14

The Resentment Sentiment (Pursuit vs Laziness) Is it fair?

Posted by LetsShrug 13 years, 3 months ago to Culture
96 comments | Share | Best of... | Flag

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. ” (Declaration of Independence).

You do NOT have a RIGHT to the following just because you exist:
Food
Healthcare
A home
A car
A driver's license
A job
A bed
A hot shower
Clothing
Day care
Free rent
Or free ANYthing

You do, however, have the right, and freedom, to PURSUE all of these things, and sometimes it's really really hard work. It is not written anywhere that you HAVE TO pursue happiness, it's up to each individual to decide how happy they want to be and to work toward that accordingly. However, the lazier you are the less happy you'll likely be. Or at least that's the idea.
We have become a society of rewarding laziness on a grand scale. Our entitlement programs cover everything, and more, on the list above, by our social welfare programs (wic, welfare, ssi...) So now we have the laziest of the lazy with every basic need and comfort paid for without any effort on their part. They live comfortably. They have big T.V.s, cell phones, manicures, nice cars, new cloths...the list goes on and on. And yet they have the audacity to be resentful toward those who work hard and have more than they do. The hard workers, in pursuit of their own happiness, now has a big chunk of their earnings taken, by force, by the government (via taxes, fees, fines etc) so the entitlement programs can continue to be funded and support the lazy.

Not only are the lazy resentful of the “rich”, the President actually encourages this sentiment of resentment in his, seemingly daily, media addresses. “Pay your fair share”.... How does HE determine what a person's fair share is? If I earn it, it's mine. THAT'S fair. If you earn it it's yours. THAT'S FAIR. Nobody else has a right to it... taking it from me is, in itself, UNFAIR (and it's also stealing, since when is stealing “fair”.) At some point the tables got turned and now it's “fair” for the lazy to expect the hard workers to fund their happiness instead of pursuing it themselves. Why, or why, are they entitled to anything they don't earn themselves? After all, they have just as much right as I do to pursue happiness, but they CHOOSE not to.

That's the beauty of having rights....they're there for the plucking, but you don't have to do it if you don't want to. What's fairer than that?

There are no negative consequences for being lazy anymore. If you exist then you are entitled to have your basic needs, and more, taken care of by those who work hard everyday. We need to figure out a way to instill a “work hard and earn what you deserve” virtue back into society. These days kids think a farm is a place where they take care of animals instead of realizing that farms are what keep us fed. They think food magically appears on a plate in front of them without any real effort by anyone to make that meal possible. I've said it before, but I'll say it again....there is a direct connection between not having enough to eat, or at least the possibility of not getting enough to eat (hunger), and motivation to work and earn for yourself and your family. As long as we keep taking that possibility off the table (--no pun intended-- ie: feeding people for “free” ), the motivation to work hard, among the lazy, will never happen.


Add Comment

FORMATTING HELP

All Comments Hide marked as read Mark all as read

  • Posted by Ben_C 13 years, 3 months ago
    There are amazing paralells withour society and government as portrayed in Hunger Games. Most young adults have never heard of Ayn Rand and AS but they all know Hunger Games. As soon as I point out the way government is controlling us and where the consentration of wealth exists their eyes get really big. I then challenge them to read AS and get back to me.
    Reply | Mark as read | Best of... | Permalink  
  • Posted by $ kathywiso 13 years, 3 months ago
    What a good post. I am sooo sick of these people who think everything I have earned should be theirs also. Just like the Sandy Hook victims who were pissed because their neighbors thought ahead and purchased generators, they thought they were entitled to one also. WTF. I'm sorry, just am so tired of the bull crap. I believe the only way we can fix what is so messed up in this country is for people to starve. No more freebees.... If you don't earn it, you don't get it, period. Soon, this is going to be a reality. Working people are tired. Everything you have worked for your whole life is being attached to some new tax. Inheritance tax is 55% now.... that's 55% of everything you earned and already paid taxes on, goes to these fricken bums.... so why shouldn't I just sell out and enjoy my life's work. What about our children? I would rather have the fight now, then have them fight for wanting to be a success in whatever their life leads them to accomplish. Now, you are going to lose your right to protect yourself, your assets and your freedom.. this is it guys..

    If we don't stand up and fight for our right to bear arms, we are going to be slaves, and what do you think slaves get paid, a hand full of rice a day..... that will be your reward for working sun up til sun down...so you better figure out where you stand now, while you still have the right to bear arms. We have already lost the right to protest the king and his castle of czars.... so what is next...
    Reply | Mark as read | Best of... | Permalink  
    • Posted by Non_mooching_artist 13 years, 3 months ago
      Don't even get me going on inheritance tax! The gov is double dipping into our pockets and gives it, shares OUR WEALTH with the freeloading looters! Kathy is correct; we had best stand up and fight to be heard, because our rights are going up in a funeral pyre.
      Reply | Mark as read | Parent | Best of... | Permalink  
  • Posted by rics_99 13 years, 3 months ago
    Lets face it, WE, the earners have allowed this to happen! In my opinion it started with the Dr. Spock movement! We give trophys to our children these days for losing! We wouldn't want to abuse their little psyche! I realized, after the first election that 51% of the country wants the other 49% to take careof them! We 49% need to "shrug", although I don't think Obummer needs our funding anymore, he will just borrow from elsewhere, print more money! What I can't believe is that we are actually allowing him to destroy our country! It's his plan from the beginning! He is Muslim and was groomed to do exactly what he is doing!
    Reply | Mark as read | Best of... | Permalink  
  • Posted by eskslo 13 years, 3 months ago
    It's just like AS. Looters are only trying to live off the carcass of the rich for one generation. They are not far sighted because they simply believe that when they need more another producer will come along after they destroy the first.
    Reply | Mark as read | Best of... | Permalink  
    • Posted by for_no_other 13 years, 3 months ago
      More than just like it, not to nitpick, but exactly like it. I can remember reading the section referring to no new ideas, nothing is invented very shortly after Obama's 'you didn't build that' speech. We view AS as an eye opening, 'someone gets me' masterpiece. It seems the current worldwide government actually uses AS as a playbook. The similarities are eerie.
      Reply | Mark as read | Parent | Best of... | Permalink  
  • Posted by bigdog1100 13 years, 2 months ago
    Nothing reminds me of this more than crying children holding black iPhone, screaming that they hate their parents because they wanted white iPhone, and got the black one instead.
    Reply | Mark as read | Best of... | Permalink  
  • Posted by daveamee 13 years, 3 months ago
    Just watched Part 2 with my 11 and 13 year old and they completely understood the parallels with what's happening now. It's really pretty scary. I read the book for the first time about 20 years ago and usually reread it every year or so. I thought it was frightening back then and it's terrifying now.

