I've
never envied the rich or thought they owed me anything.
In
the short list of unalienable rights, nowhere is it written that I have a claim
to property of another. My moral code resists that idea, and the criminal
code prohibits it.
Moreover,
if those on the higher rungs of the economic ladder owe me something, it
follows that those on the lower rungs have a similar claim against me. My
enlightened self-interest resists that idea.
This
whole entitlement mentality makes me uncomfortable. Coercive taking by
the state and redistribution to favored political constituencies are inexorably
replacing the voluntary good works of charities, churches, friends, and
neighbors as the primary means of providing a safety net for the needy.
This
change in methodology may appear to be a distinction without a difference, but
the real-world effects on giver, recipient, and society as a whole are deeply
disturbing.
To
illustrate, a small bakery owner and I once belonged to the same loosely knit
community group. We met weekly.
One
day he arrived with a tray of pastries. I don't know if his intent was to
relieve the tedium of the reading of the secretary's and treasurer's reports,
but relieve the tedium they did.
The
surprise treat morphed into a weekly affair. Attendance grew.
Members arrived with coffee in hand and smiles on their faces. A sense of
unity, purpose, and accomplishment filled the air.
Then,
one week, he wasn't there. Members strode to the table only to look up in
dismay when they discovered the cupboard bare.
Nevertheless,
all agreed that his absence was likely due to a sudden emergency (the flu,
perhaps) and that he would return the following week.
Well,
the following week came and went, and the week after. Each week, grousing
about "our" pastries grew, and concern about their purveyor
diminished.
Interestingly,
no one called to thank him for his generosity or to inquire about his
well-being. No one thought to stop at a Dunkin Donuts to fill the
void.
In
short, I witnessed the birth of the entitlement mentality on a micro-economic
scale.
It
is that sense of entitlement, of demanding something for nothing that is
spreading, virus-like, through our culture, infecting and affecting everyone
and everything.
I
recently overheard a retired steel worker complain that his retirement is
insufficient to live on. Blaming "inflated corporate salaries and
costs," he railed that "greed runs the wealthy. The more some
people have, the more they desire."
Rather
than pointing fingers, I suggested that he look in the mirror and ask himself
how his greed had contributed to his economic downturn.
For
three decades, he enjoyed high wages, job security, and generous benefits in a
heavily unionized industry.
During those halcyon days, how often did he
buy another "toy" – snowmobile, second vacation – rather than setting
something extra aside for a day he knew was coming? Did he expect the
gravy train to never end?
Did
he avail himself of tuition reimbursement to better himself and his earning
capacity?
Moreover,
did he counsel restraint at contract time, when his union leaders brought
unreasonable demands to the negotiating table while turning a deaf ear to
management's warning that lack of competitiveness in a world economy would
force plant closings and drive jobs overseas?
When
were unions satisfied with what they had?
Personal
responsibility, enlightened self-interest, and caring for each other are not
incompatible. To the contrary, they are indispensable to a prosperous,
just, and peaceful people and nation.
It
is only when, as now, the scales tilt in favor of individuals self-interestedly
demanding rights without attendant responsibilities coupled with a government
self-interestedly striving to satisfy those "rights" by means
of income redistribution that tyranny, disintegration, and division begin.
On
Nov. 8, voters can begin to restore the balance.
