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      01-03-2013, 09:00 AM   #33
DieselDiner
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nate4641 View Post
Work, contribute to society and the progression of the human race. Most may have been the wrong word, but there is an issue in this country with an entitlement complex. Look at some of the occupy Wall St. shit. A bunch of college kids who were upset that a group of people have more money than they do acting like a 2yr old who isn't getting the same toy as another kid in the store. Or people who abuse the welfare system and use food stamps to buy cigaretts and booze. Criminals who take advantage and abuse their citizenship and then ruin what could have been a good thing for everyone else.
I don't disagree with your sentiments necessarily, but, to my point, the Founders of our country didn't believe that our rights are "earned". To quote the Declaration of Independence:

"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."

One of the core principles of our country is those unalienable rights. There's simply nothing there regarding earning those rights.

On the other hand, there's also nothing there regarding guaranteed outcomes, which (I think) comes close to what you are describing. The "entitlement complex", as you named it, is the fault of a government and a people who allow it to grow and fester. It's also a universal problem that is not unique to the U.S..
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