Do you want to know what’s destroying the fiber of this nation? It’s the entitlement mentality. It’s the mentality that drives people to claim that anybody who has more than they do has the responsibility to give something to them or that they have the right to take advantage of other people’s work.
Funny, it sounds an awful lot like communism to me. But what do I know? I’m just a casual blogger with a lot of wild right wing opinions. I’m a radical.
But I’m a radical who has his eyes wide open and sees what’s going on out there. I think that probably comes from being a hard working American who has done nothing but worked hard in his life, has never asked for anything, and want nothing more than to enjoy the fruits of his hard work.
So, needless to say, as I watch things like crime and taxes spin out of control, welfare running rampant and the rise of socialized health care in America, I get a bit defensive.
However, the entitlement mentality is nothing new, its simply spreading to a new demographic, and as it spreads it grows. However, the basis for this mentality have grown out of one of the worst mistakes of the 20th century – a mistake that allowed for the growth of parasites in America, and a mistake that is inspiring the liberal left to encompass more demographic groups and add more entitlements to an already parasitic society.
The mistake that was made was opening up the doors to offering entitlements to minorities (particularly blacks) as some sort of compensation for past treatment. Whereas the government at the time thought that their heart was in the right place, they were horribly wrong. What they did was create a group of people who believed that they were entitled to be taken care of… And as expected, that mentality transcended generations as each new generation was taught that they were entitled and as each generation demanded – and received – more entitlements.
What has come of this is a two-fold problem. Obviously, the top problem is that we are facing a massive population of minorities who don’t think that they need to take care of themselves and are entitled to just about everything because they are “victims”… Furthermore, this has also created a surge in crime because so many of these people have become absurdly apathetic in their approach to community policing, raising children properly and promoting solid communities that encourage growth and well-being.
So what does this mean for 21st century America? Sadly, instead of addressing the problem head-on (which would be deeply politically incorrect and probably hurt somebody’s feelings), the liberal left has instead decided that there are more victims out there than just minorities, and have actively been working to extend the parasitic entitlement culture to anybody who has less than somebody else. Just as they worked so hard in the mid-20th century to create a victim-based entitlement mentality, they’re now working just as feverishly to convince people that the “have’s” have the responsibility to take care of the “have-not’s.”
Never before have I seen so many people calling for the government to take care of them. They want the wealth of the working class (have’s) to be redistributed to them through social programs and government entitlements. They want the government to raise their children, they want the government to police their communities, they want the government to take away their freedom to choose what they eat and where they can smoke… They are telling the rest of us that they don’t want to take responsibility for their own lives, and in turn we have to do it for them.
But how can this be? Hasn’t anybody been asking where this mentality is stemming from? I know I have, and what I’m finding is ugly at best.
It seems that the liberal left is actively working to convince the “have-not’s” that they are victims of the upper classes. Those people who went to college, make a decent living and live comfortably are responsible for the plight of the lower classes, and in turn it’s their responsibility to take care of them; that they are entitled to a portion of the earnings of these people. This has been a relatively quiet campaign in recent years, but a recent series of events – from the Katrina fiasco to the introduction of socialized health care to the rise of the nanny state – has ripped the plot wide open. The liberal left has made it abundantly clear that the “have-not’s” are entitled because they don’t have it is good as the “have’s.”
Is this a good thing? I mean, did communism really work so well that it has inspired legions of liberals that it should be the way of the future? It certainly seems that way. After all, how else could anybody explain the entitlement mentality? The left is actively working to ensure that wealth is evenly distributed because it is the “fair” way to run a country. The working class is being forced to give more and more to those who are deemed to be “less fortunate” than they are. Don’t believe me? Just look at the current Wisconsin plan. It would replace my $60/month full health coverage through my employer with a $140/month state run system all under the flag of “giving everyone coverage by having everybody paying a share of the costs” (as spoken by one Senate Democrat).
So what is the liberal left telling the people out there? I’ll tell you what it sounds like to me. It sounds like they’re telling people that they don’t need to work hard and better their lives because the rest of us will be here to take care of them. Can you say “entitlement mentality?” If implemented and added to the rest of the welfare and social programs out there, what would be left for people to work towards? Responsibility gets thrown right out the window, and it would only be a matter of time before we would be facing the same sorts of problems that we’re currently facing with the minority community – only the numbers would be on a much larger scale. We would have massive numbers of people without a college degree and a good jobs living off of entitlements and growing dependent on them (parasites). I shudder to think.
