The “me generation” enlightened us to the notion that the archaic traditions of personal responsibility, family, and religion are misguided and perverse to personal expression and fulfillment. “Generation me” advanced those notions and identified the ultimate goal of society to be the granting of each individual, not simply the freedom to pursue life, liberty, and happiness, but the material realization thereof. And now with our encouragement “generation entitlement” is demanding the full measure of their God given rights—sans the God part—that they have been promised. Anything less would be “unfair.”
And who might the almighty deliverer of the good life be? There is, of course, a singular source that is so richly empowered: government, that anonymous source of infinite wealth ... and wisdom. Clearly we as a nation believe this to be true. Why else would we willfully bequeath such a substantial portion of or our hard-earned income into their hands except that it be rightly distributed to those who demand what they are so entitled? After all they only lay claim to the basic necessities such as a job that pays good wages (without fear of unemployment), free health care, affordable housing, financial security in retirement, and what every citizen ought to have for the good of the nation, a college education. Okay, a couple more things, a cell phone, wide screen digital TV, and a computer with wifi—simple things that every American deserves and of which nearly all households are in possession—rich and poor alike.
From my personal experience it seems that most everyone sincerely desires that all Americans regardless of race, sex, age, political affiliation, or team allegiance, be financially secure and personally fulfilled. Some, however, do worry that such abundance does not exist, that despite our best wishes resources are finite and that we are asking for, if not demanding, something that is unattainable--beyond the means of ours or any nation’s government. Think Greece U.S.
The reality is that our government has zero resources whatsoever beyond those that it takes from, and that are produced by, private individuals. And those resources are finite, however well meaning our intentions may be. The narcissism of the “entitlement society” has blinded us to the reality of scarcity. And unfortunately, even sticking it to the “rich” is no solution. Our nation is living so beyond its means that if government confiscated all the resources of the despicable 1% it would do little to alleviate, and would certainly not reverse, our nation’s exploding national debt.
Another thing that I have gleaned from personal experience is that nearly all have bought into the “entitlement society” to some degree. With half of all U.S. households now receiving government payments of one sort of other--virtually everyone if we include business deductions and incentives--we deem ourselves entitled to a share of the redistribution, and we are loath to sacrifice any portion because, unlike others on the government payroll, we in particular deserve special consideration since we are: poor, retired, young, female, of a minority race, unemployed, an immigrant, a renter, a homeowner, in a struggling business, or ... fill in the blank. Anything else would be unfair.
