America was founded on some principles. One of which was 'personal responsibility'. You were free to make you own life choices knowing that there were consequences. The example I was raised with was you don't work, you don't eat.
My mother's family were farmers. I grew up in a farming community. This was the way of life. You literally had to work for your food. You had to plant, fertilize, water, prune, then harvest the food. People also preserved what they could for the winter months and in case of drought seasons. They were their own safety net.
Some where a long the line, the federal government decided to step in and provide other safety nets. The thing with safety nets is after you land on them, you're supposed to crawl back over to the ladder and start to climb the ladder again. This time knowing what caused the fall to begin with and how to prevent it from happening again.
Problem is that the federal government's big web of safety nets became too comfy. People began to feel it was their right to stay, even though they put no effort into creating, building, or sustaining the net. So now they live rent free on our hard working backs.
Back to my original thought - RISK.
Personal responsibility is a 180 degrees away from shared responsibility. I happen to like the personal kind myself. If I fall, it is up to me and only me to get back up. No one pays for me. No one is responsible for me. Not that I wouldn't take help from a friend or family member. Lord knows we've all been there. But what right do I have to take money from a stranger from miles away because I fail?
Life is about taking risks. You learn from them. I truly believe safety nets makes this country soft. We, as a country, used to badass. We used to do everything ourselves. Now, we let someone else take care of us. We have become toddlers.
I'm not a toddler! Are you?
