The Morning Rant

These days, given the insanity of what is commonly referred to as "entitlements" (G-d how I loathe and despise that word), as well as a distinctly undeserved attitude possessed by far too many in our society, perhaps that hoary old expression is headed for the dustbin of history. If that's the case, society itself is not far behind.

...Roughly 140 million taxpayers in the United States trade their irreplaceable time for a little bit of money. But every potential employee is really negotiating on behalf of an entire team of silent partners who benefit from her paycheck but do little or nothing to help earn that money. You can find a list of these interests on your biweekly stub. Every paycheck comes with a list of state, federal, and local governments that get a piece of the pie before the employee sees her first penny.

In the old days, we thought of the employee as the one "entitled" to her paycheck. Now the word "entitlement," refers to the interests positioned by law to have dibs on the fruits of her labor before she is permitted to stretch the leftovers to cover her needs...

Aside from the author's annoying insistence on using the pronouns "her" and "she" for who knows what purpose, the gravamen of his discourse (yes, it's written by a guy) is spot on, and the entire thing is worth a read. For me, it serves to underscore something I see on a daily basis just down the block from my home which never fails to spike my BP.

You'd think that a place like Manhattan's SoHo, an epicenter of tourism and one of its toniest neighborhoods would be the last place on earth you'd find a drug rehab clinic. Think again. Along with the tourists, there is a veritable daily lodge meeting of a dozen or so rude, loud, obnoxious heroin addicts who shamble back and forth from their position mostly blocking the entrance to the Broadway-Lafayette subway station and the clinic located on nearby Mercer Street. But aside from the almost universal sunken jawline caused by ill-fitting dentures and missing teeth, they all appear to have clean, fresh clothing, new sneakers, I-Pods and cell phones. One wonders how these people, who've no doubt made a succession of horrible life choices, can afford all of these things. And in an instant, you realize that it is YOU who's the sucker paying for all of it.

Circling back to the article, it's not just these detestable layabouts but it's also the illegal aliens sucking the treasury dry, our homegrown welfare cheats as well as students who want the debt that they willingly incurred to go to college completely forgiven. And sadly, it's also people who have been suckered in by the very word "entitlement" itself who don't realize its insidious nature (yes taxpayers did pay into Social Security and all the rest and as such are entitled to the benefits that they were led to believe would be theirs at some point). Not only that, you are to give it without hesitation, without complaint and with a smile on your face because they are entitled to it, don't you see.

Here's an idea: I want to have a "Taxpayer Appreciation Day." Hell, "Taxpayer Appreciation Week" where anyone on the dole instead of getting a handout gets a broom, a brush, a mop and a bucket and told in no uncertain terms to "get busy and put your back into it." Meh, it'll never happen of course. Even still, just once, it would be nice if someone on the dole actually came up to me and thanked me, instead of demonizing me and demanding that which they themselves never earned.

Rant over.

posted by at 11:00 AM

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