The Entitlement Mentality

I'm reading a book by Dr. Ben Carson. Dr. Carson is retired now, but he is a gifted neurosurgeon who has done lots of pro bono work. Dr. Carson says that more doctors would do this type of work if it weren't for the attitudes of many of their charity patients. He says that many, not all, of the patients who aren't spending a dime for their care are much more demanding, unreasonable, and apt to file lawsuits than those who are paying themselves or relying on insurance for which they, themselves, pay the premiums.

Dave Ramsey echoes that sentiment. Someone wrote to him asking if he thought investing in rental properties with the aim of participating in the Section 8 program was a good idea. Ramsey discouraged it. His own personal experience, he said, was that "some Section 8 folks have a real entitlement mentality and can be unreasonable to deal with." It's also hard to get them out of the property once they've taken up residence. He said he got tired of the Section 8 thing pretty quickly and wouldn't go back to it.

So there you have it from the frontlines.