I listen to you every day on the radio and I love you. Today was an awakening for me. This is something adults need to know, not just young adults. How can I incorp. this for grown adults? Adults have forgotten self-sufficiency.

Comments: Why have so many young people replaced this youthful hunger for self-sufficiency with an entitlement mentality? Why are so many comfortable with their hands out and indifferent to the idea of keeping their heads high?

Talk to the liberal DEMOCRATS!!! FDR & the chicken in every POT!!! The mentality of TWO cars in every garage. The mentality of a "RIGHT" "to life, liberty and the persuit of happiness"! No one is OWED those things. You have a RIGHT to "PERSUE" those things. THAT is the difference between TODAY and 40 years ago. In today's commentary you ASK WHY!!! Well, just take a LOOK!!!! LIBERAL LEANING DO GOODERS who have CAUSED this problem. GIVING away the farm. GIVING away "entitlments". GIVING people the EXCUSES that they ARE OWED!!!! When you WORK for what you get, you will appreciate what you HAVE!!! NOT like the MUGS
and THUGS of TODAY!!! The GANG BANGERS!!! All THEY know, and are TOLD, by the LIBERALS, by the MEDIA, and by the SOCIAL DO GOODERS, is that THEY "HAVE THE
"RIGHT""!!! Well, POPPY COCK!!!! When the "MORAL MAJORITY" get's off their dead keisters, and takes BACK "OUR" rights and OUR streets and OUR citys, then the entitlement mentality MAY, and I reiterate MAY just come to an end. When the GOVERNMENT "HAND OUT'S" stop, then and MAYBE ONLY then, will people START to
take responsibility again FOR their own welfare. Instead of BEING "ON" WELFARE!!!!

You ask "WHY"!!! Well ther you HAVE it!!!

I will post this at my desk at work for all prospective new hire candidates to read as I feel totally ashamed and embarrassed at the sense of entitlement young adults possess in addition to the careless, flagrant attitude toward work ethic and keeping their spending only within their available means.

RESPONSE FROM MICHAEL JOSEPHSON

Re: CW

As I hope you know, I strive to be scrupulously nonpartisan in these commentaries, but I do respond when I think any purely partisan solution is posed that I think oversimplified the problem.

The entitlement syndrome we found is every bit as strong, if not stronger, among the children of wealthy conservatives who presumably oppose the political philosophies you blame.

We have to think deeper and be more accountable – it is a parenting problem, not a political one.

Michael Josephson

Michael's response to CW's comment above hits the nail on the head. It IS a parenting problem. At one time we (parents) all tried to ensure that our children had better opportunities than we did (more education, etc.). But this seems to have devolved into ensuring they have better cars, homes, jobs & other THINGS at an ever younger age. This can be a disservice to our children. CW rightly notes that we value what we earn much more than what we are given.

Michael, while I agree that this problem rises above partisan politics, there is a measure of truth in CW's comments. There is an entitlement mentality with children of wealth who feel entitled to their family fortune. The entitlement mentality you refer to, which is rampant in society, has much of its genesis in the government programs that grew beyond being a 'safety net' for those in need.

My sister-in-law does not work because she has a doctor willing to vouch that she is 'disabled' every time her case comes up for review. They have even changed disabilities, going from physical to mental. I know she isn't disabled, as does the entire family. When confronted with it, she merely shrugs it off saying, "Why should I work when I can have a reasonable lifestyle paid for by the government?" Therein lies the disconnect: she does not see that the government's money comes from ME and other taxpayers. (And yes, I have tried to turn her in for fraud. Her doctor testified that she is disabled. This doctor gets his patients by referral from a lawyer who represents people filing disability claims.)

Government programs that started during the Depression and greatly expanded during the Johnson administration began this slippery slide. Around that time, parents began to be taught to 'engage' their children and 'build their self esteem.' As time went on and more parents bought into this philosophy, many interpreted it to mean giving everything to their children that they want and not making them work for it.

