whatever happened to personal responsibility?

Question

no one teaches it anymore, everyone says the government should plan our retirement for us(social security), the government should decide how much our boss gives us (minimum wage),the gov. should feed us and clothe us and buy our hurricane insurance for us("poor katrina victims"), whatever happened to personal responsibility?

hey what do you mean they TOOK prayer out of schools, are you being sarcastic, or tying to be funny, they can't take your prayers(thoughts) away from you.

its called insurance.... if you don't get it, most of the time, its your fault, and if government gives you months and months and months of free money and housing, shouldn't you be able to find a job by now????

barbaradjt, i'm sorry for you situation, i'm not talking about every situation, i'm talking about most, most are not in your situation, most are taught to rely on government.

Answer 1

Oh didn't you hear? Personal Responsibility went out of fashion when they took prayer out of schools.

It also went out of fashion when Lyndon Johnson's Great Society Programs started. That is when Head Start began. And the Children learned that they could be taken to this nice warm place, and Someone Else would feed them, and Someone Else would teach them. When they grew older they learned that Someone Else would give them breakfast in schools, and Someone Else would teach them. The really didn't have to learn because Someone Else would promote them. Since they didn't have to learn, they were unprepared for life. So Someone Else would give them food stamps, and Someone Else would provide for them. Blame Johnson. It's not my job to worry about them.

Answer 2

I wonder about that regarding President Bush. He never takes responsibility for any of his mistakes, he blames everything that goes wrong because of him on other people.

Fine, no social security, yeah people hate social security and medicare, they'd rather retire with nothing to live on and pay a thousand dollars to see a doctor. Great idea. Just because they have national health care in every other industrialized country in the world is no reason why we should. Why care that our health system adds $1200 to the cost of every car built in the US, but the Japanese and Canadian systems add only $100 to the cost of cars produced there. Yeah those Katrina victims, they sure did make out well. Maybe you will get a big earthquake or fire or epidemic where you live and then you can enjoy the same kind of government assistance our brother and sister American citizens got in New Orleans. Enjoy!

To add a bit...a lot of people actually have planned, they contributed to their companies pension plans, expecting the promise to be honored that the money would be there when they retired. But look at the United Airlines bankruptcy--executives applied the pension fund to the airline's stock, then took the airline into bankruptcy, then walked away with $20 million separation packages, and the pension fund was empty. You have all kinds of Republican political leaders like Schwarzenegger in California trying to take away workers pensions. It is insane, it is evil. Recently published stats on pension funds show that almost all are solvent in so far as the workers who contribute are concerned--where they go into the red is when executive separation packages are added in...or subtracted, actually.

Answer 3

Well, it starts with parents teaching their kids that the world isn't their oyster and that they'll suffer from time to time. Maybe even that they will have to work for what they want.

It continues with the activities young people are in - like team sports teaching kids that they aren't the golden child and others will sometimes be the stars.

Then, a grounding in civics, history, etc. will teach them about the rest of the world and how they might fit in.

Last, it takes a culture that encourages personal responsibility. Paris Hilton and Kenny Lay-type lifestyles aren't realistic, but kids dream of them as if they were. Not crazy what-if pipe dreams, but real, what-I-wanna-be-when-I-grow-up dreams where you map out how to get there. Society has to show that hard work is a good thing, that rewards are generally linked to good behavior, and that you won't get everything you want handed to you on a silver platter.

If you think low-income hurricane victims, low-income wage earners, and low-income seniors are the worst and laziest things this country has to offer, try looking at the trust fund pop tarts that not only act reprehensibly, but also can afford great lawyers to get them out of the consquences.

"I ran my Hummer of the road and killed a family of four but it's okay, Daddy's lawyer will fix it." How's that for personal responsibility?

Answer 4

Answer this one first before trying to answer that....
Whatever happened to being a person? Now you're just a minion in a society controlled unwisely by those in and with power. Not by you. Democracy is useless if the voices voting are all lassoed in. The person ceases to exist anymore.

When prayer was tyaken out of schools(funny, why wasnt the pledge of allegiance) it meant people had no choice to pray together in a pluralistic way. Of course you can still pray by yourself, but why hide it publicly?

As for "finding a job", obviously you are not the less than lucky kind of folk. Bad homes, bad jobs, bad environment, bad choices.... its like a drug addiction, hard to break lose, hard to move forward and up. So just shut up already or do something to help. You're just a whiner and your life is not even in trouble.

