The Entitlement Mentality
So here we are, at an interesting place in our history. We have the government railing against business and condemning those who have earned bonuses based on contracts that their companies signed off on. As a result of all of the political pandering and ‘outrage’ by the same politicians who led us down this path, individuals are being harassed in their homes for their success in working for a company that made bad bets.
Here’s a story regarding the recent protests at the house of an AIG executive in Connecticut: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090322/ap_on_re_us/aig_bonuses
You are no longer a good person, according to some, if you are successful and don’t hand it out to others. People are making the statements like this one:
Mary Huguley, of Hartford, said AIG executives should share their wealth with people like her sister, who is facing foreclosure.
“You ought to share it, and God will bless you for doing it,” she said.
The executives at AIG, as well as any other successful person, shouldn’t be pressured or compelled by government or people to ‘share their wealth’. Most people actually earn their wealth by years of self sacrifice and hard work. The vast majority of people aren’t interested in working 100 hour weeks and spending nights away from home to create success and build wealth. Most aren’t interested in taking risky bets in the hopes that it will turn out to be successful and create wealth.
That’s OK. For those who don’t want to go down that path, there are entrepreneurs and others who will pay that price and create opportunities for others to follow and share in that success.
Let’s get back on track with what made this country great for the last 200+ years and stop the rhetoric that success is somehow bad or based on some kind of evil. The real evil we are facing today is the concept that the government or anyone else is responsible for an individual’s success.
Safety nets are there to help people who run into hard times. They shouldn’t be there as a permanent solution.
