One of the most dangerous words in the English language is "entitlement." It helped create, and continues to fuel, the current economic meltdown. It underscores a dangerous lack of accountability and honesty by some of our leaders - and ourselves.
A county government official recently told me that just the "pension obligations owed to firefighters and police" were keeping him up at night. One thing that so many large employers have in common - from car companies, to the U.S. Postal Service, to local governments - is massive pension obligation that are wreaking havoc on their bottom lines and threatening their viability.
But why should anyone be "entitled" to a pension? The fact is, the vast majority of Americans have no access to a pension, do not expect one, and will never get one. And if they don't get a pension for the hard work and long hours they put in, why should a shrinking minority be "entitled" to one?
I would argue that, although police and firefighters are deserving, in our current economic climate no one other than career military members are "entitled" to a pension. If you are a member of Congress who currently gets a very generous pension and free health insurance for life, I ask you: "Why, when you are paid by the people, are you entitled to something your constituents will never get?"
Another truth that must be addressed is this: No one is "entitled" to own a home. In a prior and more sane time, generations of Americans knew that without a substantial down payment, good credit and a realistic income, they were not going to own a home. They would be renters until their financial status changed. Politicians in search of votes, bankers in search of profit, and Americans looking for something for nothing, changed that unbreakable rule and helped fast-track millions of their fellow citizens into financial ruin.
Lack of leadership exacerbates the problem. When I worked for then-
Sen. Bob Dole, Republican of Kansas, several times a day I would walk past a handwritten note by Gen.
Dwight D. Eisenhower - a note that said it all about leadership and responsibility. Just before D-Day and the Normandy invasion, Eisenhower drafted the brief note should the landings fail. As D-Day was a success, the remarks were never delivered. General Eisenhower was prepared to say:
"Our landing