Answer 5

Not only is personal responsibility gone out out the window, so has respect for the laws of the country and other authorities.
Our society seems to think there are no absolutes any more. Everything is based on situational ethics, and of course that is wrong. There are absolutes that apply in every situation.

Answer 6

Have you ever tried to live on minimum wage? That's poverty level. I don't think the government is doing us any favors on that one!!! Now the people on welfare(you got me started) that MY WAGES pay for that live in nicer houses,have nicer cars, wear nicer designer clothes than I can afford and eat better than I do those are the people that have this responsibility thing all figured out. I guess I have personal responsibility to support all of those lazy people that keep having kids to stay on welfare.

Answer 7

Pfft... Try moving into another home in florida, and then try to get house insurance on it during hurricane season. I know lots who can't get insurance.

Personal responsibility... hmmm... When I get a cancer due to the dumping of radiation in the water supply, that the government should have been regulating....

I took personal responsiblity before I got the cancer. I worked hard as a prison supervisor. I worked 60 plus hours a week. I had an HMO.. state insurance.. After I found out I had the Cancer, I had to have surgery to remove the tumor. Was suppose to have radiation 6 weeks after surgery. Due to these funny laws... Hmo screwed me around for one year and I could not get my radiation like I needed until then... I PAID GOOD MONEY FOR MY INSURANCE!!! My cancer returned and when I finally went for radiation, they had to give me such a high dose, that it knocked me off my socks and I could not walk for 6 months, and now I am disabled.

Had to fight for disability.... Believe me they 'AIN't givin ya nothin.'
I find it sickening.........APAULINGGGGG.... that the inmate that I worked around who had the SAME cancer as me, got to have his frickin surgery, and your tax dollars paid to have it done. He had speedy care and had his radiation within six weeks.... His family paid the $6 so he could have all of this done.

My health plan refused to let me have the PET scans that I needed. This was the only way I could prove my cancer had returned. I had to hock everything to pay for all sorts of tests, just to prove to the insurance that my cancer had returned........ Once I had this, then they hadddddd to give me my cancer treatment......

Who is owning up for all of this BS??? You do the right things, andget scr*wed. We lost most everything, filing bankruptcy. I had one pill that was $1600 PER PILL!!!!!!! Don't tell me that I am not a responsible person.... The little man more often than not, who plans, and skimps, and saves can lose it all in an instant. Nothing is a sure bet today....

So yeah, tell me about personal responsibility to our people in this country. ... Tell me why the elderly has to half their medications.. You think we are all stupid like we planned this? Not... we just keep getting scr*wed.

If my husband were to die tommorrow, I would lose my health insurance coverage. NO ONE WILL COVER ME< I HAVE CANCER!! NO health insurance, no life insurance, and DARNIT, we can't get house insurance.........pft... I am forced to take Medicare, they are the only ones that will cover me, other than while he is working on his job. I don't like having to depend on anyone... This sucks.. any suggestions?? Many don't have a choice. I have to live in florida, so that the hospital does not take my home... Lots of states you would be flat out on your butt.

The government is as shiftless as the rest of us. Sure you got losers in every bunch, but don't tell me that our government is innocent... Oh poor me..

JXT can I get an AAAAAAAAMMMEEEEENNNN *hugs*

PS.. I am not an elderly person, I was thirty when I got my cancer. I was just getting ahead in life..... now... I am worthless.

Answer 8

Yours has got to be one of the most refreshing questions I've responded to, and one of the best, smartest and most mature. I can assure you, as you already know, too many people can't even spell the words "personal responsibility", much less practice it. (I did spell it right, didn't I??) It's so wonderful to see people who even remember those words, much less know what they mean. It's with questions such as yours that I can rest easy that this world will be okay, at least to some degree, long after I'm gone. Thank you for your question. You bring back faith in a despairing "old man" (as my son calls me). My son is returning to Iraq to finish his second tour of duty in a week, and I love him for his sense of responsibility to this nation amidst all his wild and crazy shenanigans. He loves life, and lives it to its fullest, but he's pretty darn good at "knowing when to say when". Thanks for your question. Give yourself 10 points. Or 20 if you'd like. Well, 20 points wouldn't be too responsible, so, give yourself 10. God Bless you.

Answer 9

People are suing fast food places because they are overweight.

They are suing schools because their kids are brats.

They are suing TV companies because they have a low IQ.

PErsonal responsibility is out the window in this country.

Answer 10

Personal responsibility still exists. It just got overwhelmed by people that don't have it. (Irresponsible people, in other words).