So maybe the question we should be asking is what the real agenda of the left really is? What is gained by the creation of the entitlement state besides a new form of pseudo-communism? If the goal of the left is create legions of people who are dependent on government for their survival, than they’re certainly accomplishing their goal… But to what end? Is the end goal a nation of equality amongst all people regardless of the misery that is being created as the result? Folks, that’s communism. It can be candy-coated every which way; they can call it anything they want and try to push it as creating equality… But they’re also destroying prosperity and creating a whole new demographic of people who are threatening to join the minority entitlement crowd as parasitic blights on society.
But who’s to say, right? I’m just a hard working conservative nutball who wants to enjoy his life and certainly doesn’t want anybody telling him that he owes anybody anything simply because he has something to give.
So, are you saying that because there are a lot of people out there that can’t afford to pay $60/month on healthcare, let alone basic needs, that they shouldn’t have them?
As far as your welfare argument, a lot less people have welfare than you think. Also, the majority of the people that are on welfare actually need it.
There are a lot of people that can’t afford schooling beyond the basic, public level. Are you saying that they don’t deserve to have some sorrt of assistance?
It sounds like you’re blaming people in poverty for their being in poverty.
First off, I’m not saying what people deserve or what they don’t deserve. What I am saying is that nobody but me should benefit from my own paycheck unless I decide that they should. That is what separated us from the communists.
If you think that it is the responsibility of the working class to prop up everybody else then I would suggest that you turn in your citizenship and immigrate to Cuba.
To put it simply, *I* should not be punished and have to pay out the ass in taxes so that other people who are not as “well off” as I am can receive entitlements. There are, of course, extenuating circumstances, and at that point the government should be there to provide *temporary* emergency aid. It is *not* the government’s job to take money from my paycheck so that I can get health care for a price that is more than double what I pay now simply so somebody else can have some as well.
You make the mistake of saying that a lot of people can’t afford schooling. Fine. But ya know what? I was one of them. But instead of sitting with my thumb up my ass demanding assistance, I joined the Navy. I have worked hard to get to where I am today. Could I have leaned back and become another blight on society? Sure, but I didn’t. I never had a damned thing handed to me. Anybody who claims that they’re stuck in poverty and can’t better themselves are full of shit. There are always ways.
The whole point of welfare is that it should be temporary. It should be available to people in emergencies to help get them on their feet. It should not be a career choice – which is what it seems to have become today.
You say it sounds like I am blaming people for their own situations? You bet I am! With few exceptions, people are 100% responsible for their own lot in life. Blaming others or blaming situations does nothing but reinforce the entitlement “I’m a victim” mentality.
This is an absolutely brilliant post, as was your response to ‘S’.
The fact is that people are being given excuses for their problems and are being taught that the government will save them. How will the government save them? By taking money from hard working Americans and giving it to people unwilling to work hard to escape their surroundings.
Why? Because they need an underclass of victims that they can promise the world to, while delivering nothing all in the name of securing votes.
Abolishing the welfare state would solve two problems at one time. It would make Americans go to work in jobs that we are told Americans are unwilling to do. This would in turn take jobs away from the illegals and they would be forced to go home.
I absolutely agree. You hit it right on with the idea that these people could work the jobs that we’re being told only immigrants are willing to do. If only more people could recognize that giving the work back to the American people and getting rid of “career” entitlements can only help propel this country. It’s not the bad thing that people portray it to be. I’ll never understand where the idea of making people work instead of just allowing them to sit idle and collect government benefits is a bad thing…
The first comment by “S” is a typical response from someone who has been raised in an area where there are mostly white people and hardly any minorities. Yes, people need help. Temporarily. Then get off your ass and better your situation. We are speaking of the women who have babies to collect a bigger check. Believe me, I have met a few. And these are the same women who are also figuring out how to lay their hands on another Coach bag or Baby Phat outfit. This country had better wake up fast. It is never any good to create a dependent-based system. We need to be limiting how long people can collect benefits, and limiting the benefits at the same time. At the root of it, How can a person feel powerful and confidant when they live off the backs of others? We spend more time, money, and effort in getting rid of Zebra Mussels, this should be no different. This should be even more important.
