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3/3/2009
Pridemore: Entitlements have lured so many into poverty
As we head into the future with a Federal and State government led by men who are determined to increase entitlements to those who have chosen to remain unproductive on the backs of working families, we can only hope that America does not lose one of its most basic founding principals.
In 2006, Will Smith gave a brilliant performance as Christopher Gardner in “The Pursuit of Happiness”. It is a real life story about a single father who fought his way from a struggling salesman to a successful stockbroker. The most notable quote from the movie was when Christopher Gardner came to the realization that the Declaration of Independence says “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”, however that did not mean that we have the right to be happy, we only have the right to pursue it.”
One of the greatest things about America is the ability of the individual to work hard, make sound choices and achieve the dream we call America. The incentives to apply ourselves in endeavors that will provide our families with the basic necessities such as food, clothing and shelter, along with a few of the luxuries that are afforded us through hard work and are a part of our culture.
The entitlement mentality that is an integral part of both President Obama’s and Governor Doyle’s philosophy sends a very dangerous message. That message is “if you chose not to do for yourself, don’t worry, the government will take care of you.”
I would like to believe that these elected men are well intentioned and have our best interests at heart. I would like to believe that these men simply don’t understand that when you remove people’s ability to provide for themselves, you not only rob them of their dignity and self respect, you take away their freedoms.
I would suggest to you that economic freedom is essential to the American dream. Freedom cannot exist without the ability of our people to provide for themselves. Once we find ourselves relying upon others (i.e. the government) for our basic needs we become subservient to them.
Any competent student of history can see how our entitlement programs have lured so many into the vicious cycle of poverty. The formula is fairly simple. Remove the incentive to work. Provide the basic necessities. Fracture the family unit by encouraging unwed births. Punish those who would attempt to better themselves by removing incentives and taxing them more. Finally, convince them that they are helpless victims who cannot possibly be expected to take responsibility for their status. Then you can move in for the kill by making sure that their children are trapped in a failing school system, sentencing them to another generation of hopelessness.
Increasing the number of people who are raised on a sense of entitlement gives the democrats a larger pool of voters that depend upon them for their meager existence.
The only way the government can raise the money necessary to sustain their ill advised programs is by taxing the people who work to take care of themselves and their families. Make no mistake about it, this is where the fight is leading us, between those who work and those who live off those that do.
Don Pridemore is a Republican and represents the residents of the 99th Assembly District.
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