I do believe it's time for me to rant, why, yes, I do.

These concepts of spreading the wealth and from each according to their abilities and to each according to their needs piss me right the hell off.  It's not simply because I'm selfish and want to hold onto what I have, it's because I do not understand why I should subsidize some loser.

tl,dr to follow:

By the time I was 8 years old, my parents knew I would be going to some kind of grad school.  College was a given, it was what kind of grad school that was the issue.  By the time I was 13, I knew that I had to study hard and stay out of trouble so that I could get into a good college where I would have to study hard and stay out of trouble so that I go get into a good law school.  And that's what I did.  I was valedictorian of my high school class.  I never got arrested.  I never got drunk.  I did get into a minor amount of trouble but nothing serious.

Then I went to college where I ended up with a triple major.  I worked my ass off and, instead of partying, I studied.  I was that boring loser that everyone wanted thrown out of the curve.  School was my job and I worked damn hard at it.  I graduated summa cum laude and first in my class. 

Then it was off to law school.  I attended a top 50 school on partial academic scholarship.  In the midst of this, my personal life utterly disintegrated and I was actually homeless for a few weeks.  But during it all, I worked hard and stayed in school.  I didn't go on welfare.  I didn't blame anyone but myself for my problems.  I made it through, graduated and then passed the bar first shot. 

During that time, I sold nearly everything I owned to make the rent, learned the many many many ways to make mac & cheese and became one with the local Salvation Army store for clothing and other household goods.  I was dirt poor but it never occurred to me that I should receive some kind of handout.  These were my choices and my consequences and I dealt with it.

I struggled for a very long time after law school but I always had at least one job and, often, two.  Yeah, my finances were a mess but I never declared bankruptcy.  I didn't think it was right when the problems were my own fault, not due an illness or some other tragedy.  I'm still in a hole because of bad decisions I made but I'm slowly working my way out. 

Now I'm making enough to make me one of those evil high income wage earners.  This is the culmination of decades of work and sacrifice on my part.  And, see, the thing is?  I'm not anyone special.  I don't think there is anythinig particularly noble on my part about my life.  This is how I was raised.  This is what people do.  If you want something, you work for it.  And if you work for it, then the odds are fairly good that you will reap the reward.  When life knocks you down, then you get back up and start over.

I'm single.  I have no children.  I don't own a house.  That means that I have no freaking deductions.  I'm going to have to pay for all of these grand giveaways.  And it pisses me off.  I'm sorry, but why on earth do I have to share what I've earned through my own work with someone who doesn't do so?  Why the hell should those who have abilities be forced to give to those who refuse to use their own?

Look, there are times everyone needs help.  I've been in the position of not knowing where my next meal will come from.  I've had to beg the landlords to let me pay them late.  I've had to live with the heat only turned up high enough to keep the pipes from freezing because I couldn't afford anything else.  I understand, I truly do.  But private charitable help for those who just need some bracing while they struggle up is an entirely different matter than government mandated giveaways.  The entitlement mentality that someone else has to make sure that I never suffer is devastating to individuality and freedom.  If you rely on someone else, you are never really free.  On top of that, it creates a disincentive for those who do work.  Why am I working only for someone else to get the benefit?

This presumption that self-motivated high achievers will continue working just because is false.  I am incredibly sympathetic to those who believe that now is the time to go John Galt.  Why on earth should I take care of those who won't take care of themselves?  And why am I the selfish one?  I find it incredibly selfish to expect someone else to care for me.

So, yes, I'm pissed.  I'm sick of being villified for simply acting like an adult and expecting others to do so as well.  I worked hard.  I studied hard.  I stayed out of trouble.  And my reward is to be punished for that?  Yeah.  It's a mystery why that would tick me off.

Posted by: alexthechick at 12:18 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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