Rugged Individualism vs Entitled Recipient Class

     I am opinionated...no breaking news on this point.  But I understand that my opinion is not widely held by the public, and that is a source of anger and frustration.  Not because I have expectations of society being molded to my opinions...but rather that society expects me to support those that choose not to give enough of a damn to work for their wants, needs and desires.  There are so many people now who expect...yes, expect a home, food, transportation, school, tv, healthcare, a job...and the list gets even more ridiculous.  These people say, "the rich aren't taxed enough"...and their basis for this is not the tax rate the "rich" pay...but the lack of things in their home, cabinets, garages or belly.  If the recipient class in America were given food, health care, a home, a job, and a car...does anyone really think they would say the rich paid their fair share?  Or would this class of mooches just add more stuff to the list of things they "deserve"?  
      Where does this idea of social equality come from?  Is this just the next step of a country that has been so successful for so long...and complacency has taken over?  Is our fight against this lazy socializing of our country useless...and are we just destined to eventually fall into the Marxist statist existence until there is a call for revolution?  Is Romney going to stop or reverse the compromising of our rooted values of individualism and independence for social equality...or will he just compromise less and make this process slower and take longer?   I don't have any faith in our current politicians reversing anything...sure, they may vote to repeal Obamacare, and it may succeed...partially, but they will replace it with something else to appease the recipients who have already grown attached to free/subsidized health care.  I mean, we can't just take away what has already been given...look at every giveaway for the past 70 years...how many of them have been phased out?  No, we are just going to throw rose pedals on the road of shit we are trudging down...and hopefully enough of the people won't smell it until it's too late.  But, as cynical as I am, I would like to put a few quotes from some people...some I agree with, some I don't...but the theme is independence and individualism.  Enjoy:

“If you want to be a slave in life, then continue going around asking others to do for you. They will oblige, but you will find the price is your choices, your freedom, your life itself. They will do for you, and as a result you will be in bondage to them forever, having given your identity away for a paltry price. Then, and only then, you will be a nobody, a slave, because you yourself and nobody else made it so.”
― Terry Goodkind, The Pillars of Creation

I particularly like this one, it reminds me of when my father taught me about work and ownership vs borrowing and mooching.  It had to do with a 72 Mustang that still needed some work to get running, and I asked to borrow his car to go on a date.  I could borrow his car, on conditions that I filled it up, washed it, and did menial work around the house for my mom on the weekend...vs spending the afternoon with him fixing the mustang and then not having other people making the rules for me to live by.  I passed on the date, and the next day we got my car running and I have kept that lesson with me...be my own man, don't eat someone else's shit because they have something I want...go earn it myself.  The problem is, we let anyone have what they want without having to earn it...maybe welfare items should be tied to work somehow...what a concept.

“The foundation of individual rights is the assumption that people have wants and needs and are authorities on what those wants and needs are. If people's stated desires were just some kind of erasable inscription or reprogrammable brainwashing, any atrocity could be justified.”
― Steven Pinker, The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature

Wow...that speaks for itself.

“When you think of the long and gloomy history of man, you will find more hideous crimes have been committed in the name of obedience than have ever been committed in the name of rebellion.”
― C.P. Snow

  I dare anyone to refute that.  But that is the difference between fighting for freedom, and fighting to keep someone down. 

Fascism is capitalism in decay. Vladimir Lenin

Kinda looks that way.

I am going to fight capitalism even if it kills me. It is wrong that people like you should be comfortable and well fed while all around you people are starving. Sylvia Pankhurst

This one boils my blood.   It doesn't say whether the people starving are just waiting for food to fall from the sky...and what does their hunger have to do with the freedom and entrepreneur spirit that wakes up at 5AM to compete for business and success?  Capitalism isn't picky...it rewards any race, any gender and any individual with success if they work smart, hard, or a combination.  It doesn't reward stupid, or lazy. 

It has been true in Western societies and it seems to be true elsewhere that you do not find democratic systems apart from capitalism, or apart from a market economy, if you prefer that term. Peter L. Berger

Well, this is true simply because you lose your sense of democracy and democratic principles when you remove or limit market principles.  If the gov't forces farms to grow a certain good...it is most likely that the gov't isn't one that respects the rights of the individual.  duh.

Now a great debate has been born. The thesis is Democratic Socialism. The antithesis is free-market capitalism. The Obama Democrats have posed the challenge. It is now up to the Republicans to pick it up and fight along these lines. Dick Morris

What is sad is that Dick believes that Republicans are the counter to Democrats...and that is patently false.  I don't have enough room in cyberspace to list the republicans who have contributed to the demise of individualism and freedom in the United States.  Sure, Obama Democrats have done more to further and quicken the swan dive off the edge of our free world we have lived in...but make no mistake, the Republicans are not pulling in the opposite direction of the Democrats...they are just the fat kid at camp who is slower than the rest on the same path. 

The basic law of capitalism is you or I, not both you and I. Karl Liebknecht

  Well, Karl...you clearly do not understand the basics of capitalism.  If capitalism was "you or I"...then why did both Steve Jobs and Bill Gates succeed?  Shouldn't one of them failed?  What about Ford...shouldn't the others have failed if Henry got the assembly line going first?  Why do we have 100's of types of cereal for breakfast...shouldn't just one have been successful?  Why do we have so many types of High Def televisions?  The first should have won...and the rest should have failed by your logic.  No, Karl...what capitalism does is it allows people to improve and adapt...it doesn't throw failure out..it inspires others to be better.  But do you know what the opposite is...apathy.  When nobody is allowed to succeed, because the gov't is in control...then you get the same type of progress that every other country that has embraced socialism gets...but at least we'd all be equal...equally poor and miserable. 

Give me nothing, I will earn it.  Grant me nothing but the freedom to achieve, and I will excel...but limit me to what you allow...and you will foster nothing but bitterness and resentment that will foment into resolve and revolution.  My will is stronger than your tyranny.  Yes, I am frustrated, but I truly believe that I am not alone, and when we reach our point where our sympathies for the poor are outweighed by our resentment of our leader's hyperbole and hypocricy...then we have change...and hope for a resurgence of rugged individualism.

-Rev