The Wealthiest One Percent

Recently, in what was compared to a scene right out of Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged, the owner of a coal mine announced that he’s tired of having to put up with the government’s impossible demands and insatiable regulations. He says he’s giving up despite all the desperate job seekers who just want to feed their families and pay their mortgages. You can see the story here:

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/right-out-of-atlas-shrugged-hear-an-exasperated-alabama-businessman-tell-the-feds-im-just-quitting/

I don’t know about you but I am sick and tired of hearing about this nonsense. I am sick and tired of hearing the “unfortunate victims” of this country whine and cry about the ‘Wealthiest One Percent’ and I am completely fed up with left-wingers proclaiming that capitalism is evil.

There is a reason why the wealthiest citizens of American are well off. They may have inherited the money from a family member that amassed that wealth and they stay wealthy because they continue to invest their money wisely to get a good return. They may have gone to college and gotten a good education thus landing them a fantastic paying job. Or, they started with nothing and became entrepreneurs; taking risks, working their butts off, and making sacrifices. There is one common theme among most of these people: they sacrifice and work hard (or at least did at one point) and chances are they provide jobs for other people. Why shouldn’t they be allowed to retire, kick back, and enjoy the fruits of their labor? And why shouldn’t their spouses and children?  

However, it seems to me that the people who whine about wealthy people only see this elite class in stereotypes. For example, they envision celebrities or the wives of wealthy men walking around on Rodeo Drive buying expensive crap like $2500 pairs of shoes and $4500 purses. Or they imagine rich, greedy corporate executive in expensive suits with slicked-back hair that drive around in Jaguars and Mercedes.  Even though there are people like that out there, the whiners don’t stop to consider that people like that make up the minority of this country’s wealthy citizens. The majority of them get paid for their talents or the sacrifices they’ve made of their time and resources. So why are so many Americans trying to demonize them? Our Constitution makes it clear that, as long as we don’t deny others the same right, we are free to seek Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness as we see fit. What right does the government have to tax these people to death and overburden them by restrictions and regulations? Why are they being forced to pay much more than their fair share?

Now that I’ve discussed the wealthier class, I want to talk about the poorer classes. I’m not saying that all poor people are like this but from my experience (as a citizen and a person who runs a business), the ones who are complaining about this ‘one percent’ are lazy and refuse to take personal responsibility. These people have no initiative, they make excuses for their behavior, and they have little to no integrity. And I blame the government for breeding this entitlement mentality among them. Because of this, so many people have become dependent on the government to do everything for them. They have even found ways to manipulate the system. Of course, there are exceptions but I have yet to experience one personally.

The poor people of this country have role models like celebrity ODB (Old Dirty Bastard) who, in 1995, was still receiving food stamps and was shown driving to a check cashing establishment in a limousine with his family to cash his welfare check. In the video, he mocks our country by boasting that even though he’s a celebrity who has found success, he is still getting ‘free’ money from the government. By making this video, he is encouraging others to do the same. You can see the video here:

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=old+dirty+bastard+picking+up+welfare+check&view=detail&mid=B4AA091159D4B65FB602B4AA091159D4B65FB602&first=0&FORM=LKVR

What kind of society have we become that not only allows this to happen but finds it amusing? There are people in the video that make comments that what he’s done is not illegal and they agree that he should “get that money.”

You have to wonder what’s going on. Why is government trying so hard to push business owners out of business? Why is government increasingly making our country less attractive to entrepreneurs? Why do we have so many FEMA camps in our country? Why are our rights and freedoms being eroded at such an alarming rate? What is the real purpose behind the Patriot Act? Why is the military currently in training for Martial Law? Why is government spending so out of control? Why are there so many social programs that give away ‘free’ money and why is the current Administration getting away with legally bribing Americans to vote for their policies and support their endeavors in the form of stimulus payments? And what is with celebrities and politicians that back up this nonsense? Most of them are what is considered ‘filthy rich’ so why are they in favor of redistribution of wealth and social programs while they dodge the IRS and their obligations to the poorer class? It makes you suspicious when you take all these things into consideration and combine them with Obama’s continuous claims that the economy has improved during his Administration.

Speaking of these stimulus payments, this is often referred to as ‘Obama money’ and I was startled to discover that there are actually American citizens that don’t know where this money comes from. Watch the following video and you’ll see what I mean:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOZ-Etb0k0Q

This next video is further proof that the entitlement mentality is alive and well and that some Americans expect the government to pick up their tab:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P36x8rTb3jI&feature=related

But what about single mothers you ask? What about the disadvantaged? What about the elderly? Look, I’m against government intervention and social problems; not the idea that single mothers, disadvantaged, the elderly, etc. should get some assistance. But the assistance should not come from Big Brother. It should come from families, communities, churches, volunteering, and charitable giving.