    When I was in the Navy back in the 90's, we went through the Clinton demoralization and I didn't think it could get any worse. Then Bush and the Homeland Security folks started taking rights away. I didn't think it could get much worse. "Surely people will wake up", I thought. Obama makes them look like amateurs. We may be too far gone to pull it back.

    My son asked me when the movie ended if we could just quit and move to the Gulch. If only one really existed, we'd be on our way!
    Reply | Mark as read | Best of... | Permalink  
  • Posted by Excalibur 13 years, 3 months ago
    I agree with the comment "Just because you can doesn't mean you should." That's is a classic line. But humans have always wanted something for nothing. Hence the oldest conscription being slavery which is the ultimate something for nothing.
    Reply | Mark as read | Best of... | Permalink  
  • Posted by terrycan 13 years, 3 months ago
    There are more of us than there is of them. Get involved. Especially at the state level. Do you know who your congressman is? More important still does he know who you are?
    Reply | Mark as read | Best of... | Permalink  
    • Posted by eilinel 13 years, 3 months ago
      I wish I believed this. But I think we hit the tipping point with this last election. I'm not sure we can turn it around at this point.
      Reply | Mark as read | Parent | Best of... | Permalink  
      • Posted by 13 years, 3 months ago
        Well we can sure as hell stop being quiet about what's really happening. Why is everybody so darned scared to speak about it... it's like taboo or something. I don't get it. We're just lounging around quietly on the beach even though we KNOW a tsunami is coming. Scream and yell and RUN!
        Reply | Mark as read | Parent | Best of... | Permalink  
  • Posted by eskslo 13 years, 3 months ago
    Omaba's definition of fair share: MORE!
    Reply | Mark as read | Best of... | Permalink  
    • Posted by Non_mooching_artist 13 years, 3 months ago
      What's yours is mine, is how I view his strategy, personally.
      Reply | Mark as read | Parent | Best of... | Permalink  
      • Posted by 13 years, 3 months ago
        But I don't want what belongs to anyone else...they earned it....not me. My sister (who I no longer speak to) once made the comment that the really rich don't need all that money...and I said, "and I'm sure there are plenty who would say you don't need all of your money either. Would you be okay with someone taking what's yours just because you have more than they do??" And this was before I even heard of AS.
        Reply | Mark as read | Parent | Best of... | Permalink  
        • Posted by Non_mooching_artist 13 years, 3 months ago
          That's what infuriates me when I hear people speak about the rich needing to give more. It's ludicrous, and I resent that some schlub thinks that somehow my efforts should reward them.
          Reply | Mark as read | Parent | Best of... | Permalink  
          • Posted by TheYoung-Capitalist 13 years, 3 months ago
            Don't they know that they are employed by a person that is striving for success,not necessarily a rich person? Have you EVER been employed by a poor/welfare person? If they can not answer these questions without cheating then you know that they are brainless rats without a purpose and direction in life.

            The only real employment that is going on is by striving people that have MONEY to spend on the business TO make the money so that they can pay their workers. Not to mention all the hard work for the business upkeep(products, ads, expenses, equipment,etc...)

            The average(99.99% of them) idiot that is feeding off the government is a used rotting peace of meat. That person is so untied to reality that nothing but their own enslavement will help them(on the other hand who knows?), but at that point it is too late. All the idiots that are too stupid to think for themselves are being lead around by a carrot on a stick. Once they find out that the stick is actually a whip they are defeated.

            The key difference between us and them is not capitalism and communism(that's a factor though). Its the fact that we like freedom and they can't stand to see it. They can't stand to see someone get anywhere in life on their own will because they are jealous leaches that want everything but not the inhabiting will to get that. So the only way to get what they want is to steal it from us, the people that think unbounded by anything.

            (Of course their are many key factors, but this one stands out to me the most. What key factors stand out to you the most? Just wondering.)
            Reply | Mark as read | Parent | Best of... | Permalink  
            • Posted by 13 years, 3 months ago
              These mooching morons don't understand the first thing about running a business nor do they care. If you own a business, in their eyes, you're rich and have too much and you don't deserve it, but they deserve some of it cuz they're breathing. The idea of hard work is foreign to them. Businesses just fall into the laps of the people who are luckier than them. It's not fair! oy.
              Reply | Mark as read | Parent | Best of... | Permalink  

FORMATTING HELP

  • Comment hidden. Undo