There is an epidemic that has slowly overtaken this great country of ours. It began as a philanthropic idea but has grown into a fire we can no longer contain. The sad thing is that the "firefighters" are being looked upon as the bad guys.
The epidemic I am referring to is the entitlement mentality.
The word entitlement itself gives us the mindset that one is entitled to something simply for existing.
Better yet, existing outside of the mother's womb. When the government stepped in to help this nation recover from the Great Depression, we were introduced to Roosevelt's New Deal. It was believed that the government needed to intervene to stimulate the economy and get us out of the depression.
Why did the government step in? Because we, as individuals, failed to recognize our responsibilities to our families and our communities.
So where did this entitlement mentality come from? Now that we are generations removed from the original New Deal, Americans decided that taking care of those less fortunate became the responsibility of the government.
As we moved farther from the original, "temporary" fix, more people began to feel that it was the responsibility of the government to take care of them too.
This mentality now stretches across the entire socio-economic spectrum. Those without complain that they don't have enough while those with more than enough complain that the government is not giving them enough breaks.
There are exceptions to every rule. There are many people who, deemed rich by society, truly want to help others. The charity work done by these individuals should be applauded.
There are many at the other end of the scale who, with government assistance, could better themselves but refuse to accept that assistance, not out of pride, but out of the determination to earn what they get.
Entitlement mentality does not limit itself to age, race or gender. I see people drive up to a doctor's office in a vehicle nicer than I could ever hope to have and whip out the Medicaid card. At these same doctor's offices needy patients are being denied access to good medical care because the system is running out of money.
Entitlement mentality does not limit itself to governmental involvement. Your child is entitled to good grades because others in his class are getting good grades.
You are entitled to be fiscally irresponsible and file bankruptcy. You are entitled to more tax breaks because you make more money.
How do we stop this entitlement mentality? If we stop or reduce funding we look like ogres.
The fix lies in future generations. Those youth still attending school need to be taught the value of a dollar. They need to be taught financial responsibility.
They need to be taught that you get things by earning them. Most importantly they need to be taught to give to others who are truly in need. Maybe if we can begin to look to others needs first we can break this entitlement addiction.
