I Want to Give My Generation a Swift Kick In the Ass Sometimes
I have some fiscal and political tidbits I'd like to point out to some of my fellow millennials:
1) It's great when you're voting in elections! You're an active part of the political process. However, you might want to start really thinking about who you vote for. Many millennials are voting for candidates who promise things like free healthcare, free university, free phones, free beer, free kittens, free everything. Who doesn't like free stuff, right?! I'll tell you who: the taxpayers who have to pick up the tab out of their paychecks that they worked to earn. On the subject of taxpayer liability, it's commonplace that many people in my generation are very supportive of expanding welfare and food stamp benefits. Well, that's all good and well, IF it's for someone who genuinely needs it, like paraplegics and people with severe disabilities who cannot support themselves. However, you give everyone and their uncle a check just so they can sit on their asses all day, guess what? The economy will collapse because you have people leeching off the system and not enough tax revenue coming in. And I can't count how many times I've heard this one: "Why don't we raise taxes then?" Erm, instead, how about freeloaders get off their asses, get jobs and quit expecting to get bailed out by people who already work 70 hour weeks and still struggle to get by? Think about that next time you vote for a politician who promises you free rent and food if you feel like flipping burgers is beneath you. You may have learned about how wonderful socialism is from your college professors, but this does not bear the slightest resemblance to how the real world works.
2) We've all seen the undercover petition-pushers who go to college campuses trying to get students to sign petitions for causes such as limiting air time for people like Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck. If you support such a thing and still claim to love the First Amendment, guess what? You're a flaming hypocrite. Freedom of speech is extended to EVERYBODY. That's right, EVERYBODY. Not just the people you agree with. Grow some cojones and accept that some people are going to dissent from your opinion. If you can't tolerate dissent, move to a country where it's illegal, like North Korea.
Now a couple of social and personal issues:
1) If you're 16 and you want to kill yourself because the love of your life you've been with for two months has left you, I have news for you: You're in for one hell of a tough life. Imagine finding your spouse of 35 years wants a divorce and half of everything you own.
2) If you get a job at Burger King and think it's unfair that you should have to sweep the floors at the end of the night because it's "not part of your job", you're *really* in for a tough life.
3) Bill Gates said it best: you won't be a vice president with a Mercedes until you earn both. You're not going to get a $75,000 a year job right out of high school.
I'll finish with this little tidbit: Of course I know not every millennial in the world thinks this way. Many of the people I know my age work hard and have families they support. But a lot of millennials do think this way. So here's my advice to you: Quit acting entitled. The world owes you NOTHING until you go work for it. So stop expecting the government to take care of you because you don't want to sweat a little bit. "I have anxiety" is a cop-out. Everyone has some measure of anxiety, and only a select few actually have it bad enough that they can't work. For everyone else, suck it up. Go, get a job and suffer through some cold sweats. Society will respect you more for at least trying. And yeah, life sucks sometimes. GET OVER IT. Quit whining when life kicks you down, get off your ass and keep pushing forward.
I want to sincerely thank anyone who's read this all the way through. I realize I do sound pretty miserly throughout this whole story, but I have a bad habit of getting on a soapbox once I get started.
1) It's great when you're voting in elections! You're an active part of the political process. However, you might want to start really thinking about who you vote for. Many millennials are voting for candidates who promise things like free healthcare, free university, free phones, free beer, free kittens, free everything. Who doesn't like free stuff, right?! I'll tell you who: the taxpayers who have to pick up the tab out of their paychecks that they worked to earn. On the subject of taxpayer liability, it's commonplace that many people in my generation are very supportive of expanding welfare and food stamp benefits. Well, that's all good and well, IF it's for someone who genuinely needs it, like paraplegics and people with severe disabilities who cannot support themselves. However, you give everyone and their uncle a check just so they can sit on their asses all day, guess what? The economy will collapse because you have people leeching off the system and not enough tax revenue coming in. And I can't count how many times I've heard this one: "Why don't we raise taxes then?" Erm, instead, how about freeloaders get off their asses, get jobs and quit expecting to get bailed out by people who already work 70 hour weeks and still struggle to get by? Think about that next time you vote for a politician who promises you free rent and food if you feel like flipping burgers is beneath you. You may have learned about how wonderful socialism is from your college professors, but this does not bear the slightest resemblance to how the real world works.
2) We've all seen the undercover petition-pushers who go to college campuses trying to get students to sign petitions for causes such as limiting air time for people like Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck. If you support such a thing and still claim to love the First Amendment, guess what? You're a flaming hypocrite. Freedom of speech is extended to EVERYBODY. That's right, EVERYBODY. Not just the people you agree with. Grow some cojones and accept that some people are going to dissent from your opinion. If you can't tolerate dissent, move to a country where it's illegal, like North Korea.
Now a couple of social and personal issues:
1) If you're 16 and you want to kill yourself because the love of your life you've been with for two months has left you, I have news for you: You're in for one hell of a tough life. Imagine finding your spouse of 35 years wants a divorce and half of everything you own.
2) If you get a job at Burger King and think it's unfair that you should have to sweep the floors at the end of the night because it's "not part of your job", you're *really* in for a tough life.
3) Bill Gates said it best: you won't be a vice president with a Mercedes until you earn both. You're not going to get a $75,000 a year job right out of high school.
I'll finish with this little tidbit: Of course I know not every millennial in the world thinks this way. Many of the people I know my age work hard and have families they support. But a lot of millennials do think this way. So here's my advice to you: Quit acting entitled. The world owes you NOTHING until you go work for it. So stop expecting the government to take care of you because you don't want to sweat a little bit. "I have anxiety" is a cop-out. Everyone has some measure of anxiety, and only a select few actually have it bad enough that they can't work. For everyone else, suck it up. Go, get a job and suffer through some cold sweats. Society will respect you more for at least trying. And yeah, life sucks sometimes. GET OVER IT. Quit whining when life kicks you down, get off your ass and keep pushing forward.
I want to sincerely thank anyone who's read this all the way through. I realize I do sound pretty miserly throughout this whole story, but I have a bad habit of getting on a soapbox once I get started.
31-35, M