Burlington High School

Burlington, Kansas

Teacher: Mrs. Devra Parker

Lazy Responsibility

Andrea Decker

12^th Grade

Many Americans value this great country of ours and claim [they would] do anything for her. But how far will people go? Why do most people believe that their personal responsibility is standing up every week to say The Pledge of Allegiance? Because that’s just it; not many people will do more than that, thinking they’re doing something great for this land of golden and ample opportunity. Some Americans are, as many other countries state plainly, “lazy”, not just in our physical activity levels or house cleaning ability, but in our responsibility, too.

Of course, not many people complain about this, mostly because they don’t even realize it. Sure, giving a homeless person on the street some money is doing something, but in a little while, that person will be back to nothing again, homeless on the street without a job, begging for food and shelter. Someone looking for an employee could maybe offer them some sort of minimum-wage work, simple enough for a child to do, couldn’t they? But no one ever does. No one offers them a place to stay and eat, either, unless it is a child that they can care for as one of their own. If everyone could do something so great for our country by giving work to people who need it, then this country would sure be a lot better off.

But we’re all America’s children. We should do more than one little favor every once in a while to help one another out. To me, that’s more personal responsibility than anything.

Of course, we as Americans can be incredibly selfish, too. Even the most selfless of people has to think more for themselves and their family before they think of others that have absolutely nothing compared to them. Sure, all of us could recycle, but who has the time? Who has the patience? Who will actually “waste” minutes of their life sorting paper, plastic, and glass into organized bins that might actually earn he/she a couple of pennies and save a few animals?

The person with the most personal responsibility is, of course, The President of the United States. He, who has to control, regulate, and confirm new laws that affects everyone in the country, must always try and look out for the welfare of our country, no matter what his people may think about him. He does only what he can, makes less than a professional basketball player, and still shows the greatest love for our country by agreeing to lead us. And yet, Americans still manage to blame him for all our problems in life. That’s completely the opposite of responsibility.

Although, there are a few people out there who actually do try. They clean other people’s homes or cars, they watch each other’s children while the other goes out, and some even offer the homeless a twenty every time they see one, just because they know they’re less fortunate. People donate to everything they can think of because they know that people out there need it. Some people even adopt children from other countries, or from helpless orphanages around our great mother country, herself. Every once in a while, there’s a person around who deserves something back from the country because they give so much of themselves, yet maintain enough to live off of comfortably, and that definitely constitutes an award. Probably no one, though, utters even the tiniest of a “thank you.” It’s ridiculous!

Reporting people doing illegal activities could also constitute for responsibility, though everyone does it, anyway. Since everything we own is something we’ve almost guaranteed earned is not something we wish to have stolen, then a burglar is almost certain to be turned in. People do it more for themselves and less for their country, and that is a national tragedy. People have got to become less self-centered. Nab the crook because he’s doing others wrong, not because you’re scared for your own possessions!

America needs to become less egocentric, and a little more like the people mentioned above. Doing your part counts; it counts for the person it’s helping, you, even the country, because that’s one less problem off their hands. Yes, everyone’s going to have their problems, but America is not just a national responsibility anymore. People need to realize that there’s more to living in a country than just living here.

Personal responsibility is not just about helping people, though; it’s about showing the country you live in just how much you care about it, and that you would do just about anything to make sure it succeeds. Our country’s doing great so far, but there needs to be a boosted effort on everyone’s part. Even the children could begin to learn at a young age what...they can do...for our country; what we can do to show our appreciation for having a free-spirited country to live in.

Answers To Questions Prompted By The Required Reading

Q1- Why does Machan use "steal" in his statement: "Private property solves this problem, but was abandoned a long time ago when taxes reached the point where we can steal our way to being provided with all sorts of things we desire, never mind thinking about paying for them or long-range budgeting."?

