Entitlement: My Rights as an American

Watching the political season unfold, nothing much seems to have changed from the last election. Both candidates have stooped to smear campaigns and even outright lies. Both are trying to find the "hot" topic and capitalize on it. Needless to say, the politicians have not changed since I can remember. The people have changed, however, and unfortunately, I feel our society has sunk to a new low.

In a previous post, I talked about our welfare state and how the family unit needed to be fixed and the community needed to encourage the changes and quit relying on government handouts to solve everything. Now, in a related topic, I want to comment on the out-of-control problem we have in this country: a feeling of entitlement.

When asked what issues people are most concerned with right now, most polls show that the economy is leading the list, along with health care and education, with Iraq falling further down the list. The economy is obviously a serious issue, with people struggling to pay for gas and food. Believe me, I know how much gas costs and it hurts every time I fill up. However, the price of gas is not the government's concern, and shouldn't be. It's a matter for the market to decide. Yet I hear people say that the government should put caps on the price of gas, or tax the oil companies more. Now, large insurance and mortgage companies are collapsing and the government is bailing them out, afraid of what might happen if they truly fail. And people say, "well good, that's what the government is there for". And I say, "NO!" The government is not there to bail companies out because they made bad business decisions or because the CEOs were greedy. That means I have to pay for the bailout in my taxes, and it's not my fault that the companies failed.

I could go on and on about the role government plays in a democratic and capitalistic society, but the bottom line is that the government is supposed to be there to protect the people against foreign invaders, threats at home, etc...they are not there to ensure your pockets are lined and your gas tank is full and your mortgage is paid. People feel like the government owes them something just because they are Americans. The government owes them free health care, or maybe it owes them money when they can't pay their mortgage, or maybe it should pay for their college since education should be a right...right???

Wrong. Unless we're in a socialist society, health care is not a given. If you don't have insurance, then you better have the money to pay for your doctor or hospital visit. Now I'm not totally naive; I know health care should be better here, and everyone has the right to go to the hospital and receive care. But you don't deserve FREE care at the expense of everyone else. And mortgage bailouts? Believe me, I'm tempted to embrace this idea, because I'm about to lose my house because I can't afford it any longer and no one will refinance my mortgage because I'm maxed out on my credit, even though my payment will be drastically less than it is now. Does the government owe me? Am I entitled to a bailout because all of a sudden I can't make my payments? No. I knew what I was signing when I got a Adjustable Rate Mortgage. I knew the payments would go up a lot after 3 years. I thought surely I'd be able to refinance. I mean, I'm making more money than 3 years ago, my credit is pretty good now, so why wouldn't I be able to? Well, I maxed out credit cards, had to buy a car, and I have student loans, and so now I'm stuck. But I know it's MY fault, NOT the government's. And what about education? Am I entitled to a college education just because it's necessary to get a really high paying job? Absolutely not. Anybody can go to college, I don't care where you're from or even how bad your grades were in high school. Anyone can go to community college. Anyone can get student loans if they really want to go. And what ever happened to working hard in high school and trying to get a scholarship for academics or music or sports??

The only thing we are entitled to as Americans is what is in the Constitution. We are entitled to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. That last phrase, originally phrased "the pursuit of property", is only guaranteeing your right to pursue your happiness; it does not promise or entitle you to happiness. "Happiness" is never truly achieved by handouts. "Happiness" is achieved by working hard for what you get, it is in the journey to get there that we are truly satisfied, not in taking what the government gives you. Believe me, just like God, what the government gives, it can take away. Unlike God, however, the government does not care about you or your happiness; it only cares about things continuing to run smoothly.

Americans need to reassess their values, and reevaluate the growing sense of entitlement that permeates our society. Quit blaming the government for all of your financial problems, quit blaming the government for the price of commodities, and start handling your money better, work for everything you get, and please...PLEASE...quit whining! Americans have forgotten what the "American Dream" is all about, and have turned our society into a bunch of spoiled brats who, just like a spoiled little kid who demands a cookie from his mom because he feels ENTITLED to it, we are demanding handouts and rebates and a fixed economy, instead of starting in our own lives and fixing it from the ground up.