GraniteGrok

I had written here: "Atlas Shrugging, Atlas Fighting, and here are some Protesting!" In Ayn Rand's book Atlas Shrugs (which my copy just arrived from Amazon), she tells the tale of how the "producers" in society finally react when forced to always care for those that refuse to care for themselves and their familes.

When it became clear that Obama was going to win the Democrats' nomination and that he would beat McCain for the Presidency, Producers all over had a case of the frights and depression. One only has to look to the stock market to see the results of what the Producers believe will happen, as the stock market, being the future predictor of economic activity that it is, has tanked.  To be sure, bad numbers from companies hasn't helped, but the market is basically saying that Obama's rhetoric and socialist background, aided and abetted by Progressive Democrats in Congress that are oh so willing to play the role of henchmen to Obama's lead, are going to grind this nation's economic capability to dust.

Many of us individuals have felt the same withering emotional backlash.  One thing to say for Obama, his blitzkreig of "Change" is one that is hard (on purpose) to keep up with.  He knew what he was after and in the process of unloading a seemingly endless series of body blows (some by executive decisions, some by hyper-fast tracked legislation, and more by simple regulation).  Many have come without the traditional time of hearings and comments and many have been deliberately hidden away and are now just popping up (like the seeds of Government controlling what kinds of procedures that your doctors can use to heal you and unlimited welfare).

Speaking of unlimited welfare, how about this bit of news:

NEW ORLEANS - The federal government is providing six more months of rental assistance to thousands of families affected by the 2005 hurricanes, allowing them extra time to reach self-sufficiency or to get into other housing aid programs.

About 31,400 families have continued receiving federal help paying rent as part of a disaster housing program that was set to expire March 1. The extension was touted by an aide to President Barack Obama as a sign of a "new direction" after his predecessor was heavily criticized for its response to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

...He said that left the Obama administration with no choice but to allow a six-month transition - one that will extend two days past the four-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina - to allow the estimated 13,500 families expected to be eligible for vouchers time to sign up and others time to make it without government subsidies.

"I want to emphasize that this is a signal of a new direction in the Gulf, a commitment that President Obama has to ensure that, particularly during these difficult economic times that we find ourselves in, that we are not leaving vulnerable families at risk of displacement or homelessness with really crushing levels of payments that they would need to make all of a sudden on March 1," Donovan told reporters on a conference call.

How about the "really crushing levels of payments" on the rest of us that are paying for this? 

Some of you may accuse me of being cold-hearted, but let's face reality here: 

This happened in 2005

It is now 2009

Four freakin' years - are you kidding me?? These folks still cannot provide for themselves? Try MOVING!  GET OFF YOUR COLLECTVE BEHINDS and how that you have some initiative!  Again, I contrast the outlook of these folks with those from the Mid-west during their horrible floods a year or so ago.  The difference?  One is a show of utter dependance on the government for sustainance; the other - just give me the stuff I need for now.  One is perpetual handouts, the other was a temporary hand up ("gimme the sandbags, and the sand; a front end loader for a while with some pumps would help").

And that is what is starting to really rile the folks up.  Hand-ups are fine; but Obama wants to do nothing but perpetual hand-outs.  And many are believing that it is the proper role of government to provide for their every need and want:

President Obama is auditioning American Idle contestants.  These non-producers of our society stole the show at his town meeting in Ft. Meyers, Florida on February 10, 2009.  It was like watching a Saturday Night Live skit when a parade of sad sacks asked for handouts.  Henrietta Hughes tearfully begged the President for a car, a kitchen and a bathroom.  Julio Osegueda, overcome in spontaneous euphoria, asked the president what his plans are for giving him better benefits at his job for McDonald's.  A man, who was recently laid off and receiving the forced generosity of the American people through his unemployment check, ungratefully asked why the government did not compensate him for his entire salary. 

It's as if these losers of life's lottery were expecting the president to turn water into wine or to take five loaves and two small fish and feed the entire nation.  These examples are just the loudest illustrations of people in America growing up with a mentality of entitlement to their every desires.  

Where are all the exposés and investigative reports on these characters as on Joe the Plumber?  The problem with Joe the Plumber is that he is a producer who dared expose the liberal Marxist, redistributionist agenda.  This agenda punishes the successful producers to give to the non-producers, the idle.  These idle hands are expecting handouts

Instead of earning it; in following up on the three examples above, here are my suggestions:

• Henrietta?  She and her son have a history of living off the system. Period.  Refusal to help oneself should be reason to do an intervention - cut her off entirely.  Just go out and earn it - like we have to.  There is truth to that bumper sticker: work hard; millions on welfare depend on you (H/T: Doug)
  
• Julio? He's in college (supposedly) - you haven't figured it out yet? Make yourself value added; the benefits will come (and not just be handed to you).  Millions of us figured that out long ago, sonny.
  
• The dude that expects totally salary replacement from the government - it is called "paying for your own damn insurance" - it exists, you can pay for it, but you expect the rest of us to do so?  Joke's on you...
  

In Ayn's book, the Producers checked out and went off by themselves (gotta check that; posting may be VERY light from me during the near future - this sucker is 1,200 pages long). But that's just a story (prescient though it may be).

In reality, however, we are starting to see the mood of some Life's real "Producers" who are, as Howard Beale did in Network "Mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore", starting to fight back as Obama is now doing what he told Joe the Plumber he would: spreading their wealth. As his own tax returns showed, he was not so hip on spreading his own wealth around too liberally but seems to be making up for time with our money.  Citizens, after the rant by Rick Santelli (the CNBC reporter who went on a tear about folks getting up upset that they, the ones that had played by the rules, now have to pay for those who haven't). 

President Obama - please learn one basic lesson from Economics 101: what you incentivize, you get more of.  The more you pay people to do nothing, the more do-nothings you will get.

Oh, and there's another lesson you need to be aware of but it is from Politics 101 - after a while of you implementing the Economics 101 lesson above and excoriating those who you disagree with you, most voters will vote against you and yours - and quickly.