Schools reinforce this by focusing on self-esteem building and giving grades, not making students EARN grades. I once taught a college class in a high school through the Huskins program. On the first day I told my students "I am a college instructor. I am here to teach you a college level course which will earn you high school and college credit. You will EARN the grade you receive at the end of this course, which will require WORK by you. One more thing, I don't care one bit about your self-esteem. If you don't do the work, you will fail." There was complete silence. After class, three students went to the office and complained about what I said. The principal told them that he had no authority over me. Several students dropped the class the next morning.

My son wonders why I told him if he wanted a car he had to get a job to buy the car, pay for his gas, and pay his part of the car insurance. "My friends don't have to do that! Their parents GIVE them cars and cover everything else." Tough. He doesn't like that I review his grades on tests, homework and other material. I make him do his homework. "So-and-so got the same grade I did without doing any homework!" Perhaps, but my son is mine to raise, and I make him EARN his way.

Your statement of the facts is correct. The entire problem stems from parenting, or rather, the lack of it. Responsibility lies with the parents and their failure to instill in their progeny the basis of self esteem and morality.

I believe this stems from the parents of "baby boomers" who became too permissive in trying to provide a better life for their children than they themselves felt they had. Their lives were, for the most part, born of immigrant parents adjusting to a new homeland and culture, and poverty from world wars and economic depression. These well meaning, hard working and tenacious souls attempted to spare their children from the dreadful circumstanes of their past only to coddle them into seeing life as a "cake walk" with all the toys and things they could afford.

The government today is made up largely of these "baby boomers" now in charge of our country's economic and social policies and ethics. They have wrought the destruction of self reliance and hard work in exchange for the "gimmes" of our current mentality.

This carries over further to our failure to secure our borders from illegal aliens, a situation which should make every legal immigrant's blood boil, and the rampant breakdown in our social welfare system to these unwelcomed residents.

The greatest issue facing our nationality and our culture today is not terrorism from without but the terrorism that has taken us from within. We have, through the failure or direct result of our lawmakers, allowed this country to be overridden by outside influences beyond our control. They have abdicated our sovereingty as a nation to elements who have no investment in our way of life and who, if given the chance, would make us a third world country like their own. We, due to our inability to recognize what is right from wrong, stemming from the previously mentioned lack of self reliance and self esteem, look to everyone else for our opinions and convictions and therefore have none of our own.

Political correctness, under the guise of anti discrimination, has caused untold harm to our society and nation. Harm from which I am doubtful we can recover. Political correctness has gagged the truth and masked the invader. It has allowed so much degradation of reality that we can hardly recognize it for what it is.

This country needs another revolution. A revolution to return it to the moral and ethical convictions it once had and for which it was once great.

Will it happen? I don't think so. That is not politically correct.

Michael:

I have been a long time listener and reader of your commentaries.

I agree with you that everything starts with parenting. Parents are the child’s first teachers – especially the mothers. All that is learned is learned through “tough love”. I call it breeding. We pay high dollars to own pedigreed dogs and race horses…but we fail when it comes to our children. We do not have to beat up our children or throw them out on the street but teach them love and character, by example and precept.

When my son went to college, I told him I would pay his tuition only if he scored A’s, and if he didn’t he would have to bear his own cost of college education. He didn’t and he paid for his own tuition. One other stipulation I had for him was that if he stayed with us and wanted to be counted as our son, he would have to finish college and I would take no excuses for him to quit. My wife was mad and thought I was being too tough on him, but I stuck to my guns. He graduated with dual majors and a minor. No, he did not graduate with honors but I couldn’t be prouder for his accomplishments. To boot, he met a wonderful young lady who he married.

But here’s where it paid off. The day before he got married, he asked for my wife and me to sit and hear him. He told us that even though at first he was mad at us for the strictness with which he was brought up, including making him pay for his college expenses, he was very thankful. He told us that some of his buddies who were not blessed to have parents like us were either on drugs or were working menial jobs with hourly salaries and dead end jobs. He thanked us for making him the man he was.

