Sunday, May 29, 2011

Stunned

At about 5:55 AM as I was finishing my shift and waiting to punch out I got a call that Dad was going to the hospital.

Fifteen minutes later I got another call; he was gone.

Except for his paralysis he was healthy until the end. This is more of a shock than my mother's death because she was semi-comatose for about 3 months and we knew it was close.

I saw Dad and was laughing with him just a few days ago.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Michigan Once Again

Once again Michigan leads the way, to the shame and humiliation of all in this state.

We not only have two of the ten most dangerous cities in America but we have number one and number two.

Flint, which is about a half hour away from and Detroit.

Now both cities have things to recommend them but this is drowned by crime.

Saginaw and Pontiac are also cities I avoid.

A few years ago I wrote a rather long post on the link between poverty and crime, that poverty alone could not account for high crime because of the number of poor people who never commit crimes and the number of wealthy and affluent people who do. Most crimes committed the poor and crimes committed by the not poor have the same cause -- a sense of entitlement.

I am entitled to this woman's love and respect so I will beat it out of her.

I am entitled to more fun and my baby holds me back so I will kill it.

I am entitled to a hot car like this so I will take it.

I am entitled to more money and if I can't get it legally so I will just take it.

I am rich and entitled to anything I want.


and so on and so forth.

We have schools, college-professors, unions, social workers, and even a few badly misguided preachers telling people that they are entitled to certain things and when they are not forthcoming people take it for themselves from others. After all --- they are entitled.

We are not entitled to our next breath or our next meal. Good-hearted people will do what they can for the less fortunate but it is an act of Charity not Entitlement. Acts of Charity on the individual level should be encouraged and praised but a sense of entitlement should never be encouraged and needs to be stamped out.