The Entitlement Trap

[Grim17]

This is a segment from the Glenn Beck show, and they discuss how to raise children so they gain a sense of responsibility. I happen to agree with what the author of the book endorses, and was curious what everyone else thought.

 

[samsmart]

This is a segment from the Glenn Beck show, and they discuss how to raise children so they gain a sense of responsibility. I happen to agree with what the author of the book endorses, and was curious what everyone else thought.

I think the type of people they're talking about is mis-aimed, at least at the beginning of the interview.

The people more likely not to do anything unless they get paid for it are those at the top of the corporate levels. After all, capitalists refuse to do anything unless there is some kind of financial incentive for it.

So this is not so much an "entitlement trap" as it seems.

And capitalists should look in horror at performing labor for free. That is not part of the capitalist spirit.

Rather, work for the sake of some kind of moral obligation, such as to family as the interviewee stated, is not based in capitalism. Rather, it is based on moral or religious philosophies.

As for working while going to school, the interviewee has not gone to university in quite some time, so I don't think he understand just how busy those students who really apply themselves are. After all, there have been several news reports on more university students taking "uppers" so they can get more schoolwork done in a smaller amount of time. And that includes students who don't also have to hold down a job at the same time.

Also, it should be noted that the entire reason why these students are going to university is so they can have a good job, and they need to focus on developing the skills required for that job.

 

[AtlantaAdonis]

There are no "entitlements". There are only human rights that any civilization wanted to be recognized as such should uphold.

 

[Grim17]

There are no "entitlements". There are only human rights that any civilization wanted to be recognized as such should uphold.

WTF does that have to do with the video?

I really thought there would be more people here willing to respond, especially since it's children they're talking about.

 

[Slartibartfast]

For a two or three year period I was getting welfare, free school lunches, the state paid for my education, and I was on food stamps.

Now 6 years later, my wife and I make about 120k per year combined, and I make about 2.5x what she makes with her income growing next year by another 12k or so once she finishes her masters.

Help Help I am trapped!

 

[samsmart]

For a two or three year period I was getting welfare, free school lunches, the state paid for my education, and I was on food stamps.

Now 6 years later, my wife and I make about 120k per year combined, and I make about 2.5x what she makes with her income growing next year by another 12k or so once she finishes her masters.

Help Help I am trapped!

You would be earning more if you were doing that work for free to learn the value of responsibility.

Wait... What?

 

[Slartibartfast]

You would be earning more if you were doing that work for free to learn the value of responsibility.

Wait... What?

I learned nothing from free work, especially when my parents tried to "build character" it just pissed me off as a child. What did it for me was the realization that working for what I considered success (which was not necessarily money, but things like making a positive contribution, making broken things work, and being successful at my efforts) could be achieved.

I was able to succeed at my job on my own terms, which luckily enough managed to help the company I worked for and got me money, but money was never my primary motivator.

 

[Neomalthusian]

The "kids these days" aspects of the video clip might as well have been the old timers at the barber shop or a couple of ladies out for tea or chatting on the front porch. Frankly I found it boring.

If the guest had taken off on the entitlement trap comment a little more, maybe it'd have held my interest. Whether you call it a trap or a mentality or whatever, there is a fundamental distinction between the sense that you are owed something by the external, and the sense that no one is "owed" anything except pursuant to the contracts into which they entered. Human rights amount to protection by the legal system, not monetary distributions with which you go buy the things you need.

The individual stories that "hey I was on welfare and I'm not trapped or lazy" are good reminders not to overgeneralize, but that's about as far as they go.

The entitlement mentality in some cases is generated by the entitlement. For example, Social Security. How many old conservatives have I heard criticize this program, but then, when they talk about what they'd like to have happen, they say they want "their" money back, with interest, and THEN to demolish the program? As though they personally deserve some "return on the investment." Well, it's NOT an investment, it's NOT going to provide a positive return, and it's NOT your money you're getting "back." It's money from the current workforce. This mentality both helps to create and is created by actual entitlement programs.

 

[Cephus]

The entitlement mentality in some cases is generated by the entitlement. For example, Social Security. How many old conservatives have I heard criticize this program, but then, when they talk about what they'd like to have happen, they say they want "their" money back, with interest, and THEN to demolish the program? As though they personally deserve some "return on the investment." Well, it's NOT an investment, it's NOT going to provide a positive return, and it's NOT your money you're getting "back." It's money from the current workforce. This mentality both helps to create and is created by actual entitlement programs.

It was supposed to be an investment, you were supposed to get your money back with interest, then the government decided Social Security was a money trough they could raid at will and never have to worry about putting the money back. Had the government been required to never touch a penny of Social Security, it wouldn't be going bankrupt right now.

 

[Neomalthusian]

It was supposed to be an investment, you were supposed to get your money back with interest, then the government decided Social Security was a money trough they could raid at will and never have to worry about putting the money back. Had the government been required to never touch a penny of Social Security, it wouldn't be going bankrupt right now.

It wasn't supposed to be an investment, we were just led to believe that so that we wouldn't grumble too loudly about the taxes. It was considered an old age and disability insurance program, but it doesn't work exactly like that either. For the most part it simply works like a welfare program. We pay taxes and they're immediately paid out to people for the purpose of meeting their individual basic needs.

Problems were anticipated with the baby boomers retiring and dying and nothing was ever done about it. The fact that Congress could borrow against it made it all the worse. The less power and authority over our lives and finances we hand over to the spendthrift government, the better.

There is no law stating the government is required to return our so-called "investment" to us. There was no contract signed. They could shrug and say "sorry" any time they wanted. They won't, of course. They'll just continually shave away the benefits while increasing the taxes until the program's usefulness fades away to nothing and no one cares whether it's abolished or replaced or whatever.