Have Americans lost the sense of personal responsibility?

[Fosco33]

I've been thinking a lot lately about what is good and bad with the US. A lot of my thoughts come back to a singular point. My views come from a pragmatic, libertarian sentiment. When did we lose responsibility?

I'll generate a list of things that, as Peter Griffin said best, "really grinds my gears."

- Blaming video games, music, Internet and media for violence in youth
- Holding teachers to a 100% standard for student's poor performance
- Saying creditors and mortgage lenders are responsible for current housing issues
- Blaming pro athletes for performance enhancing drug use in schools
- Suing fast food companies for fat people's rights
- Expecting high income individuals to foot society's bill (taxation for expanded healthcare, heating subsidies, welfare, illegal immigration - healthcare/social security)
- Blaming credit card companies and marketers for our consumer product frenzy and wasteful spending
- Blaming corporations solely for environmental problems (Global Warming)
- Blaming illegal immigrants for coming to the US to work jobs people don't want without sufficient policy or corporate support to enforce the law
- Using the race/ethnicity/gender card

etc, etc, etc, etc.

When did we Americans become such wimps?
When did we lose our guts to call out our neighbors for being idiots?
When did we decide to pass our parental responsibility to everyone else?
When did we expect society to cover our ass for being uneducated, unprepared, lazy, fat SOBs?


Sometimes, I'd like to think maybe constant economic growth isn't such a great thing - and it's nearly impossible to continue economic growth without population growth. And there is a limit that the environment can support for max population - think disease and additional poverty from loss of water/food, lack of materials in general....

Maybe we should scrap many of our social programs, force people to live within their means, enforce our laws for immigration, take the hit on job losses and economic impacts for enforcing immigration and expanded environmental protections, privatize education with reimbursement but not management by the government, scrap a lot of the money spent on defense and focus on sustainable energy (and thus a non reliance on 3rd world countries that ultimately end up wanting to terrorize us).

If each person/family would take a bigger interest in personal responsibility, wouldn't society be better off? Or are we already on our way to full socialism and past the prime of our world power status?

[GoPackGo]

Re: Have Americans lost the sense of personal responsibility

Maybe we should scrap many of our social programs, force people to live within their means, enforce our laws for immigration, take the hit on job losses and economic impacts for enforcing immigration and expanded environmental protections, privatize education with reimbursement but not management by the government, scrap a lot of the money spent on defense and focus on sustainable energy (and thus a non reliance on 3rd world countries that ultimately end up wanting to terrorize us).

I agree. Now if we could get politicians that share these views.........

[HarveyWallbangers]

It's been heading this direction for a few decades, and it's only getting worse. I think a lot of people agree with you, but are too lazy to do anything about it (or they feel like they can't do much to change things).

[Partial]

Ron Paul, 2008. I agree with you 100% Fos

[Fosco33]

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

[Freak Out]

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

Your highlighted section is something I've been stressing for some time now. I do not agree with you on many of your beefs but I agree that BIG changes are needed. I believe our current form of Government is doomed unless massive reforms are instituted...it is rife with corruption and "the people" no longer have any meaningful control over it.
I do agree with you on our fellow Americans and the lack of personnel responsibility...financially and otherwise. What bothers me the most is that so many of our fellow citizens just don't care about what goes on in government, be it local or federal.

[Scott Campbell]

Re: Have Americans lost the sense of personal responsibility

- Saying creditors and mortgage lenders are responsible for current housing issues.

I agree with you mostly. But the above statement is true. It was stupid policy, and destined to play out exactly as it has.

[Deputy Nutz]

Research some of the stuff you claim that bothers you and get back to me. In theory, looking at them with the way you layed them out, I would agree, but digging into some of them, you realize how fucked up they actually are and in some cases a trap for people.

For the most part I agree, personal responsibility has taken a dump, especially with parenting, but I have dug into some those things and it changes my view from personal responsibility to bullshit practices that are upheld by our government.

[Deputy Nutz]

Re: Have Americans lost the sense of personal responsibility

- Using the race/ethnicity/gender card

Fosco, I don't know you personally but I assume that you are a white male, and this is always an easy statement coming from a white male to make.

I stopped making them when I became a women, well a man that dressed in women's underpants.

[the_idle_threat]

I agree with the Nutroll. Well, except for the dressing up in women's underwear part, but to each his own. :P

[MJZiggy]

Re: Have Americans lost the sense of personal responsibility

- Using the race/ethnicity/gender card

Fosco, I don't know you personally but I assume that you are a white male, and this is always an easy statement coming from a white male to make.

I stopped making them when I became a women, well a man that dressed in women's underpants.

So that explains that pained look you had on your face all weekend...

[Partial]

I definitely feel like people would rather bitch and moan then do something to fix these situations.

I think two of the biggest problems with our country are work ethic (non-existant in many people) and poor spending habits. People have no idea how to manage money, either.