by Rob Pue, All News Pipeline:
Let me tell you about an incident I experienced recently that got me thinking about the entitlement mentality of Americans today. I was in a convenience store, waiting in line. Ahead of me, at the counter, was a young couple, who may or may not have been married. They were trying to purchase some “junk food” items — a case of soda, a large bag of chips, a frozen pizza and a few candy bars. My guess is that they were about 20 years old or so, maybe a little older, and both were seriously overweight and covered in tattoos. Please don’t tell me I’m judging them because of their obesity and tattoos — I’m just describing their appearance, which is indicative of their lifestyle.
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Their transaction was taking a long time, and then it became clear as to why, because the young man began shouting at the clerk. His welfare debit card was not going through for some reason and he began to get angry and belligerent with the clerk. “Run it again!” he demanded. The poor clerk, trying her best to stay calm during what was becoming a loud disturbance, ran the debit card at least three times. Still not working.
Then the young man got even more angry. “I’m going to call my Mom,” he screamed. “These are my benefits, and you don’t have any right to stop me! I’m going to just take my stuff and go!”
“That would be shoplifting,” the clerk replied. “Unless you have money to pay for these things, you can’t just take them.” That made him even angrier, but finally, he and the young woman he was with went outside, without the items they wanted. When I left, he was yelling into his cell phone, apparently talking to his Mom, using filthy, foul language and talking about how he was being denied his “benefits.”
“How sad,” I thought to myself. Under other circumstances, I might have paid for their items myself, as I’ve done several other times, when I’ve been able to, for people who were truly in need and just didn’t have enough money for their necessities. But these were not needs — it was soda pop, potato chips, pizza, and candy bars. My guess is that this young man and his companion (wife or girlfriend) most likely live with his mother, are unemployed and live on government handouts, which they believe they’re entitled to.
It’s not just the young people. We’re now living in a society that has learned to depend on Big Government for all their needs. It’s become multi-generational. Indeed, there are many who know no other way of life.
Understand, I have no problem helping the poor and needy. As Christ-followers, we are called to help the poor. This is commanded throughout Scripture. In Deuteronomy 15, we have this: “There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore, I command you to be open-handed toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.” Proverbs 28:27 says, “Those who give to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to them receive many curses.” Proverbs 22:9, “The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor.” Proverbs 19:17, “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward them for what they have done.”
And Jesus Himself said, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.” You see, it should be the the Christian churches helping the poor, not the government. When government does it, it’s simply a redistribution of financial resources. In other words, theft. The government steals the paychecks of the workers so they can enslave the non-workers, lulling them into a mind-numbed sense of entitlement and complacency. These non-workers subsist on their government “benefit” checks and they’re happy with that arrangement. This always creates an attitude of entitlement.
But let’s be clear on this: these are not “benefits.” “BENEFITS” are things you get with a JOB. A good job will include a “Benefits Package” as part of one’s salary. You work, you get paid, and a generous employer will include additional benefits as rewards for your hard work and dedication to helping build the company. So these government handouts are not “benefits,” and they certainly aren’t benefitting anyone, except the politicians seeking to dumb people down and keep them controlled. Just look at the state of our impoverished inner cities. Because the Nanny State takes care of them, there’s no incentive to work, no incentive to strive for something better — or for people to better themselves.
The help we give should be a “hand up” rather than continuous, multi-generational hand-outs. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, “If anyone is not willing to work let him eat not.” I admit, I have a hard time understanding people who refuse to work and maintain an entitlement mentality. Because I’ve always worked hard. In every job I’ve ever had, I’ve always made it a point to do much more than my job description entailed. Rather than just scraping by, doing the bare minimum, I’ve always gone over and above what was called for, and that has served me well. It’s also a trait I sought to instill in my children, now all grown adults. And it’s served them well too. But sadly, most of my children’s peers were not brought up that way. This is why my kids have all excelled, while others their age have not.
Personal responsibility. Doing everything as unto the Lord. Doing your best. Going the extra mile. Above and beyond what is expected. No free lunch, but rather, working with a heart of service and humility, doing the best you possibly can and striving for perfection. These are the things we need more of in America, and things that we should be encouraging in our people. Especially now, with our country in such dire straits. We must all pull together and work harder than ever. And we have to refuse to take the bait that results in slothfulness. Because dependence on the government for so-called “benefits” always results in government enslavement. Remember, the mouse never understood why the cheese in the trap was “free.” Today we have record numbers of lost souls who’ve been caught in this government trap, and it’s now coming full circle as our culture and society has reached it’s lowest point in history.
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