Posted on 07/24/2008 9:35:26 AM PDT by NewMediaJournal
President John F. Kennedy, in his inaugural address on January 20, 1961, exhorted the nation: “And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country.” This rally to selflessness has been trampled upon by a new class that has sprung up over the past 20 years or so. We are all familiar with environmentalists, but their influence is in danger of being surpassed by the “entitlementalists,” the new breed of Americans who have made taking what their country can ill afford to offer and offering not half as much in return. I may need a mentalist to sort this all out.
Ironically the most blatant examples of “entitlementalists” are our expensive elected officials. They take from lobbyists. They take from environmentalists. They take from constituents. They take from taxpayers. They take from bankers. They take from foreign sources. They take from ANWR. Scratch that. They refuse to take from ANWR. That would be doing something for their country!
Let us take an excursion into the lobbyist vault from which many politicians get quite a bit of their spending money. Naïve as I was when I came to this country, more than two decades ago, I did not even know that lobbyists existed. I had been accustomed to a system where politicians were rumored to provide incentives to voters in the form of adult beverages. The slogan appeared to be: No beer left behind! However, no one paid the politicians to vote for a piece of legislation. The situation here however, appears to be: “You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours.”
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There are two flaws with the system, however.
One flaw is that in order to get one's voice heard, it takes a few dollars to get the attention of a congressman. Congressment are forever running for re-election, and their interests lie in staying elected. This takes money, and it takes votes. The current "gauge" of votes is measured in dollars and representation. Representation is measured in the organizations that lobbyists represent.
The second flaw is that in order to pursue life, liberty and happiness, there is a perception that we must organize and run to government in ever endeavor. Starting a business? Run to government. Offended by something? Run to government. Unhappy with the lot life has dealt you? Run to government.
As a people, we've fed this pig. Now we have to deal with it.
What is an environmentalist if not merely an entitlementalist with a cause?
All seem to fall under the same “socialist” and “communist” and “democrapist” banners.
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