I wasn’t going to entertain the thought of even responding to this, furthermore, but the ignorance abound is astonishing.
First, response to “viciemonkey” and her rampant assumption. I happen to be a member of the minority, who grew up in and still reside in a LARGE CITY.
I went to college, and I sure as hell didn’t join the military to do so. For the record, the military isn’t an option for everyone. I had tons of help by way of financial aid in the form of scholarships, and FEDERAL grants and loans. Yes, federal assistance. Which means your tax dollars, oh enlightened one.
I have a job, I pay taxes – a hell of a lot of them, I have NEVER been on welfare, I don’t have children, and hell no I didn’t get some piddly ass reprieve from the government for “being a minority”.
Also, for the record, I have a friend who currently works for the welfare department, and if you think that the number of whites that receive welfare is lower than that of the non-whites, then you are sorely SORELY mistaken.
I am not saying that people don’t abuse the system – hell fucking yes some people do. But out of all the people that receive welfare, that percentage is at about 2%.
Perhaps you should educate yourself on how the welfare system actually works before making assumptions about the people who actually receive it. And, trust me, the amount you get paid from welfare is barely enough to sustain anything other than a poverty stricken life on.
Perhaps instead of BLAMING people for their situations, you need to ask how it is they got there in the first place and why there is a need for that 2% that abuse the system to do so.
Your entire post and the comments that come with it seem a little “white power”, to me. Let me just say that, there’s nothing powerful about ignorance.
And let me just ask you something – have you ever talked to a poor person? Have you ever talked to a homeless person? Have you ever even met a person that has needed welfare?
Well well, I guess somebody has had a nerve struck there.
First off, since you apparently didn’t pay attention to the post, there shouldn’t be anything “white power” about it. In fact, what I was saying is that wereas the problem may have originated in the minority community back in the 1960’s, the problem is and has been expanding into the white community – especially now that the government continues to expand what it considers “needy” (i.e. expanding the SCHIP program to 400% the FPL for instance). I think you’re being a bit oversensitive.
Furthermore, to think that just 2% of people who receive government entitlements are abusing them is pure ignorance… Although it’s funny how you can get differing opinions from people. Whereas your friend says 2%, my stepmother who ALSO works for the welfare department has a completely different story to tell. Not only are the numbers much higher, but due to the politically correct society we have become the welfare department is forbidden from investigating how welfare money is being used. Have you ever seen people on welfare and food stamps getting into a new Cadillac after buying their kid’s food using food stamps and picking up clothes from the church donations bin? I have seen it so often that it makes me physically sick. Maybe the area where YOU live is sunshiny and perfect and only 2% of welfare recipients are blights on society.. But that is the exception, not the norm.
Admittedly, sure, there are people who need it, but as I said, it should be a temporary system. People who spend their whole damned lives living off the government dole need to rethink their situation some. See, you didn’t bother to address that, did you? All you are concerned with is that people need it and assholes like us need to accept that. Well you know what? I don’t accept it. Many people don’t accept it. Those of us who have worked hard our whole lives don’t accept that. Sure, we could have done nothing, slacked off, spit out 6 or 7 babies and then stuck out our hands and said “gimmie gimmie” but we didn’t. In turn, we don’t expect other people to do that, and if they do, we sure as hell don’t want to pay for it. If they can’t use government dollars to right themselves and then move their lives forward until they no longer need government assistance, then what’s the use?
You want to know how to fix it? Stop it from happening. People do it now because they can. But what happens if they couldn’t? Would so many people chose to make a career out of government welfare and entitlements? I wouldn’t think so.
Furthermore, being a plain old white middle class guy, I couldn’t get anything in the way of assistance to go to school. Consider yourself lucky, although I don’t rightly know why you would deserve more than me… But that’s a different story. The point is, that I still did something to better my lot in life, and that included serving time in the military… Don’t you dare belittle military service as an option to better one’s life.
I wonder who should be doing their research and educating themselves here? Even if we see things from different perspectives, the fact remains that there is a massive problem here and to try to minimize it by saying that there is only 2% abusing it and that everybody else needs it is absurd. I think maybe 2% actually need it and the rest should be working their asses off to get off of it (assuming they should be on it to begin with).
