Of all the shortcomings that exist among America’s entitlement radicals, the most infuriating is that they never say thanks. They threw those words in the trash bin when they decided that they were entitled to everything, even if they did not earn it. Psychologically, it takes a bit of humility to be grateful, but it is humanizing. When I get something or ask for something I usually try to say thanks. But I’m only human, so I occasionally forget. The radicals don’t forget – they just reject the concept.
Their philosophy does not allow them to recognize feelings of gratitude; they go out of their way to avoid them. One way is to convince oneself that no one is doing anything for you; they’re just providing what they owe you. It’s even easier if you go a step further and adopt the attitude that they are always cheating you. Saying thank you to someone who cheats you would be degrading; therefore, an entitlement radical accepting something is only a signal to demand more.
That’s exactly what’s happening in San Francisco where groups of rabble-rousers are angry with the successful high-tech workers for … well, for being successful high-tech workers. They have expressed this dissatisfaction by protesting against the free bus rides tech companies provide to transport their employees to and from work, throwing rocks at the workers and threatening them with profanity-laced fliers warning them to “get out.” Naturally, when confronted over their senseless attitude they depersonalize their unhappiness.
We are not angry with the workers, they say – we are angry with the companies that employ them. But why?
Well, according to the newspaper article, they object to the high salaries, benefits and rewards the employers give their valuable employees because the employees can then choose to use their good income to pay higher rents. Naturally, they argue, this drives up rents and puts the protesters out on the street.
Of course, most pre-June 1979 rental construction in San Francisco is under rent control; even some illegal in-law units and units not built to code have limited rent control, and many renters get housing subsidies. However, there are provisions that allow some rent-controlled units to be converted to condominiums. Higher rents, no doubt, displace some, but many of those tenants have been paying below market-rate rents for decades. At some point, they have to say thanks and move on.
Obviously, that does not keep those who believe they are entitled from demanding more merely for showing up in one of the most expensive cities in North America. The philosopher says, “I think; therefore, I am.” The protester says, “I’m here; therefore, you owe me.”
I don’t have access to the well-dressed protester’s tax returns, but taking them at their word, they are probably paid less than those high-tech workers who have poured untold billions into the state and federal tax coffers. Where do those billions go?
Of $145 billion in the FY2013-2014 California state budget, the largest share, $46 billion, goes to Health and Human Services, which dwarfs everything but free universal K-12 Education at $40 billion. On average, those doing well are paying lots of taxes and those doing poorly are paying little – if any – while receiving valuable public assistance including housing or rent subsidies paid for by the very people sitting in those buses being threatened and blocked by the protesters.
Those protesters should be holding signs that say thank you. If you are a bitter, hateful radical, however, the words thank you are not in your vocabulary.