 

As a country, we are economically in situation where we all feel as though it is the government’s job to provide us with such valuables as public sports, and the places and equipment to actually play such sports.  However, what we don’t realize is that by taking the funding that is spread out among hundreds of thousands of organizations that use up this money, we cannot afford to keep funding all of them. By expecting the local, state and federal government to provide us with these programs we are “stealing” the possessions that we desire. Yet we never contribute more of our money to help pay for such programs or budget the nation’s tax money to go to the organizations that really matter, such as paying off national debt and getting more money to the nation’s school.

 

Q2- Machan said: "For that which is common to the greatest number has the least care bestowed upon it." Give two examples of this from your personal experience.

 

When I and only I had done a certain assignment right in fifth grade, and my teacher, Mrs. Podraberac, gave only me the snack food. I felt like I was the greatest person in the class, and because of my single victory, I will never forget it. No one else had done so.

 

I had also contributed to a homeless man’s wellbeing in Topeka. There was a jam of cars all the way to the ramp, and down it to the highway. This man, dirty and unshaven, stood at the very top of the ramp on the corner, where as many as twenty cars ignored him, passing him as if he wasn’t even there. I felt like a million bucks when I went up to him and was the first person to actually give him money for food. After I had done so, though, I witnessed a lot of people in other cars begin searching through their purses. I suppose I was a reminder of their conscience, and what a good citizen is supposed to do.

 

Q3- Do you agree with Machan that "...everybody is more inclined to neglect the duty which he expects another to fulfill; as in families many attendants are often less useful than a few."? Give an objective example of this.

 

When you think that your parents are supposed to pick up your little brother or sister, and then you get home, only to find that, alas, your sibling was supposed to be picked up by you, and now you are in trouble.

 

Are We Going the Way of Rome? (Lawrence Reed)
Q4- State Kershner's First Law.  Do you agree or disagree and why?
“When a self-governing people confer upon their government, the power to take from some and give to others, the process will not stop until the last bone of the last taxpayer is bare.”

 

I agree, because once you give the government the right to take from some and not all equally, they will neither stop nor be fair about the process, possibly until no one has any money left to take, while the one’s that are not being taxed are just getting richer. The rich get richer, the poor get poorer.

 

Q5- What industry was the first to be taken over by government in both ancient Rome and the USA?

 

Transportation was the first industry to be taken over by the government in both ancient Rome and USA.

 

Q6- Is cheapened money the cause or the outcome of inflation? Explain.

 

Cheapened money can be both the cause and the outcome of inflation.  Our money is cheapened because of inflation. On the other hand when our money is cheapened it causes inflation.

 

Q7- How did the Edict of 301 affect Rome's economy?
Edict 301 did not help Rome economy at all. It established a system of price control and comprehensive wages.

 

Liberty and Individual Responsibility (Dwight R. Lee)
Q8- Lee claims that individuals could be "entirely independent of others" except for what? Explain.

 

Scarcity is the one thing that keeps us from being completely independent of others.

 

Q9- Describe the dilemma concerning rules as discussed by Lee.

 

If there were no rules everyone would be free to do as they please. People would not be able to safely own or possess anything without the risk of losing it being much higher.

 

Q10- Why is the concept of private property crucial to freedom?

 

Our personal property is what keeps us motivated to work to earn the things that we want in our life. If our private property was taken away our motivation to work would be lost and our government would have to take away our freedoms in order to keep us working.

 

Lawrence Reed's testimony before the U.S. Senate Budget Commtitee.
Q11- Argue both pro and con that in his testimony Lawrence Reed was advocating compassion and aid for the poor.

 

Lawrence Reed was advocating compassion and aid for the poor when he discussed principle one. He said that not everyone should make the same amount of money no matter what the job is, yet all should work and get paid for what they do.

 

Q12- "If people are free, they will not earn equal incomes; conversely, show me a people who have equal incomes and I will show you a people who are not free." Explain in your own words Mr. Reed's meaning.

 

If people earned equal incomes and had equal expenses then the government would have to control every aspect of our lives and we would not be free. Also if people are not free then they will not be equal because someone will always save and some will always spend.

 

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