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Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Poor or lazy?


Seeing clouds from the other side reminds me that everything looks different from a different point of view.  As I soared over theses clouds, existing because Hurricane Isaac was creeping up into the mid-West, I thought about those viewing the clouds from the other side.  These clouds were threatening rain.  From my vantage, the sun was shining, but down on the ground there was, most likely, no sunshine.

Everybody sees the world through their own eyes.  And, let me tell you, as a former forensic chemist working for the Naval Investigative Service, I can tell you that eye witnesses provide the least reliable evidence for a crime solver.  Everybody sees the world through their own paradigm.

I have a difficult time seeing the world through other people's eyes.  In my worldview, if you want something, you work for it.  In my world, saving money for the future and the possibility of a rainy day is important.  I'm my view, you don't always have to have the biggest and the best and the newest.  Sometimes being satisfied with what you have is a good idea.  In my world, having your hand out and borrowing money from friends and family is NOT an option.

I've observed some people living in a way I cannot understand, but I'm sure, from their point of view they are doing everything the very best they can.  I've seen a wife and mother of two take out a student loan of $40K to get a master's degree to promote herself in her teaching career and then quit teaching to stay home with her two children long before she is even close to paying off her debt.  To me this looks greedy.  She wants it all, the high priced education and the freedom to be a stay at home mom.  It's difficult for me to imagine making choices like this without thinking them all the way through, but there you are.

I've watched family after family sell their tiny starter home when the housing market expanded to an unreal height and buy BRAND NEW and EXPENSIVE homes, with money they hoped they would make some day, who now find themselves living in homes that have mortgage payments of, at least, $100K more than the homes are now worth.  To me this looks greedy.  They weren't content to stay in their small starter home and continue to make payments they could afford.  They thought they were rich and could have anything they wanted, and now they cannot pay the price.

I've associated with people who are happy to have their hand out and expect you to put money in it because they've had to take on a new job at an entry level at low pay.  They've begged and borrowed money from everyone they associate with and don't mind crying "poor me" at every turn.  Now they've been with the job for a while and gotten a few promotions and they are done eating beans out of a can.  Now they can go out to Applebee's  for lunch and dinner a couple times a week.  To me this looks greedy.  I can't imagine taking a family out for food this often while being a SAHM.  I can't imagine not wanting to pay back everyone who was kind enough to give me money.

I've seen a family that has begged it's church for money for food and now sport brand new tattoos.  Do you think they've started tithing now?  No, I don't think so.

When did we turn into a nation of people with our hands out instead of inside our bootstraps?  When did we turn into a nation that believes there is no need to pay back your debt?  When did we turn into a nation that believes we all deserve the same things in life?  When did we turn from a nation that believed that "them that don't work, don't eat" to a food stamp nation?  When did we become a nation of lazy people?  When did it become "normal" to be lazy? 

I don't know how to look at the world through everyone's eyes, but I have seen the world through some people's eyes (thanks to the fact that they blog).  We need to come up with a new word for the poor.  We cannot call people in this country, for the most part, poor.  We need a new word.

These people with their hands out and the "poor me" attitude need a name.  They're making it more difficult for actual poor people to get the help they really need.

562.  Sunshine
563.  Leaves just beginning to turn colors
564.  Pansies
565.  Hope 

9 comments:

  1. This makes me think of two things.  House Hunters and my family.  I always cringe when I watch House Hunters because these young couples buy these big huge homes expecting to "have it all" at such a young age.  I hate it!!  I'm no financial genius, I've made my mistakes and learned my lessons but I agree that everyone wants a McMansion without the hard hard work and self control it takes to get there.  Borrow borrow and figure it out later.  My family is a family of takers.  Every one of them doesn't want to work, wants to figure out a way for others to pay for their lives yet wants to splurge whatever they do have on things they want.  I can't explain enough my frustration with this kind of ideology.    

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  2. ha. kinda glad i dont live in your world and i do have the option to stick my hand out...like just recently when my previous employer used payroll to file bankruptcy leaving all the employees high and dry...and of course they are still eating 3 meals a day and driving nice cars while the rest of us couldnt even file unemployment because of the way they drug out the filing...did take a healthy pay cut just to keep working...i'll never hit a report though...i am def not saying there are not those that dont short cut the system....guess it happens on both sides...maybe i need to stop paying taxes and move the little money i have offshore...then i could run for president...smiles....

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  3. Haha, I did a double-take when I saw "pansies" as one of the things you're grateful for - I thought you were referring to the figurative pansies, as in the type of people you'd just been complaining about. Then I realised you most likely were simply referring to the flower :)

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  4. Thankful to be debt free outside of two mortgages and some extremely recent medical bills. Which reminds me, remember how I commented, not long ago, about how thankful I was for my AWESOME renters? Yeah, they're moving out this weekend. :(

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  5. I know the point of this wasn't that you are a former forensic chemist, but I want to hear more about that sometime.

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  6. Really good post.  You have nailed this down so well.  We have a different banking system in Canada, but as a people we are so so similar.

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  7. hmm.  Not nearly as exciting as NCIS makes it look.  And, it was quite a few years ago.  :)

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  8.  Oh, I know you aren't happy about this.  I will pray for you to find great new renters to come to your house.  Please pray our renters will go away without a court battle.  :)

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  9.  I just just give and don't ask...

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