Entitlement Mentality

I would like to address a serious problem that has been creeping into our society for the past 50 years. This problem is Entitlements.

The past few generations have been slowly indoctrinated into believing that they are entitled to things just because something has happened to them or because they were born without the same advantages as some others.

What causes me to address this now is what is happening to the survivors of the September 11th bombing of the World Trade Center. The families of the people who died there are getting from $250,000 to over 4 million dollars apiece. Now, I want everyone to understand that I sympathize with the families of those who died on that dreadful day, but I don't think that they should receive a dime from the government for what happened. It was not the governments fault that those nut jobs flew the plane into those buildings, not is it the governments responsibility to provide restitution to the survivors for what happened. This is just a case of people wanting to benefit anyway they can from a tragedy that no American was responsible for. This is just 1 in a long list of entitlements that some Americans have come to believe that they have a right to. I hate to burst their bubble, but they are not entitled to anything. What happened on that day was a tragedy to be sure, but it comes down to being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Nothing More.

Let me list some other Entitlement that Americans believe they have a right to, but in reality they have no such right. The Government has been giving away the candy store for so long that people actually believe that they have a right to these things.
1, Social Security- I have covered this in a previous article that you can go back and read. But, in a nutshell, This was an Insurance Program that was put in place by the government to protect a person in case they outlived the actuary tables which estimate how long a person is supposed to live.
2, Medicare- Again, see previous article, This was put in place to provide basic hospitalization for people who worked at jobs that did not provide a health plan that someone could carry over once they made retirement age, it has grown to the monster it is now.
3, Prescription Drugs, another government plan that was recently implemented solely for the purpose of obtaining the senior vote, who makes up the largest voting constituent in the United States.
4, Welfare- Originally brought about for people who had jobs but did not make enough money to meet the minimum guidelines for poverty. Most people do not know it, but you could not even apply for Welfare unless you had a job. Now look at what it has become.

These are just a few of the larger entitlement programs that are in existence. There are literally hundreds of others that are less famous but just as destructive to the growth of the individual. These programs all sound good when they are brought about, but like everything the government does, it grows into a monster that cannot be controlled. I believe that all entitlement programs started because someone really thought that there was a need for it and thought they were doing good. But, whenever you provide an entitlement to someone, you actually make them weaker because you take away the initiative to provide that item for themselves. This makes them dependent on the system and the taxpayer to continue to provide for them. Any time you give someone something for nothing, they lose a portion of their self respect. When you allow people to suffer a little, make their lives a little less comfortable, they will, for the most part, find a way to improve their situation. It is human nature. I know, there are people out there that really do need assistance. That is what charities are for, that is what the Church is for, that is what local communities are for. The government should be the last line of defense that a person seeks out, not the first.

Let me tell you about what is happening now that the government is going to pay the families and survivors of the 911 tragedy. There is now an effort being put together by the survivors and families of the Oklahoma City bombing to seek financial restitution for what happened to them. There is also an effort being put together for people who lost family in Embassy bombings to be compensated. Do you see what is happening here. Everyone is standing there with their hands out, wanting free money. Do they not understand that the money they are seeking is not free, someone has to pay it. That someone is you and I, the tax paying, hard working, god fearing, family oriented people of this great country. We are the ones who have to pay the tab whenever there is compensation being paid out for one of these events. I am not sorry, I do not believe that I should have to pay you, because some nut job killed your family member. It is tragic to be sure, but how is that mine, or the other millions of Americans responsibility. We are a nation that has been built on making our own way. Now the government wants to give everything to you, remember to old saying, "beware of the stranger bearing gifts". When the government gives you something, it takes something in return, whether it be pride of oneself, freedom once enjoyed, or rights once guaranteed. There are no free lunches. There is always a price to be paid, the question is, what is the price and who has to pay it?

I pray that our country will find it's way back to what our founding fathers envisioned for our country when the wrote the Declaration Of Independence. I pray that our people will return to the state of mind that helped build this country into the most successful and greatest country the world has ever seen. We are at a tipping point, are we going to continue to accept entitlements, thereby turning this country from freedom to socialism? Are we going to continue to give more and more of our daily responsibility to the government, thereby giving up more and more of the rights that thousands upon thousands of soldiers have died to make sure we had. The choice is yours, what will you do when something like Oklahoma or the World Trade Center happens to you and your family. Will you turn to each other for comfort, or will you turn to the government for payment for something it had no hand in? Will you take the death of a loved one and permanently shame it with the stains of profit over their death. The choice will be yours.

I am not saying that there are not times when someone or some organization should pay when they hurt or kill someone we love. I am saying that when our loved ones are killed by terrorist, the government should not be in the business of restitution for the survivors. That is not the governments role, their role is to find the ones responsible for those deaths and hand out the ultimate justice upon them.

As always, I look forward to your comments. Earl