A Something For Nothing Country

We've developed an odd attitude over the past hundred years or so. More people want more government services and societal support. They just don't want to pay for them.

I grew up in an era and place when/where we believed it was our responsibility to take care of ourselves ... dependency on others (including debt) was a thing to be avoided if possible. Indebtedness was to be avoided but if debt were necessary it was to be repaid fully and quickly.

Now we see ads on TV telling us we "have a RIGHT to pay back as little as 10 cents on the dollar". Sorry but you do NOT have a 'right' to bail out on a debt. Of course, you have a right to renegotiate the repayment contract but the person holding your debt has NO obligation whatsoever to let you change any aspect of it. There used to be stigma attached to non-repayment of debt unless you were and remained destitute. Now we're told we have a 'right' not to repay debt.

In the past we'd do without luxuries and many necessities in order to honor our word to repay a debt. Now wayyyyy too many people see nothing wrong with spending pretty liberally on themselves while claiming they can't afford to repay a debt. Two or three cars, two or three TV's, two or three computers, cell phones, cable TV with multiple add-on packages, a new car every three years rather than getting by on the 'old' one for a few more years, iPods, iPads, expensive vacations, eating out many times/week, a closet-full of new clothes. All those are more important than repaying a debt. My word and honor are disposible things but don't expect me to give up all my cable add-ons to honor a contract! Something for nothing. Gimme stuff but don't expect me to actually repay the debt that purchase created.

Half of Americans pay no income taxes which are used to pay for essential services from which all of us benefit. What's up with the mentality that a minority of people ought to pay for services from which we all benefit? Do you benefit from decent roads, schools, general government services, fire and police protection, emergency services, protection by the National Guard and military? What's up with a society where the majority of citizens don't feel any obligation to help pay for that? How has it become okay and even desirable(!) for other people to pay for everyone's derived benefits? Something for nothing. A lot of something for nothing!

You do not have a 'right' to get a free ride in life but, in a civil society (if you want to keep it a civil society!), you DO have a responsibility to not only take care of yourself and your family to the best of your ability but also to help take care of others who are truly unable to take care of themselves. It's the Christian and moral thing to do. Aside from that it's the civil, honorable and principled thing to do. Selflessness is becoming too rare but selfishness abounds and increases. Not good for the future of any civil society.