The Lack of Shame
The Lack of Shame
121107 jn
This is a true story. It happened exactly as described.
It was around noon on election day, November 6, 2012. I was sitting in McDonalds. A group of old retired men were enthusiastically talking about the election... saying nothing of note, but with much ignorance and stupidity. I stayed out of it. An employee of McDonalds was clearing a nearby table and quietly said to me, "This has been going on all day... I can't wait for this election to be over."
A couple was waiting in line. They were a typical, mid-forties, white, middle class couple. They were listening to the old guys discussing the election and the state of the union in general.
One of the retired guys said something negative about "Obama-Care" and the middle-class white guy in line turned to him suddenly and said, "Oh yeah, well I'll have you know that if it wasn't for Obama's healthcare plan, I wouldn't have any health insurance right now."
This silenced the old guys. He continued, appearing to speak to the room in general, "Obama made it possible for me to cut the cost of my insurance by over 80%, so I voted for him again."
The entire room was silent. Nobody said a word. Before I knew what I was doing, I heard myself addressing him.
"You actually sound like you're proud of that", I said.
"You're damn right I am," he replied indignantly.
"In other words, you're proud of the fact that instead of paying for your health insurance yourself, you and Obama have ganged up on ME and have forced me, at the point of a gun, to pay for part of your health insurance. You're actually PROUD of the fact that you are mooching off of me and all those people working behind the counter in McDonald's... that you're part of a gang that is using the power of the government to FORCE us to pay for your healthcare. Instead of feeling ashamed... instead of bowing your head and cowering in front of all the people you are depending on to pay for your healthcare insurance... instead of meekly thanking them for the sacrifices they are being forced to make in order to benefit YOU... instead, you stand there claiming that you're PROUD! What do you have to be PROUD of? Are you proud of the fact that you're unable or unwilling to take care of yourself? Are you proud of the fact that you're stealing part of their wages for your own personal greed? No... shame is what you should feel. Disgrace... embarassment... and gratitude... along with a strong dose of remorse... because YOU can't or won't take care of yourself and so you joined a mob of others who can't or won't take care of themselves... and together you've figured out how to force US to take care of you. Shame on you."
Nobody said a word. The guy was stunned and his wife stood there mortified. The room was absolutely silent for a moment, then one of the retired guys started clapping... and within a few seconds, he was joined by another... then by someone across the restaurant... and pretty soon it sounded like the entire restaurant was applauding.
I had delivered my little sermon while still seated at my table. I remained seated and looked down at my meal... angry at myself for having lost my temper and butting in rather than minding my own damn business.
Within a minute or so, the room quieted down again and everyone went about their business, pretending nothing had happenned.
Then I heard the guy quietly say to the McDonald's counter person, "Can I change my order... I'd like that, to-go please."
121107 jn
This is a true story. It happened exactly as described.
It was around noon on election day, November 6, 2012. I was sitting in McDonalds. A group of old retired men were enthusiastically talking about the election... saying nothing of note, but with much ignorance and stupidity. I stayed out of it. An employee of McDonalds was clearing a nearby table and quietly said to me, "This has been going on all day... I can't wait for this election to be over."
A couple was waiting in line. They were a typical, mid-forties, white, middle class couple. They were listening to the old guys discussing the election and the state of the union in general.
One of the retired guys said something negative about "Obama-Care" and the middle-class white guy in line turned to him suddenly and said, "Oh yeah, well I'll have you know that if it wasn't for Obama's healthcare plan, I wouldn't have any health insurance right now."
This silenced the old guys. He continued, appearing to speak to the room in general, "Obama made it possible for me to cut the cost of my insurance by over 80%, so I voted for him again."
The entire room was silent. Nobody said a word. Before I knew what I was doing, I heard myself addressing him.
"You actually sound like you're proud of that", I said.
"You're damn right I am," he replied indignantly.
"In other words, you're proud of the fact that instead of paying for your health insurance yourself, you and Obama have ganged up on ME and have forced me, at the point of a gun, to pay for part of your health insurance. You're actually PROUD of the fact that you are mooching off of me and all those people working behind the counter in McDonald's... that you're part of a gang that is using the power of the government to FORCE us to pay for your healthcare. Instead of feeling ashamed... instead of bowing your head and cowering in front of all the people you are depending on to pay for your healthcare insurance... instead of meekly thanking them for the sacrifices they are being forced to make in order to benefit YOU... instead, you stand there claiming that you're PROUD! What do you have to be PROUD of? Are you proud of the fact that you're unable or unwilling to take care of yourself? Are you proud of the fact that you're stealing part of their wages for your own personal greed? No... shame is what you should feel. Disgrace... embarassment... and gratitude... along with a strong dose of remorse... because YOU can't or won't take care of yourself and so you joined a mob of others who can't or won't take care of themselves... and together you've figured out how to force US to take care of you. Shame on you."
Nobody said a word. The guy was stunned and his wife stood there mortified. The room was absolutely silent for a moment, then one of the retired guys started clapping... and within a few seconds, he was joined by another... then by someone across the restaurant... and pretty soon it sounded like the entire restaurant was applauding.
I had delivered my little sermon while still seated at my table. I remained seated and looked down at my meal... angry at myself for having lost my temper and butting in rather than minding my own damn business.
Within a minute or so, the room quieted down again and everyone went about their business, pretending nothing had happenned.
