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There is an air of entitlement in our society, and it stinks. This is a
two-headed monster 
threatening to devour those of us in the middle. The
“haves” and the “have-nots” are very different kinds of people, but
both groups feel that they deserve privileges and special treatment the
rest of us don’t have access to. I came to this realization the other
day when a guy in a new Mercedes pulled onto the commuter lane on I-5
right in front of us. He was alone in his car, and tooled along for
miles in a lane reserved for vehicles with two or more people. The
“haves” think they are entitled to bailouts, tax breaks, free checking,
low interest, and, like this guy, have no regard for rules that should
apply to all. … On the other hand, the entitlement mentality of the “have-nots” is
equally disturbing. We are a great society. Unlike most countries in
the world, we care for those who cannot take care of themselves. There
should be access to medical care, housing assistance, food stamps, and
all the other programs in place to help people help themselves. These
are designed to be a stepping stone, but in many cases, are stopping
stones/JanTri, Brand X Ranch. More here.
Question: Do you agree with JanTri that the entitlements of both the haves and have-nots are threatening to devour individuals in the middle class?
D.F. Oliveria is a columnist and blogger for The Spokesman-Review. Huckleberries Online was judged the best 2008 Idaho newspaper blog by the Idaho Press Club. And the best 2007 news blog in the Pacific Northwest by the Society for Professional Journalist. Print Huckleberries is a past winner of the Herb Caen Memorial Column contest by the National Association of Newspaper Columnists. The Readership Institute of Northwestern University cited this blog as a good example of online community journalism.
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Me on March 28 at 10:56 p.m.
Yes I do agree!
Arch_Druid on March 29 at 9:00 a.m.
Generally, I do. I also know that the haves got the blessings of the gvt to turn more and more of the middle class into recipients of food stamps. One can’t simply blame the poor as “too lazy” to go out and fend for themselves, not any more when the too wealthy no longer want to invest in the American work force. Which is why I find letters “defending capitalism” by excoriating “socialism” as simply too hilarious. I get the impression that the authors of such letters that they don’t have a grasp of capitalism let alone the free market to even have a viable opposition to socialism. Business interests have long sought the special offices of gvt, the benefits of specific legislation.
And from what I also saw during a Farmers Market meeting I attended yesterday, food safety regulations being proposed that make no exemptions for small scale farmers who “sell locally.” And farmers markets now being redefined as “food processing facilities.”—food processing plants. Unless home gardeners and small scale farmers are immediately and directly involved in interstate commerce and sell on a mass scale as does agribusiness, and perhaps a small percentage can and do, otherwise food safety regs should apply most heavily first to the agribusiness who do mass produce and who’s businesses should fall under interstate commerce rules. Who’s slipshod practices and general misconduct led to the producing of heavy handed regs at all. At the same time, ref. Brand X Ranch, the major agribusinesses don’t want to accept responsibility for behavior that led to sickness and death for their interstate costumers. Local growers have simply proved to be better behaved. They can’t afford to do otherwise.
brandxranch on March 29 at 6:38 p.m.
Thanks for that “heads up”, Arch….. put some more info out there for us about the regs that are being proposed. Anyone that enjoys the Market needs to be aware of them and we can call and write the powers that be to raise our concerns…. as the “founder” of this Farmer’s Market, as well as the one in Lewis County, WA, I am concerned that the long, hairy arm of the law might put our beloved market in jepardy. Keep us informed!