanted the government to offer them anything other than an opportunity. And now to see what Obama is trying to do to our country, can make you crazy.

Your ancestors may also have been poor. I'm sure they felt the same way I imagine my mother did. This is why I dislike our President.

> As some of  you know, my “Scare Me" letter went viral with millions of hits on the internet during the past three years. I  have now written a follow-up letter which I will now share with you:

Last time I penned a rant, it was almost as popular as a reality TV star's tweet. Popularity is important to me since I sell books, so here's another one:

> In April 2009, I sent President Obama and the New York Times a letter titled "You Scare Me" because, as a candidate, he promised to "fundamentally transform America." Now, after observing his performance for over three years, he no longer scares me---he terrifies me for the following reasons:

I'm even escalating my language from "scare" to "terrify".

> FIRST: He has done more to damage America's standing in the world, to lower the standard of living in America, to impoverish future generations and to shake our faith in the country's future than any other American president in history.

The rest of the world hates us now. I miss the glowing respect the international community showered on George W Bush. As a poor child of the Great Depression who is now a millionaire, I can assure you life is harder than it's ever been and will only get worse.

> SECOND: With a compliant Democrat congress, a lapdog media and a weak, almost nonexistent Republican opposition, he  has shattered the American dream of job security, home ownership and rugged individualism for millions of Americans and has poisoned and divided our civil society with his politics of envy, class warfare, race warfare, and religious warfare which  he is using as fundamental building blocks for his 'socialist' agenda.

The Republicans are so weak to stop this menace that 193 Democrats and 242 Republicans makes the 112th House of Representatives a "compliant Democrat congress". No one even bothers to dream of employment, home ownership, or growing up to be John Wayne anymore. It is the President's fault that we must choose sides between Fox News and science, that the poor envy the rich, and that the races don't get along as well as they once did. Also, 'socialist'.

> THIRD: Culturally, he remains totally out of touch with traditional American values. This has absolutely nothing to do with race or where he was born, rather it has everything to do with where, how and with whom he was raised, schooled, educated, trained and associates with still today.

He's not the same as the old white men of the eastern seaboard we're used to calling President.

> FOURTH: He has surrounded himself with naive academicians, lawyers, politicians, bureaucrats and socialist-leaning czars who arrogantly think and behave exactly as he does. People who  offer no balanced suggestions or devils advocate positions and think in lock-step with him that big government is the answer to all our problems.

He associates with educated and successful people who share his values. In particular, he's staffing government with people that believe government can add value to our lives. Also, 'socialist'.

> FIFTH: He  not only encourages  but aids and abets in the unionization of all American industry, the albatross around the neck of the free market. In turn, they provide the money and muscle to intimidate his opponents.

Although the percentage of working Americans in unions has declined since 1954 to a new low of 12%, I'm still scared that he supports and benefits from them. As someone who had to negotiate with those uppity jerks on my way to becoming rich, I only support class warfare when aimed down the socioeconomic ladder.

> SIXTH: He has increased the national debt by over 30% in just three years. If re-elected and this rate of increase continues, America  will be burdened with an unsustainable $20 trillion dollar debt which will result in the country's financial death. Recovery will be impossible - America will  be the  Greece of 2016.

Though he has reduced government spending even during a recession, he didn't lay off enough workers, end Bush's wars quickly enough, or raise taxes to offset declining tax revenues. I miss Clinton. This is just like what happened to that tourism-based country that's smaller than New York.

> SEVENTH: Given  his  fanatical adherence to the 'environmental'  and  'man-caused global warming' fringe, he has deliberately discouraged U.S. fossil fuel exploration and production while wasting millions of taxpayer dollars on solar, wind and algae experiments. He refuses to accept that oil, gas and coal are not America's enemies, they are America's assets which, if properly managed, could make us energy independent within a generation.

I'm comfortable being thoroughly dependent on other, often untrustworthy nations and natural resources are meant to be consumed, so only ridiculous nonsense like "science" could explain spending anything at all on other options.

> EIGHTH: He views the U.S. as a power in retreat which abused its World dominance. Therefore, he systematically apologizes round the world. Last March he whispered to Russian President Medvedev "... this is my last election. After my election, I have more flexibility." Just what is the secret that Obama and Putin are concealing from the American people until after the election? With what other leaders has he made similar secret agreements?

He's conspiring with those other people, who you might remember from my first point have no respect for him.

> NINTH: And finally, after all his missteps, bad decision making, poor management, and zero leadership, the fact that  he has  the audacity to seek re-election should terrify every American.

I have nothing nice to say about our President and am offended he exists.

> I predict that if re-elected, future historians and political interpreters will  look back at the eight year period 2008-2016, and conclude "the 44th  President of the U.S. allowed the takers to overpower the payers which resulted in the  greatest economy in history vanishing from the face of the Earth." Farewell, America. The World will really miss you!"

After I'm dead, you'll all see I wasn't the babbling lunatic I sound like today.

> It is my hope and prayer that this letter will also go viral and serve as a 'wake up' call to Americans of all political leaning, convincing  them that never before in U.S. history has so much depended on Americans  understanding that we are facing one of the greatest crises in U.S. history. Convincing them that this election will be won not by letters to the editor, political speeches or radio and TV soundbites.

I believe in God. A lot of you share my poorly-defined hatred and I hope you share my words with each other again. Because words like the ones you are reading don't work.

> No!!!  it will be won by those with a conviction, with a belief and with a willingness to pay the price in helping put the most enlightened voters in the polling booth on November 6.

What does work is putting more money into politics. Or violence.

> Let me end on my favorite quote which I think is very appropriate for each of us today:

Now I'm going to quote a historic leader of another nation who supported international cooperation and liberal social policies:

> "TO EVERY MAN THERE COMES IN HIS LIFETIME THAT SPECIAL MOMENT WHEN HE IS PHYSICALLY TAPPED ON THE SHOULDER AND OFFERED THE CHANCE TO DO A VERY SPECIAL THING, UNIQUE TO HIM AND FITTED TO HIS TALENT; WHAT A TRAGEDY IF THAT MOMENT FINDS HIM UNPREPARED OR UNQUALIFIED FOR THE WORK WHICH WOULD BE HIS FINEST HOUR."

"I HAVE BEEN IN FULL HARMONY ALL MY LIFE WITH THE TIDES WHICH HAVE FLOWED ON BOTH SIDES OF THE ATLANTIC AGAINST PRIVILEGE AND MONOPOLY"

> Those words, spoken by Winston Churchill over 70 years ago, are very appropriate for the Tea Party Movement today.

Oops, wrong quote.

> For if each of us is prepared and is qualified then November 6, 2012,  just might be our and our Country's finest hour as we reclaim this "shining city on the hill" from the ravages of Obama Socialism.

I meant to say NOW IS THE TIME TO ACT and vote not for anything in particular, but against this President we hate. Also, 'socialism' with a capital 'S'.

> IT IS NOW OR NEVER FELLOW PATRIOTS --GOD  HELP US IF WE FAIL!

I like patriotism and God.