Then I heard the guy quietly say to the McDonald's counter person, "Can I change my order... I'd like that, to-go please."
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When governments discovered debt it was a dream solution, it enabled handouts, but there seemed to be no downside as taxes did not have to rise (in the short term). There is no pleasure greater than spending other people's money. The handouts and debt just go on and up. At some point a government finds it cannot roll-over loans when they become due.
This is happening in Europe for some southern countries. The German government imposed a few conditions then lent even more, tho' their public is critical.
Should this happen to the US, there is only China that can come up with cash of the amount needed.
There would be a 'price' to pay.
Side note- what did China do to their economy to grow so fast and have spare cash? They brought in capitalism, tho' not democracy.
Capitalism is an economic system only (not a social system), which provides goods and services. It has the advantage that it allows the freedom to consistantly inprove the goods and services available, by providing rewards for the efforts. However it also creates a burden on society - it requires infrastructure and resources (human, manmade and natural). If it doesn't address this burden with a sense of responsibility and accountability, that burden is magnified.
We must stop being selfish and interpreting the Constitution in selfish ways - read the Preamble it defines the Constitution as the social compass of the American Society and the Social Consciousness of American Capitalism.
She... uh... lives in Canada. Yeah, Canada.
The retired and on a fixed income citizens are the ones who are going to pay dear for those who refuse to have good work ethics.
DON'T BE AFRAID TO NAME THE ISSUE. Remember the power of a moral sanction -- or the withdrawal of same.
All that is necessary for evil to triumph is that good men do nothing.
It easier when young and healthy to think things will never make you change what you think the world should be like. It took friends to drag me to file for help. So if you want me say thank you, I am willing to say it. Also one think that many people seem to forget she spoke of Looters and those who get laws change so they can take from those who create wealth. Not just make up ways to steal other people retirement. I see the government and Wall Street are more that kind. No, I do not belong in Gulch. But I still want the third film to come to big screen. It a world I wish did live.
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Posted by kyates3 4 days, 6 hours ago
I'm currently a college student studying engineering. Yes, I got scholarships for school tuition, but I still work as much as I can to make it. During the summer I worked two jobs and literally never took a day off except a few days where I was ill. My dad died when I was young, and my mom worked three jobs to support her three children; my sister, my brother, and I. To moochers like that guy, I would like to give them a swift kick in the ass.
Reply | Permalink now its very sad /evil that education is set by a mindless green /political agenda than facts ..which shows the dumbing down the whole of a nation to knuckle dragging cavemen aka dark age in the making !
4. Do not do any business with them.
One is that I found this link on my brothers page. His kids were paid for by the state. His lack of taking care of himself has caused him I'll health. He is currently a healthcare moocher. My brother and many other people I know seem to think that they are of the 1% and support a lot of policy that would leave them completely destitute. I found out earlier today that when my brother was in high school he would sit on the street corner and talk to himself and then not go to school. His support of this kind of rhetoric just shows his mental issues.
Next on the shame list are insurance companies who have priced citizens out of insurance and cancelled policies of those that are sick to give ridiculous bonuses to CEOs. Shame, shame indeed
1. Confront bragging moochers.
2. Refuse to do business with moochers. (thanks Timelord)
Please add to the list everyone!
Our small country is tied financially and culturally to Greece. It tends to vote left, like Greece, it has a high dependency on government for jobs, pensions and a quiet life.
The goal of many Cypriots is to get a job with the government, indeed there is a long waiting list to get a job for life with no strife.
However, the Greek crisis has spilled over to our island and we are about to get the biggest bail out per head of population ever.
Like all European Union countries, the population has been bottle fed on dependency, my warning to all my friends in the USA is - don't go there - every penny you give in welfare will cost you a thousand dollars to get back.
Entitlement is the worse investment that you will ever make.
I love Cyprus, I want to live long enough to see a better more independent country, that is a hard enough task for us with just 800,000 people living here. I don't want to think how hard it will be for you my friends with your large and fast growing population do not go the euro way.
And when it came to those "unfortunate circumstances", as it turns out they were all avoidable and came about because of a series of poor choices on his part.
I met him through a mutual friend (after his 3rd bankruptcy) after he moved back to my state from AZ. He was coming back here to live with his sister and brother-in-law so he could get free medical care for a number of chronic conditions. He was always complaining how long he had to wait for free appointments,how he spent hours in the waiting room and how hard it was to schedule surgeries.
A couple of times I tried to have conversations where I gently tried to get him to realize that his medical care wasn't FREE and that he was actually forcing me to pay for his care through my taxes and higher medical costs. He never got it.
He was pretty good company, and an excellent handy-man, so I paid him to do some interior painting, repair some cracks in the walls, replace a light switch or two and to mouse-proof, rewire, insulate and put up new wallboard in a special-purpose outbuilding on my property. He did quality work - but he asked me to make the checks out to his sister because if his bank account showed incoming money it would affect his free medical care and his impending admission to the rolls of social security disability. I refused to be a party to that and made the check out to him.
It was shortly after that when I decided that I didn't value his companionship or his handy-man skills as much as I valued my own integrity. I hired someone else to finish the job.
Our mutual friend told me about a year after that that he'd declared his 4th bankruptcy, had his new car repossessed and had been accepted into SSI disability (even though he can work). I said, "Thanks for the update but I don't really want to talk about Dennis. I'm too disgusted by his behavior."
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