The government has to do everything for me.

It looks like Barack Obama may be elected President of the United States. If he is, I can tell you the reason why. Our citizens have been indoctrinated with the attitude that government is there to take care of them. To paraphrase Joe the Plumber who was on television yesterday morning, "When I was a kid, my mom and dad gave me an allowance. The government is not my mom and dad!"

Here's an example of what I'm talking about. There was a letter to the editor in yesterday's newspaper. Stacey Patterson of Dallas says he is worried about the economy. He is 27 years old and either a freshman or sophomore in college (he says he will transfer next year to a 4-year institution). He doesn't say why he's still in college at age 27 when most students have their degrees and are either in the workforce or graduate school at that age. He says his school is being paid for by grants, but he's afraid the grants won't cover it all, and if student loans are scarce, he doesn't know how he'll pay for college. He says if he can't graduate, that will be the ultimate failure for him.

First of all, if he's getting grants, he's much better off than thousands of other students who get no grants. Those students do something called working and paying their own way through. Second, he hasn't even applied for a loan yet, so he doesn't know whether or not he'll be able to get one. Third, he's throwing himself a massive pity party -- "If I cannot graduate, that will be the ultimate failure to me." Get a grip, Stacey! If you don't have the money, then take a year or two off, work and save, and then go back and finish. If you give up that easily, your worries about failure are probably going to be self-fulfilling. Fourth, quit relying on the government to pay your way through life. Get a spine and some self-reliance!

And fifth, if you're worried about the economy, you better vote for McCain!

"Well of student loans drying up." The Dallas Morning News; October 25, 2008; p. 16A.