You're entitled to ...

You are entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness ... you are not entitled to everything that you want.  You are entitled to pursue all things, but you are not guaranteed you should have all of those things.  There's a big difference and many Americans don't see the difference.  Some people believe that they deserve all things, even if someone else has to share what they have.  There's a lot wrong with this idea.  Being 'equal' means we have equal freedoms, not that we have the right to equal possessions or equal wealth.

You are not entitled to a fancy house, a shiny new car, cheap gas, college education, and many other things.  One problem with those on the Left politically is, they seem to think their constituents are entitled to anything they want.

 Hillary Clinton thinks she is entitled to be President of the United States.  Illegal aliens think they are entitled to the same rights as legal American citizens.  Terrorists think they are entitled to our legal system and courts.  In fact, the first words out of their mouths, when caught on the battlefield, were "I want a lawyer."  Young people think they are entitled to all the worldly possessions their parents have, and have worked, scraped and saved their entire lived to accumulate.

Entitlement is the ultimate affirmative action, tipping the scales in one's favor before the game even starts. In fact, if you really think about it, you realize that most if not all liberal views on most topics can be traced to the notion that certain people deserve certain things, certain treatment, or certain benefits simply based on who they are or what their history is. [snip}

These folks do not find competition entertaining or motivating because they are annoyed that they even have to compete in the first place. Open competition has become a bothersome public relations exercise for them. It is something that they do to look good, to seem as if they have earned something. This is why liberals most often win national elections when the other side messes up. It is difficult to become good at winning when you think wins should be handed to you.

  ...   It spreads like a virus among the groups liberals champion, mixing in with the victimization which they know so well. Thus, women are entitled to this and that because they have been victimized by society and by men for far too long. African-Americans are entitled to this and that because they have been victimized by society and white people for far too long. Illegal aliens are entitled to this and that because they have been victimized by intolerant nativists for far too long.

Entitlement mixed with victimization is a toxic cocktail, making its adherents drunk with excuses, rationalizations, passivity and terminal dependence on tired slogans. If I am entitled to something, if I have a divine right to it, having to fight and struggle for that thing becomes an injustice in and of itself, hence the continuation of the whole injustice/victim chain. Carried to the extreme, by many quite willing to do so, entitlement leads to passivity, resentment and selfish arrogance. (continue reading   her at Family Security Matters, author  Gabriel Garnica, Esq.)

Republican National Committee Ad

Obama's Ill-Timed Tax Increases and Economic Ignorance

The Republican National Committee's "not ready to be president" ad notes that in an ailing economy, Barack Obama promises to raise taxes "at the worst possible time." It notes his proposal to double the capital gains tax "for purposes of fairness" and raise the payroll tax cap on millions of workers and small businesses. It questions Obama's understanding of basic economic principles and says his tax hike ideas are "out of touch," and hurts the middle class. (NewsMax)

Someone has to pay for all the entitlement programs in Washington. Who will that be? You, the average, hardworking American tax payer.

Comments

[Debbie]

Mary: We should be entitled to a candidate that represents our views. McCain is not one. It's a shame we've come to this. I read at another site that "Conservatives have ruined the Republican Party". That's the dumbest thing I've read today. Conservatives have been the core of the Republican party, but the Liberal/socialists are taking over.

[Mary Chamberlain]

Aren't Americans entitled to even 1 candidate for the presidency who speaks to their safety, jobs, education, health??????

DOES MCCAIN BELIEVE THAT AMERICA NO LONGER HAS THE BEST AND BRIGHTEST MINDS? WHY WOULD WE NEED TO IMPORT THEM?
According to Minnesottans for Immigration Reform this candidate is NOT THAT PERSON

McCain Resumes Talk of Comprehesive Immigration Reform
Juliet Eilperin, 4:23 PM ET on May 22, 2008

UNION CITY, Calif. -- Surrounded by high-tech entrepreneurs, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said this morning he would expand visas for immigrants at the same time he would propose legislation cracking down on illegal immigration. The declaration -- which came as several Silicon Valley CEOs complained about the need for highly skilled employees -- marked a slight shift from what McCain had said while campaigning to secure his party's nomination. During the GOP primary McCain -- whose support for bipartisan immigration reform proved to be a liability within his own party -- said he would clamp down on illegal aliens before doing any other immigration reform.

"I believe we have to secure our borders. But we must enact comprehensive immigration reform, and we must make it a top priority," McCain told the chief executives of several high-tech companies. "We must make the best of this problem, and we must attract the best and brightest minds to this nation." Shellye Archambeau, CEO of the software company MetricStream, told McCain she was worried about the decline in H1B visas, which go to highly skilled workers, as well as the fact that foreign students earning graduate degrees here are leaving the United States in increasing numbers.

[Steve Harkonnen]

You are entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness ... you are not entitled to everything that you want. You are entitled to pursue all things, but you are not guaranteed you should have all of those things.

Believe it or not, this was the thesis driven into me when I became an American citizen in a courthouse Detroit Michigan, 1978.

My, how things have changed.

[Skunkfeathers]

The "entitlement society" has done a good job of creating a mentality that buys into "it's my right!", without working for it.

Such people would have, if they'd had this mentality in 1929, died in windrows, because they'd been convinced -- and bought into -- the idea that they couldn't do for themselves, without someone's help.

Good job, Democrats.

[Stormwarning]

For sure, "Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" were ideals expressed in the Declaration of Independence, but they aren't in the US Constitution (while it does exist in some state constitutions). Therefore, it is arguable if any of the inalienable rights are enforceable by law. Admittedly, the 14th Amendment does discuss the Lockean concepts of "life, liberty and property" when discussing "due process," but I suspect that is a different concept.

Maybe just a "fine point" but still...The Declaration was just that...a statement, but it didn't grant any rights per se.

[Karen]

Right you are, Debbie. Terrific post. And, if you have a company and you are just too darn successful, they take a 'windfall tax', thank you very much.