A Generation of Entitlements

"There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure." - Colin Powell

Growing up my father taught me that in order to succeed you had to have a set of goals (short term, mid term, and long term) and they all had to roll into one another systematically in order for you to achieve success. He also taught me that it is the responsibility of each individual to be a product member of society, and in order to be this product member a person had to work hard. My father would lay out a list of chores to be down each day and he expected them to be done. He didn't except excuses and would occasionally make 3:00am wake up calls if the dishes weren't cleaned the night before. This is the household that I grew up in. A man handles his responsibilities regardless of circumstances. Discipline came at the elbow grease of both my mother, father, a leather belt, and often if mom got a hold of you dad would be right behind her when he got home from work. I grew to understand that nothing in life is simply given. It takes discipline and hard work, but as I look around I am beginning to see that these principles are becoming a dieing notion. They are being replaced with the idea that we are in some sense entitled to receive handouts without first putting in any effort. This, in my opinion, is going to be the downfall of my generation.

Now, what would I be defining as an entitlement program? Well programs such as Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, unemployment benefits, and food stamps to name a few. What is it about these programs that makes them entitlements? Well, based on the governments definition, these are government programs that provide personal financial assistance to individuals when they meet certain eligibility requirements set by the governing laws of that bill.

Now does this mean that that every individual who applies receives this assistance. No it does not, but are there people out there that are smart enough to fool the system. Yes there are. Which brings me to the underlying issue that has developed in my generation. Individual character, morals, and ethics are being lost. There appears to be this growing idea that we are no longer responsible for our actions and that the government, or others, should be the provider for us. Now why do I say others? Because simply put the government is not an establishment that has the ability to provide for itself, let alone the countless millions that are already bleeding the system dry. In order for the government to function it has to take resources from each individual that is putting into the system. This idea works out great if each individual of society is doing their due diligence and the system is supporting those that truly need it. However, this is not the case anymore.

I know a family right now that is receiving food stamps. The mom has a couple of children and holds a job, but she has also been dating a guy for almost three years now. When I asked the couple when they were going to get married their response was "well we probably will not get married". When asked why "she" stated "well if we get married then our income would put us over the maximum income for receiving food stamps." This statement actually took my back for minute, and I found myself unable to say anything at that moment. After a few minutes I finally asked the guy why he felt that he shouldn't take on the responsibility of being the sole provider. He response was one that I will never forget. "Why should I do that when the government is doing it for me. Plus as long as she keeps getting assistance the two of us have money to go and do what we want to do."

Now I know that this is one couple, and not every situation is going to be the same. However, I am seeing a rise in the number of people that feel this way. My question to them is always the same. How long do you think the system can support you, and what are you going to do when it runs out? Sometimes I hear that they just need a break, and sometimes I hear that they will cross that bridge when they come to it. This thought pattern astonishes me. Essentially we have able bodied individuals that are capable of being productive members of society that are leeching off a system that was designed to assist individuals that weren't/aren't capable of providing for themselves.

Anytime that I run into this situation I am always left with the question: "Why would anybody want to let somebody else provide for them?" In the end, I am left with only one thought that seems rational. They either weren't taught to be responsible, or they have lost the meaning of responsibility.

For me, it doesn't take much thought to understand that you can't give something to somebody without taking it first from somebody else. Which brings me to my next point.

Ambition. Why is it that we have an unbalanced system of givers and takers. Yes, I agree that these programs are a great idea. BUT only when used responsibly. My point is this, we are taking something from somebody who is working for that item, and giving it to (not in every case) somebody who is able to get it for themselves but to lazy to get up and get it. Do we really think that this can go on forever??? It astonishes me that people actually want to empower individuals in this way. We reward laziness and not hard work. How can we not see the logic behind this?? As time progresses we will continue to see this problem get worse. Until we begin to take personal responsibility for ourselves we will fail.

After the 2008 elections. All I heard from people was that this was the generation of change. What kind of change?? How have we lost the morals and principles that made this nation what it was? Why isn't my generation taking a stand for integrity, honesty, and accountability? Why are we okay with receiving a handout instead of acquiring it through hard work?

Racism in Todays Society

This is in response to Balancing Jane's post on teaching racism to our children.

While I agree that teaching our children that every individual is a child of God, and that racism is wrong. I feel that the reasons for teaching our children, as of late, have become distorted.

Now before I get into this I do want to say that I understand that this is a slippery slope and I expect a little back lash, but I am okay with that.

As Mrs. Jane I was raised in a small community where the idea of racism wasn't a huge factor due to the small number minorities present in the nieghborhood. So giving thought to jokes that may have had underlying "tones" weren't of great concern to me. In fact the majority of my experience with "racism" came from the lectures of Stephen Lilley my History teacher. His position was simple in that the slavery prompted the idea that individuals who weren't of caucasian descent were viewed as deficient members of society. They lacked the intelligence of thier conterparts and were seen as nothing more than property. After moving to Alabama I have been introduced to a notion of racism and how it impacts the everyday life of individuals.

What I have found to be most disturbing is that "racism" is often taken out of context on almost every occasion. Whether in school, work, or in a general conversation. If there is a difference of opinion, and one of the members is a minority, than the other individuals involved must have a problem with the color of the individual's skin. It can't possibly be any other reason. Personally I have an issue with this idea that decisions are made on the basis of a person skins and not their IQ, character, morals, or ethics.

Now on to the response. I agree that as parents we are totally responsible for ensuring that our children do not look at an individual and form judgement based on race. However, I do believe that if we place too much emphasis on race than we can be developing the foundation for "racism". Isn't simply acknowledging that there is an issue, and that they have to choose a side. opening the door to the complication.

Why is it that parents, in todays society, aren't focused on teaching their children to look at the true attributes that make a person unique. Character traits such as honesty, integrity, and accoutability (to name a few) are essential in each individual.

I acknowledge that it is vital that we teach our children to look into the heart of a person to see who they are. I believe that tolerance has to play a role in that training, but tolerance of what is key in this whole equation. Using logic and wisdom to explain why a person has a different color pigment is not complicated, and that is truly all that makes me different from Jane's husband (except of course that he has a higher IQ than me :) )

I don't fear these conversations with my future children. Understanding that a person physical attributes do not make that person who they are is, in my opinion, what is important when teaching my child about this topic.