Whatever happened to personal responsibility>

Whatever happened to personal responsibility?

I hear this refrain quite often. I see and hear too often people in this country who will not accept responsibility for anything – not their activities, not their jobs, not even their lives. They want everything given to them, grades in school, government hand-outs, pay for jobs NOT done, etc. And many people are willing to lie, cheat and steal to get these “free” things.

Many people take direction from those who lead them and surround them; children learn from their parents & siblings, students from their teachers and classmates, employees from their bosses and other employees, citizens from their neighbors and elected officials, so if their role models & peers do not take responsibility, why should they?

I read this week that 47% of US households will pay no taxes for 2009. Either their incomes were too low, or they qualified for enough credits, deductions and exemptions to eliminate their liability. In fact, the bottom 40 percent of households by income, on average, make a profit from the federal income tax, meaning they get more money in tax credits than they would otherwise owe in taxes. For those people, the government sends them a payment.

This is responsible behavior? You could make the argument that these people did nothing wrong, that they are just in a position to take advantage of a system that they did not create, but that everyone must live with. I can see the logic of this argument, but I disagree with the basic premise.

Our federal government set up this system, and the question is “Why?” I argue that they did it to buy votes – plain and simple. Politicians overriding objective is to keep their offices. It is better for them to do everything in their power to buy votes, and what better way to buy votes than give the citizens money?

Personal responsibility by elected officials to do the right thing for the country? Please. Personal responsibility by citizens to NOT take the money? Are you nuts? Its FREE!

Now, I don’t expect citizens to NOT file a tax return or NOT accept a lawful payment from the government. I realize this is asking too much. We do have to play by the rules, even when the game is fixed. Let’s fix the rules and un-fix the game.
I heard a definition of character that I really like: Character is what you do when no one is watching. Think about that for a minute. It comes down to morality and conscience.

I realize that in today’s liberal world, morality is relative, and judging others is wrong. Well, that type of thinking is wrong, and that is my judgement. There are things that are inherently wrong, and no amount of rationalization and dissembling will change that.

Now, I know from personal experience that not everyone is out just for themselves, and that people still do a “day’s work for a day’s pay,” that many if not most people do take responsibility for their own actions. But, the predominant message we get – especially younger people and people of lesser economic status – from the media and government - is that you should get something for nothing, and the government will take care you; that you will not have to accept personal responsibility for anything.

This is wrong, wrong, a thousand times wrong! If no one takes responsibility, then nothing gets done, and there will be nothing for the government to hand out.

Responsibility has a flip side – it’s called freedom.

One of my favorite web sites is www.pjtv.com. This site has conservative content, both written and video, and one of its best recurring videos is “Afterburner”, hosted by Bill Whittle. His latest edition of this series is about the death of freedom in the US. He speaks of a growing, dangerous phenomenon in the US – people wanting to “escape from freedom, escape from responsibilities.” Mr. Whittle is talking about people in the US who do not want to make their own decisions, who want someone else to be responsible, and who seem willing to allow the government to assume their responsibilities. What these people do not seem to realize is that by giving up responsibility, they are giving up freedom. They would never agree that this is the case, but by abdicating personal responsibility, you give up freedom – the freedom to decide for yourself how you will live your life.

Freedom is not a buffet where you can pick the things you like and ignore the rest. Freedom comes as a package deal – you either take it as it comes, or you are NOT FREE, you must answer to whoever you gave your freedoms. That is called tyranny.

There was a widespread saying in the Soviet Union towards the end if its time: “They pretend to pay us, so we pretend to work.” Is this the way YOU want to live?

If we keep up the direction we are going, you may be making that statement too soon. Be different, take responsibility for your own life, speak your mind, take stand, accept the consequences for your action or inaction, BE FREE!