The Sin of Hard Work

The American Dream is a cornerstone of American culture. It is engraved into our hearts and minds at a young age as the ultimate goal in life. The American Dream is recognized globally as the foundation on which America is built. It is not about wealth or fame. It is about freedom. We have the freedom as Americans to control our life’s path. We can choose our way of life and should be able to live that life free of government interference.

Many children begin their path to the American Dream at a young age. They learn the value of entrepreneurship, hard work and innovation with their first lemonade stand. Some children don’t just create a lemonade stand; perhaps, they have special flavors and snacks, as well. This lesson in the merit of hard work continues as children grow into teenagers who babysit, mow lawns and shovel snow from driveways for extra money.

This dream is slowly being crushed. America is not the same America that it was decades ago. We have grown into a cynical, hypersensitive machine. We no longer respect the rights and opinions of others and consistently create new “rights” out of privileges that formerly had to be earned. We are not as hard-working as we used to be, not as innovative as we are recognized for globally and have allowed corporate greed to destroy our ability to enjoy the simplest pleasures in life.

In Georgia, three young girls built a lemonade stand in front of their home. The police forced the girls to shut down their lemonade stand, claiming that they did not hold the proper permit for a concession stand. Seriously? You need a permit for a lemonade stand at the top of your driveway? The most distressing part of this story is that it does not surprise me. The girls were trying to earn money to spend a day at a local water park. Rather than begging their parents to take them to the water park on their dime, they acted as responsible young ladies and decided that they could earn their way to the water park. Not only would they have the enjoyment of a hot day on water slides and in swimming pools, but they would understand the value of a dollar and the satisfaction of earning the things that you want.

The "Nanny State" is taking hold of our country more and more each day. This story immediately reminded me of a local situation in 2009 where a teenage boy was challenged by a union because of the project he volunteered to do in order to earn his promotion from Boy Scout to Eagle Scout, no small task and certainly an achievement to be proud of. The Service Employees International Union felt that this task should have been assigned to out-of-work union workers and should not be allowed as a voluntary project by citizens in the community.

How greedy and out-of-touch have we grown as a county? You cannot pray in public because you might offend someone (even though your freedom to pray is being infringed upon, and they have the freedom to ignore you). You cannot refer to a group of people in a masculine tone, because it excludes women, transgendered people and bears. You cannot ground your children because they can hull you into court and have a judge overturn your punishment. You need to sign a waiver if you sell homegrown produce at a farmer’s market that your customers can sue you if they become ill from your fruit. Now, you need a permit if you are 10 years old and want to make some extra cash to earn a great reward.

We need to reexamine our way of thinking and stop being so overly sensitive and irrational. Put on your big boy and girl pants, America. You are destroying the happiness of others for your own selfish gain.