May 1 has been declared, as in years past, to be "Law Day" by the American Bar Association. The theme this year, as outlined by the ABA, is "Realizing the Dream: Equality for All." The Dream being referenced by the theme this year is a reference to the "I Have a Dream" speech of Dr. Martin Luther King in 1963. Dr. King continually urged equal treatment of all individuals under the law and fought to end discrimination.
Although I take issue with many of the activities of the ABA, reasonable minds can surely agree that people ought to all be treated equally under the law. However, I believe that many individuals in this current day and age confuse equality and inalienable rights with entitlement.
The Declaration of Independence states, "that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with
certain unalienable rights like life, liberty and the pursuit of
happiness." So, as Americans, we are all free, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, national origin, religion, age, disability, and sexual orientation, to pursue happiness. This right does not, in my opinion, entitle us to anything beyond that ability.
Warning: The remainder of this post will contain harsh realities that may offend the sensibilities of the bleeding-hearts. Consume at your own risk.
For me, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, going to restaurants, playing golf, watching TV, traveling, etc. If I had my choice, those activities would consume all of my days. However, many of these activities cost money. I made choices in life and pursued a path that has allowed me to earn a comfortable living and partake in many of the life activities I enjoy. Through hard work, dedication, and commitment, the large majority of people in America can do the same.
That being said, there is not much on this Earth that makes me more angry than the thought of an able bodied welfare recipient sitting on their ass, taking bong rips, and playing video games. It is not necessarily their activity (or inactivity) that is so aggravating, but the ever-increasing attitude in this country that "I am entitled to this." WRONG.
You are entitled to life, not the life of the rich and famous. You are entitled to the liberty to pursue any life path you wish. If your life choice was to smoke meth, you are not entitled to a new iPhone. You are entitled to pursue happiness. If nice things make you happy, you are welcome to gain employment and purchase nice things. Further, you are even entitled to apply for work without fear of discrimination. However, if your qualifications for employment are terrible, you are not entitled to be hired.
This entitlement mentality is only perpetuated by our Federal and State Governments. Do you know that the government will tell you, to the day, when your unemployment benefits will expire? They should just write a letter:
"Dear Down-and-Out,
Your friendly government will take care of you until December 1, 2013. Please do not feel inclined to lift a finger until that time. Oh, I almost forgot, if you are unsuccessful in finding a job by that time, please let us know and we will extend your benefits."
Now, I am sure you are thinking "this guy is tough, there are people out there that legitimately need help." Trust me, I know this. I will tell you, without hesitation, that it is our duty as citizens to help those in need. However, I would much rather make that determination on my own and without government intervention. I have been handling my finances for quite a few years and it seems my budgeting and spending is far superior to that of the government.
Life can chew you up and spit you out. I suppose we could live in a socialist society and let the government dole out our monthly allowances and take care of our needs. But, what would be the reward to those that do persevere in the face of life challenges and succeed in their chosen life path? There would be none, because there would be no incentive to try. I think we, as a society, will suffer if we continue to remove incentives to actually pursuing happiness. Life is not fair. However, it should most certainly be unfair to everyone equally.
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Open Letter to Maggie Wilderotter
Dear Ms. Wilderotter,
I would like to share my most recent experience with your company, Frontier Communications. As CEO of Frontier Communications, I am certain you will be interested in the thoughts and concerns of one of your valued customers.
I receive my bills via email and recently received an email from your company. This email simply states that a bill is available and lists the total of this bill. I noticed, in my recent correspondence from your company, that my bill had increased by $6 from the previous month. As this seemed odd, I proceeded to your website to chat with a customer service representative.
The Customer service representative was most helpful. She informed me that all customers received notice of the increase on the previous month's bill. After I logged into my account, clicked on the previous month's bill, and scrolled down to page 4, I noticed the "Important Customer Information." That information was as follows:
"As one of our valued broadband customers, we are very
excited to report that over the last 24 months Frontier
has upgraded our broadband network to deliver greater
Internet speeds and capacity. This investment was made
to provide you with an improved customer experience.
We are also updating our broadband pricing plans to
offer multiple tiers of products and services designed to
respond to the differing needs of each and every
customer. As a result of these changes, we are
discontinuing older services and moving our customers to
one of our new service offerings. Please visit
www.frontier.com/FAQ or contact Customer Service at
888-638-5200 to discuss which of our current offers and
promotions will best meet your needs. Alternatively, if
we do not hear from you, effective with next month's bill
you will be moved to our Simply Broadband Max offering
that will continue to provide you with Frontier data
services, at one data service price (you will no longer see
additional charges for a modem fee or a high-speed
surcharge). The monthly cost for your new Simply
Broadband Max offering may result in an increase up to
$6.00. We look forward to continuing to meet all of your
communications needs."
It would strike me that there should have been a little more transparency with this change. Through no fault of my own, I apparently was not paying your company enough money. Now, this is a matter of opinion because I felt that the charge was not only sufficient, it was probably outrageously inflated. Anyway, my rate has apparently now increased and will continue to increase until I am paying you a satisfactory monthly fee. (Again, your opinion, not mine).
I suppose I will live in a perpetual state of uncertainty and just hope and pray that you do not decide that my monthly fee for internet should be one million dollars. I sure would not be able to afford that. I guess the point of my letter is, if you intend to increase my rates, maybe you could just send me an email and let me know? I think you should have my email address, after all you send my bill there every month. Thank you for your time and consideration.
I would like to share my most recent experience with your company, Frontier Communications. As CEO of Frontier Communications, I am certain you will be interested in the thoughts and concerns of one of your valued customers.
I receive my bills via email and recently received an email from your company. This email simply states that a bill is available and lists the total of this bill. I noticed, in my recent correspondence from your company, that my bill had increased by $6 from the previous month. As this seemed odd, I proceeded to your website to chat with a customer service representative.
The Customer service representative was most helpful. She informed me that all customers received notice of the increase on the previous month's bill. After I logged into my account, clicked on the previous month's bill, and scrolled down to page 4, I noticed the "Important Customer Information." That information was as follows:
"As one of our valued broadband customers, we are very
excited to report that over the last 24 months Frontier
has upgraded our broadband network to deliver greater
Internet speeds and capacity. This investment was made
to provide you with an improved customer experience.
We are also updating our broadband pricing plans to
offer multiple tiers of products and services designed to
respond to the differing needs of each and every
customer. As a result of these changes, we are
discontinuing older services and moving our customers to
one of our new service offerings. Please visit
www.frontier.com/FAQ or contact Customer Service at
888-638-5200 to discuss which of our current offers and
promotions will best meet your needs. Alternatively, if
we do not hear from you, effective with next month's bill
you will be moved to our Simply Broadband Max offering
that will continue to provide you with Frontier data
services, at one data service price (you will no longer see
additional charges for a modem fee or a high-speed
surcharge). The monthly cost for your new Simply
Broadband Max offering may result in an increase up to
$6.00. We look forward to continuing to meet all of your
communications needs."
It would strike me that there should have been a little more transparency with this change. Through no fault of my own, I apparently was not paying your company enough money. Now, this is a matter of opinion because I felt that the charge was not only sufficient, it was probably outrageously inflated. Anyway, my rate has apparently now increased and will continue to increase until I am paying you a satisfactory monthly fee. (Again, your opinion, not mine).
I suppose I will live in a perpetual state of uncertainty and just hope and pray that you do not decide that my monthly fee for internet should be one million dollars. I sure would not be able to afford that. I guess the point of my letter is, if you intend to increase my rates, maybe you could just send me an email and let me know? I think you should have my email address, after all you send my bill there every month. Thank you for your time and consideration.