President Obama, since his inauguration, has fueled the fire of class warfare by insisting that wealthy Americans pay "their fair share". The frequency with which he alludes to this - either verbatim or indirectly - in his campaign speeches is as comical as it is predictable.
His Democrat cohorts in both houses of Congress have beat the class envy drum by harping on the supposition that "the rich" do not pay a proportionately fair percentage of the nation's tax burden. Although the nation is some fifteen trillion dollars in debt, lawmakers - especially those on the left - have proven time and again that they are unwilling to take the political chance to rein in spending which will require vast changes to America's entitlement programs. Meanwhile, the wealthiest Americans, who already pay a grotesquely disproportionate share of the country's taxes, are continually vilified and told that they need to pay more.
Watching the protesters camped out on Wall Street in recent days, one cannot help but to be struck by how similar their message (however incoherent it may be) resembles that of President Obama, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi and most of the rest of the Democrats. Throughout history, there have been struggles between the "haves" and the "have nots". The "have nots" have always managed to blame the "haves" for the fact that the former possess less in terms of material wealth than do the latter.
But, consider for a moment that it may more appropriately be referred to as a battle between the "wills" and the "will nots". Tough economic times, as we have experienced for the past three years, demand that people work harder, more creatively, and smarter in order to give themselves an edge over the competition. If a person loses his job and he is truly a capable individual, he has an obligation to get out there, market his skills, and sell himself to prospective employers. The problem with America today is that far too many people fall into one of two categories (neither of them good): They want to either play the role of victim and blame corporate America for their misfortune or they want to take advantage of the situation and use it as a reason to suckle off of the government teat.
A press release from one of the organizations sponsoring the protest indicates that they want to "...help one another succeed." Well, here's news for you, folks: You need to get out and MAKE it happen. Your mission, however noble, is akin to praying to God for a million dollars then blaming Him because you haven't attained it. Praying is fine; more people should do it. But God isn't going to make it happen without your putting forth some effort of your own.
If the Wall Street protesters were to expend as much energy making themselves presentable, updating their resumes, networking, and doing "whatever it takes" as they are expending camping out in the streets of Manhattan, they'd all have jobs.
Get with the program, people. Quit wallowing in self-pity because you are a "will not".
Get out there, show some will, and BE a "will".
James Sharp is a middle-aged, middle-class, middle-management salesman who believes in secure borders and fighting our enemies with a strong military. He also believes in limited government, free markets, and unlimited opportunity and personal liberties for all citizens of the U.S.
