Wednesday, September 21, 2005

The "Entitlement Mentality" exposed

If no other lesson is learned from the devastation of Hurrincane Katrina, the lesson of the 'entitlement mentality' should be the greatest. It is my opinion that the greatest cause of the devastation was not the hurricane itself but the refusal of the citizens of New Orleans to take care of themselves and of the refusal of both the New Orleans and Louisiana officials to take care of their citizens - as they were elected to do!

The Louisiana state and New Orleans city 'leaders' simply sat back and waited for the federal government to take care of them. Knowing well in advance that New Orleans would probably be hit by the hurricane - and remember, up to a few hours before making landfall, all predictions and models showed that New Orleans would take a direct hit - and knowing well in advance the devastating effects that such a hurricane would cause, these officials did absolutely nothing to help it's citizens. They knew that a sizable portion of their populace would be unable to leave the city through their own means, yet they did nothing to help these people. Although they had vehicles available, they refused to use them. They provided no food or water for a shelter that they were advising people to go to. And, they provided no security for people once they got there - and it is a known fact that New Orleans is one of the most violent and criminal cities in the nation. No, these officials simply sat back and waited for someone to "take of the situation" for them.

Contrast Louisiana and New Orleans' actions with that of the states and cities of Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. These areas were as hard hit as New Orleans yet they suffered very few of the problems experienced by New Orleans. Why?? Because the governors and mayors of these areas took control of the situation on their own and in a timely manner. They did not rely on other agencies to do what they were elected to do for themselves!


And, the "entitlement mentality" is even worse at the individual level.

When warned days in advance that NOLA would likely be hit directly by Katrina, what did the 'poor' do? They sat back and waited for the government to take care of them. Not only did they not try to get out of the hurricane's path, they did not even move to the shelters until the flooding began! And, at least according to all the information I have seen, they did not try to gather any supplies such as food or water. No, once the flooding began, they just starting trooping to the Superdome trusting that the government would 'taking care' of them by having emergency supplies at the shelter.

Much has been said - and politicized - about these 'poor people' being unable to leave the city due to their poverty, most had no transportation available and/or no money to pay for transportation. But, I would ask, whose fault is this? Yours? Mine? No, the fault lies in the "entitlement mentality"!

And, you have to look deep to understand the causes leading up to this situation.

We are constantly being told by the experts that the most effective way out of poverty is education. Every citizen of America is guaranteed by law the opportunity of a high-school education. Yet, look at the drop-out rate of young people:(from the National Center for Education Statistics, 2001 [latest stats available])
"In October 2001, some 3.8 million 16- through 24-year-olds were not enrolled in a high school program and had not completed high school (status dropouts). These individuals accounted for 10.7 percent of the 35.2 million 16- through 24-year-olds in the United States in 2001"
"The status dropout rate of Whites remains lower than that of Blacks, but over the past 30 years the difference between the rates of Whites and Blacks has narrowed. However, this narrowing of the gap occurred during the 1980s; since 1990, the gap between Whites and Blacks has remained fairly constant."

So, here we have kids dropping out of school and thereby condemning themselves to poverty. The "entitlement mentality" has led these people to rely on the government to take care of them rather than get the education that even the left acknowledges will lift them out of poverty. In other words, rather than get an education and then use that education, along with work experience, these people just sit back and wait for the government.

Yet, the left continues to push for greater entitlements and attempts to get you to ignore the outcomes that result. And, their reasoning is really quite simple - they want you dependent on the government! That is how, as with all totalitarian governments, they enslave and control you!!

So, every time you hear the left demand greater involvement by the government into your life, through (supposedly) caring and beneficial proposals, just keep Hurricane Katrina in mind and the tragic results of relying on the government!



I will get into other consequences resulting from the "entitlement mentality" in future post.

Tuesday, September 20, 2005

It's all about appearance

The Democrats are in a quandry over the nomination of Judge Roberts to be the next Supreme Court Chief Justice.

First, they know that they can't stop the confirmation of Judge Roberts! Although they have tried their best to smear the man, he has outsmarted them at every turn. They have tried to set him up in various questions, but he would not rise to the bait.

But, on the other hand, the Democrats have to figure a way to satisfy their various special interest groups - I almost said their 'base'; but the Democrats have no 'base', only various special interest group that will bolt at the slightest perception of the party not kowtowing to their interest.

So, what are they to do??

It is my opinion that they are not discussing among themselves whether the man should be approved or not; whethere he is qualified or not; whether he is too much of an activitist. No, they are discussing how many votes they should or should not give him! Rather than making their decision based on what is best for the country, - their real duty after all - they are deciding how to vote based on political gain! They know that they have to confirm him, the problem for them is how many Democratic votes to give him in the confirmation. Too many votes and their special interest group begin howling and protesting - too few and they appear (and for the Democrats, appearance is everything!) to be strictly partisian and divisive. So, rather than concentrate on trying to confirm or deny an appointment to one of the most important positions in the goverment based on the qualifications of the man to hold that position, they are worried about how the number of votes cast in favor or opposition will reflect on them! They are more concerned with the "message" they are sending rather than the effect their vote will have on the welfare of the country. I would have much more respect for Democratic Senators who vote against Judge Roberts if they actually thought he would not be the right man for the spot - although I would think such a vote to be wrong - than to cast a vote simply to attempt a political gain or to "send a message"!

So, of course, we know that there will be enough votes from the Democratic Party to make it appear that they are non-partisian, but just how many votes remains the question. And, whatever count they come up with - they are merely setting the stage for the NEXT nominee!

With the Roberts nomination, the balance does not change - so he is a "safe" confirmation for the Democrats. The next nominee will be the pivot! And, it does not matter who the nominee is to be! They will fight that person tooth and nail. They will come out with the most vicious attacks they come up with. Any Republican nominee will be vilified, crucified, and attacked on the most personal level!