Childhood Wisdom

When you're a little kid, adults like to tell you, "You can be anything you want when you grow up, even the President of the United States". Upon reflection, I would propose a revision to this axiom, "You can be anything you work towards when you grow up."

This subtle distinction makes a big difference. The entitlements that people think should be bestowed upon them just for existing shouldn't be confused with the rewards of following through on a path that leads to honor and dignity.

Entitlements should be limited to things like water, heat, not-super-comfortable shelter, minimally convenient transportation, the bare-minimum in telecommunications, "good enough" health care, and basic food. The rewards of honor and dignity for working towards something meaningful... I'd propose a number of luxuries that include everything not in the aforementioned list.