We couldn’t be prouder of him then, and now, with his lovely wife and a wonderful newborn baby girl.

MGC

This is not an inquiry, it is a comment. First let me say that while I'm sure your heart is in the right place, the delivery of your comments (in general) are targeted inaccurately nearly every time I hear them on AM KNX1070 Los Angeles. To get it out of the way, I am positive you are a conservative and I will acknowledge that I am a liberal (as reference, I am a truck driver, pretty salt of the Earth job). I doubt because you and I don't talk the same language that you will glean anything from my comments, and I probably won't agree with your reply if you made one.

On your program the other day you made a comment about how the vast majority of our youngest generation (I'm paraphrasing) seem to have their hands out, they are an expectant generation. What sphere are you walking in?

I would contend that every comment you make should be narrowed so the audience understands it is not addressing the majority but the minority. I walk and work in middle class circles, which is the majority population of the country and with but a few exceptions their families are hard working, walk the line, pay as you go types. The only persons I see (I live in South Orange County) with an entitlement personality are the wealthy, the poorest of the poor, and the undocumented.

I contend that many of your premises are wrong because instead of saying that most of you are doing it right, make sure your audience understands that the majority of people are not the problem. The youngest generation doesn't expect everything. To the contrary, they have been raised to expect nothing. But the vast majority I am associated with fight the battles, work the long days and never go into the line that says "handouts". If you are seeing youths and young adults that expect things constantly, be specific about what circles you travel in...

Don't think too much; don't look for simple solution, start with ourselves, show the youngs by our actions that we are self-sufficient.

I believe our youngs are influenced by our thought/speech/action what is better than let them see for themselves.

Responsibility belongs to ALL politicians. Not just Democrats and Liberals.

BUT it IS and WAS the initiation of the process in the 30s, 40s and very early 50s that has LED to the entitlement mentality.

I KNOW that you espouse the liberal side of the political arena. I obviously lean the other way.

I was in hopes that we could at least agree that the problem was initiated with the early politicians that I specified.

The problem is STILL with the entitlement mentality. The "I AM OWED" MENTALITY!!!!

AND it is STILL, and OBVIOUSLY SOOOOO, the Democratic SIDE of the ISLE that is STILL trying to BUY people, to GIVE people EVERYTHING, and is NOT holding people ACCOUNTABLE for their ACTIONS or for DOING and EARNING a living. They STILL want to GIVE people things they have not EARNED!!!

It still is a WELFARE CONCEPTUALIZED STATE, at least in the vision of the Liberals. Everyone is entitled to everything!!!

In MY world when I grew up, we took PRIDE in EARNING what we got. We took PRIDE in doing for ourselves. We ABHORED taking a HANDOUT!!! It was PRIDE!!! Pride in ourselves. Pride in our self ability. And PRIDE and SELF RESPECT in our family and our country. We were, and ARE, a CAN DO people.

Unlike the handout-seeking youth you mentioned in your article.

I do appreciate your Commentaries. I do agree in much of what you say. BUT I DO not agree with your take on this subject.

A lesson that needs to be taught...as I look daily to cries for help in the real estate area...

I wonder, when you bought a home, did the contract promise that the value would never go down? A home should have been looked at as such, HOME!

It wasn't the bank that made "loads of money" but rather the seller, who sold their home according to what buyers were willing to pay. And did you stop to think as you were signing loan papers that a bank, in the business of lending for a profit, was actually lending you a mortgage for 1% fixed?...I doubt if even your family would have done that...And did you offer to share some of your newfound wealth with that bank when your house rapidly appreciated? More than likely NOT!!!

I was raised with the sense that when I borrowed a dollar, that is what I owed. There are some cases where I do feel assistance is warranted, but the foolishness of many have clouded the needs of the few...

It saddens me to think what has become of our country when all we can do is finger point and fail to accept this one lesson of self-sufficiency and personal responsibility.

So self-sufficiency means we should teach our kids to grow their own veggies and fruits? It's hard to make money now.