Here’s something else to chew on… Most of the people I have met who are on welfare or receive some other form of government aid have better health care than I do, carry Coach handbags and wear the latest fashions and spend many nights a week partying and going to bars with friends while other family members stay at home with their kids. You can pull the wool over some people’s eyes, but the fact remains… THink of it this way:
(from the Heritage Foundation)
“Welfare spending advocates often paint very alarming pictures of poverty in the United States in order to promote even more rapid increases in welfare spending. To the average voter and the average politician the term poverty provokes images of destitution. In reality the typical “poor” person in the U.S. has standard of living far higher than our normal images and expectations for poverty.
According to the government’s own data, the typical American, defined as poor by the government, has a refrigerator, a stove, a clothes washer, a car, air conditioning, a VCR, a microwave, a stereo and a color TV. (Half of the poor own two color TV’s; a third have telephone answering machines.) By his own report, the typical poor individual is able to obtain medical care for himself and his family; he lives in a home that is in good repair and is not over-crowded. By his own report, his family is not hungry and in the last year he had sufficient funds to meet his essential needs. While this poor individual’s life is certainly far from opulent, it is equally far from the popular images of poverty conveyed by activists and the press.”
I’m only going to address this portion of your response, as I’m done arguing about welfare:
Furthermore, being a plain old white middle class guy, I couldn’t get anything in the way of assistance to go to school. Consider yourself lucky, although I don’t rightly know why you would deserve more than me… But that’s a different story. The point is, that I still did something to better my lot in life, and that included serving time in the military… Don’t you dare belittle military service as an option to better one’s life.
Firstly, I hardly think anyone deserves aid more than another person. But you addressed one portion of it in your first sentence – “middle class”. While I definitely wasn’t poverty stricken, I was definitely “lower middle class” at best.
Secondly, I have a feeling that you’re substantially older than I am, considering that I only just graduated from my school of choice last year. The financial aid program has gone through (and continues to go through) some major reform.
As I mentioned before – military service is hardly an option for everyone. Good for you for using it as yours, and for feeling proud of your time served. I’d never do it. Period.
The point is, were it not for federal assistance, many people would never get an opportunity to receive higher education. Do I feel like, “I’m getting no assistance, therefore I should give up” should be the first response? Definitely not. But, it is a realistic reaction.
And yes, I fully acknowledge that it is able to get a good job with decent benefits without attending an institution of higher learning, but having a degree sure as hell pushes that likelihood a hell of a lot further.
For welfare, I disagree with your attitude about it. Plain as that. Agree to disagree.
We workers will all be more poor over those who are collecting from the govt once the number of working people who work declines, since many will be paying themselves under the table sooner or later to survive (to get out of taxes). And with that in mind, NY should have never left the Statue of Liberty there for the Americans to milk off of (it’s tits), as it is currently available to anyone who chooses to be a soaker. There ought to be a cartoon that shows how many babies the Statue of Liberty is feeding (adults). Too many are grown up enough to go out and get jobs, it’s a matter of promoting that there are jobs. And the US Ma Ma (the statue of liberty) hasn’t been trained to tell’m to get off her tits. One other thing, I don’t agree that the education funds should be cut, people should take advantage of that in order to get jobs. But they should sign an agreement to work after graduation or within the duration of the school year to show that they really mean what they are promising in return, in order to make a contribution to the world. I am with you on those arguments about subsidies of sorts, and boy I hope I can retire someday. I want to enjoy what those soakers are enjoying right now. It’s easy to get jealous of them for buring our hard earned bucks over cigarettes, alcohol, fancy cars, fancy everything that we don’t even have ourselves, because we simply have to watch our money day by day to survive, only because that is survival. Those who soak know nothing about survival, it’s just about getting more.
“It sounds like you’re blaming people in poverty for their being in poverty.”
The author may not be blaming the people in poverty for being in poverty but I SURE AM.
Do you know why they are in povert? Because they didn’t have the foresight (maybe I shouldn’t pop out 3 kids because I can barely afford to live myself) and the willingness (starting a business is much too hard.. I mean, it can take years to build it) to succeed. Plain and simple. And don’t tell me that they don’t have enough money to start a business. boo-hoo. Anybody that says that is just too lazy to write a business plan to find investors. There is a poor person as we speak probably working two jobs but still finds enough time at the wee hours of the morning to write a business plan and do what it takes to find investors. This poor person will eventually become rich. Are you surprised?