Too
many Americans have forgotten that the liberal capitalism and democracy
which brought prosperity, brings with it change, unpredictability and,
often, hardship. We can’t forget that economic vitality –
which benefits all of us – can only come from the seemingly chaotic,
not from command and control decision-making. If you doubt that, just
visit Cuba.
We can’t simply call on others to create wealth for us; we must
take responsibility for doing it ourselves. And those of us who have shared
in the good fortune of our country must shake off our self-centered attitudes
and shoulder more responsibility. We must make sure that unemployed people
and people stuck in dead-end jobs have access to the training –
both in regular schools and in specialized programs – and the other
social services that will enable them to reap the benefits of the challenging
knowledge- and technology-based jobs we are creating.
Once we do all that we can for ourselves and do all that we can to help
the less fortunate, maybe then we can stop blaming everything that goes
wrong on a failure in the system. As computer programmers say, “Garbage
in, garbage out.” We need to take responsibility for ourselves and
quit crying.
If the prevailing culture shifts from one of entitlement to one of responsibility,
I am confident that you will have a better material life than your parents
have had. |
