Occupy Wall Street, Drugs, Working, and Being a 100 Percenter

This scathing and HILARIOUS blog post about the Occupy Wallstreeter’s “We Are the 99 Percent” posts, is not only funny (hysterically so) for those of us on the right, but it really does illustrate the different mind set of each side.

Although the authors of the piece, Lori and Jenn, mock the notes written, the bigger point is serious. These kids think they are entitled to things. They think that life is unfair, and the government or somebody should do something to make it fair. They don’t seem to be the least bit familiar with the term “self responsibility.” Many of them have made bad choices in life, and now are experiencing the consequences. They took out more loans than they could pay back. Whose fault is that? They didn’t read the loan papers on the adjustable rate on their home loan. Whose fault is that? They majored in things that were not substantial enough to get a good job. Whose fault is that? The banks don’t force you to take loans. Colleges don’t make you major in Art. What Lori and Jenn are trying to say is that the mindset is wrong. They are trying to say to these young people that they need to take responsibility for their own mistakes. They need to move forward. At least I have some respect for the guy who cleans bathrooms at a Steak house. At least he is willing to take a crappy job to make ends meet. I think all people you talk to that have had some level of success in life, has worked at some crappy job. It’s not fun. It’s not always fair. But it’s better than whining. A lot better. One develops what is called “a work ethic.”

Lori and Jenn really do excoriate the girl who has the coke nail. For those who do not know what a coke nail is, it’s when a druggie grows out his or her pinky nail in order to have an easily accessible way of scooping up cocaine power and snorting it in one’s nose. No tools required! Which brings us to another dark underbelly of these young people. Drugs. The United State’s appetite for drugs is enormous. We get depressed, we take drugs. Our relationships don’t work out, we take drugs. We can’t find a job, we smoke pot. Prescription or illegal, we have a generation of young people who have tried it all. If you scroll through the pictures on “We Are the 99 Percent,” you will see sterotypical looks of casual drug users. Now, I’m not saying all of them are on drugs. Certainly not. But there is that element there. There is an element there because of their generation, not their political beliefs. I’m guessing that the guy who defecated on the cop car this past week was under the influence of drugs. Dozens of video are out there of interviews with Occupy Wall Streeters that make us all cringe. The young man who told an elderly gentlemen “Go back to Israel, you Jew,” comes to mind. I think drug addiction is a part of this frustration that no one wants to talk about.

If you watch the show “Intervention,” you will see people from all walks of life lost in addiction. They tell of their hundreds of dollars a day of a drug habit or alcohol addiction. In the show, “Hoarders,” we see people addicted to buying stuff that fills entire rooms of their homes to the ceilings.They are drowning in debt. How do all these people pay for these things? How do they live? If you pay attention on these shows you will discover that most are on government assistance in one way or another. They have a disability of some kind, or are on unemployment or welfare. As long as they get by, living with relatives or in some cases, selling their bodies or drugs in other cases, they can continue with their addiction. My parent’s generation would never have been able to do that. You worked or you starved. There was no money for drugs.

My husband put himself through school. He worked the farm fields in the hot Delta Arkansas sun for four summers. He worked at the computer lab during the school year. Although my parents paid my tuition, I worked three jobs in college to pay for the extra things I wanted. I sold magazine ads, I was a photographer for fraternity parties, and I did office work at the student union on the weekends. I worked for minimum wage when we first married. We didn’t have much, but I never remember feeling like I was entitled to anything more than what we worked for. We have always made our teenagers work. They all had jobs every summer starting at age 15. They all had internships every summer of college. Now, this generation of kids don’t want to take a minimum wage job. It’s hurts their college educated sensibilities.

We have raised generations who imagine a credit card is a magic wand that allows them to buy whatever they wish, regardless of their ability to pay the bill. They feel entitled to the latest iPhone and computer. They think having a tv and cable is a human right. My parent’s generation just shakes their head. My Mom or Dad didn’t have electricity or indoor plumbing until they were teenagers. A telephone was something you only had if you could afford it. When the TV came along, the same thing applied. People didn’t just think they should have something because their neighbor, who had the money to pay for it, had it. This is what class warfare is all about. If the rich guy has it, so should I. If not, then he shouldn’t have it either.

So many of these young people have been convinced of the “spread the wealth” mentality. What they fail to learn from history is that when that happens, the ones who are in charge of “spreading the wealth” in the government end up being the only ones who live the lavish lifestyles. In those countries, it’s good to be King. But in America, it’s good to be anyone. You can come from nothing, and become wealthy, or at least comfortable. Your lot in life is not decided at your birth. This is why millions of people risk their lives to come here. They know what nothing really is. They know that if they are sitting in a warm home in front of a computer writing a note that they will then take a picture of and upload, they are no longer truly poor. They know they are in the land of opportunity.

We, as a country, are going through a very tough time right now. People have lots of problems. My heart does go out to the many in those pictures who have bills they can’t pay. But sleeping in a sleeping bag on Wall Street isn’t going to change that. Taking a deep breath and having a plan, and making some good decisions, and working hard at ANY job you can find, will.

People like to compare these Wall Street protesters protesting to the Tea Partiers. The biggiest difference as I see it, is that the Tea Party people understand who the real culprit is…..an overreaching ineffective government and the policies of Pres. Obama. These protesters scream about Wall Street influence, but cannot seem to point their finger at our President, who has received more money from Wall Street than any other politician over the past 20 years.

We can agree with the Wall Street Occupiers that big business has too much influence in government, but that is because government controls so much. Less control, less corporate influence.

If we could all understand that. If we could all fight against the bloated government, then we really could change things, and bring back prosperity to America. Let’s all be 100 percent for a smaller more effective government.

I say lets all be 100 percenters

Update: This NY Post piece seems to validate my concerns.

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