Two things I've noticed about the current economic crisis that the country - and the rest of the world - is going through right now. Both have to do with people's attitudes. The first is that when times were good and money was flowing freely, nobody minded dipping their hands into the pot to get some for themselves. Now, though, when times are bad and money is tight, nobody wants to make any kind
of sacrifice, nobody wants to give back any of their profits. The second thing I noticed - and it's related to the first - is that everybody wants good schools and libraries and police and fire protection and all of the kind of stuff, but nobody wants to have to pay for it. Or if they do, they only want to pay for their own, and not for the guy next door or down the block or across town. And the thing that links these two attitudes together is greed, unfettered avarice, and the inability to see that if we are to live in communities then we must all pitch in to support the community in which we live. We need to be willing to pay for all of the services that the community as a whole enjoys, not just the ones that we are using right now. I've known many people who, once their children are grown, protest bitterly about having to pay taxes to support public schools. I know people who complain about having to support libraries on the argument that they don't use them and so shouldn't have to support them. I know people who complain bitterly about paying taxes, but complain even more bitterly about inadequate police or fire response time. And I personally know well-paid government employees who complain about having to pay taxes on the one hand, and on the other hand complain about the fact that they aren't getting a big enough raise this year. And when I hear all of this, I wonder how these people can be so ignorant of where the money comes from to pay for these things. They want the services they want when they want them, but they don't want to have to pay the price that it takes to make sure that those services are there when they want them. And that's just plain stupid. Similarly, when times were good and people were making money hand over fist, no one had any problem with the idea that they were borrowing for everything and running themselves into bankruptcy. But when the inevitable occurred and the crash came, no one wanted to pay the piper, no one was willing to cinch up their belts and accept the austerity that they themselves had created. And all of this because more and more people in this country,
as well as the world over, have begun to think that they are somehow owed the good life, that prosperity is an entitlement, and that austerity is something that other people may have to deal with but not them. And it's all, as I said, down to avarice. I got mine - you get your own! And now that austerity is needed, no one is willing to let their little piece of the pie get cut smaller. And worst of all are those with the largest pieces of the pie. They have more than they can ever use, yet they are the most reticent about giving up any of what they gained during the boom years. As though the level of avarice increases with the amount of wealth one accumulates. And since the ones who make the laws are generally speaking in the pockets of the ones who hold the most wealth, then there is precious little chance that the wealthy will ever have to chip in more than they currently are. And so the poor will get poorer, and so will the middle class. And the wealthy will continue to accumulate more and more and complain bitterly, as they do, that they are being asked to pay too much for the services that they demand. Poor rich people.
of sacrifice, nobody wants to give back any of their profits. The second thing I noticed - and it's related to the first - is that everybody wants good schools and libraries and police and fire protection and all of the kind of stuff, but nobody wants to have to pay for it. Or if they do, they only want to pay for their own, and not for the guy next door or down the block or across town. And the thing that links these two attitudes together is greed, unfettered avarice, and the inability to see that if we are to live in communities then we must all pitch in to support the community in which we live. We need to be willing to pay for all of the services that the community as a whole enjoys, not just the ones that we are using right now. I've known many people who, once their children are grown, protest bitterly about having to pay taxes to support public schools. I know people who complain about having to support libraries on the argument that they don't use them and so shouldn't have to support them. I know people who complain bitterly about paying taxes, but complain even more bitterly about inadequate police or fire response time. And I personally know well-paid government employees who complain about having to pay taxes on the one hand, and on the other hand complain about the fact that they aren't getting a big enough raise this year. And when I hear all of this, I wonder how these people can be so ignorant of where the money comes from to pay for these things. They want the services they want when they want them, but they don't want to have to pay the price that it takes to make sure that those services are there when they want them. And that's just plain stupid. Similarly, when times were good and people were making money hand over fist, no one had any problem with the idea that they were borrowing for everything and running themselves into bankruptcy. But when the inevitable occurred and the crash came, no one wanted to pay the piper, no one was willing to cinch up their belts and accept the austerity that they themselves had created. And all of this because more and more people in this country, 
as well as the world over, have begun to think that they are somehow owed the good life, that prosperity is an entitlement, and that austerity is something that other people may have to deal with but not them. And it's all, as I said, down to avarice. I got mine - you get your own! And now that austerity is needed, no one is willing to let their little piece of the pie get cut smaller. And worst of all are those with the largest pieces of the pie. They have more than they can ever use, yet they are the most reticent about giving up any of what they gained during the boom years. As though the level of avarice increases with the amount of wealth one accumulates. And since the ones who make the laws are generally speaking in the pockets of the ones who hold the most wealth, then there is precious little chance that the wealthy will ever have to chip in more than they currently are. And so the poor will get poorer, and so will the middle class. And the wealthy will continue to accumulate more and more and complain bitterly, as they do, that they are being asked to pay too much for the services that they demand. Poor rich people.
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