When did personal responsibility
become a character flaw?
Peter Larocque, Lawrence School
Committee
Taking responsibility for one’s own
actions has become a lost art. According
to the times in which we live there seems
to be a release from being responsible
for whatever happens or comes your way
into your life. Recently there have been
stories written about High School
students who haven’t met the
requirements to graduate. Instead of
placing the responsibility for this on
the students, the blame goes to the
school’s administration for allowing
this to happen. How could they?
There must be something wrong with the
counselors, they must be not doing their
job. The students and their parents have
been absolved from any responsibility in
these situations.
Why is this becoming the norm in our
society? I remember when my wife and I
were in the market for purchasing a
house. We decided it was time for us to
buy our own home. We got pre-approved and
were told what was their opinion of what
we could afford. Then we went to a
realtor and began the search. So our next
move was to just sit back and let them be
in charge, NO! More than once they tried
to put us in a house that we knew we
couldn’t afford. But if we were to
just go along and allow them to proceed
in this manner we would be well over our
heads in mortgage payments that we could
not afford. So the question is, who would
be at fault here? Who is responsible?
To me it obvious, my wife and I were and
still are ultimately responsible. But if
we allowed the so-called specialist in
the field to have their way, I guess
according to today’s society, “the
don’t worry all is well attitude”,
is okay because we can not be held
responsible.
The blame of coarse is on anyone else
besides us. We are not responsible for
our choices and therefore can be relieved
of any responsibility and expect to be
bailed out by others. I am entitled to be
taken care of by government programs
because that’s what they are there
for. Big government taking care of poor
little me. Taking from the haves and
giving it to those who have not. Putting
it simply in other terms, the
re-distribution of wealth. Does this
sound American to you? Sounds like
something my father fought against in
WW2. The big bail out by government
programs that just forgive us of any and
all financial wrong doing.
The most recent examples of this type of
thought of entitlement has even reached
into the wealthy individuals like former
boxing champ Evander Holyfield, baseball’s
star Jose Canseco, the Tonight Show’s
sidekick Ed McMahon, singers Aretha
Franklin and Michael Jackson, and former
N.B.A. star Latrell Sprewell. All of
these have bit off a little more than
they can chew and have found themselves
in situations where because of poor
management of their finances they have
been or are now seeking help. Who is
responsible? Are they entitled to be
bailed out by our tax dollars, i.e.,
government
programs?
This is why I agree with my colleague Mr.
Vittorioso, that financial LIFE SKILLS
must be taught in our High Schools in the
City of Lawrence and across this Country.
Banking, maintaining a bank book,
budgeting, checking & savings
accounts, and mortgages. These young
adolescence must be taught that they are
financially responsible for themselves.
Our city along with our countries
financial ability to continue to bail
everyone out from wrong financial
decisions and choices cannot continue. If
we are serious in building a college
going culture, and the cost of education
keeps skyrocketing as it is, then having
the ability to manage one’s own
finances is paramount! Personnel
responsibility is a must! Not just in the
financial category but in all life
situations that we find ourselves in.
Taking personnel responsibility for your
life choices, decisions and actions is
not a character flaw or handicap. It is
rather a strong sign of a good moral
character that will guarantee that you
have the potential to be an asset to
society rather than someone who is of the
belief that they are entitled to be taken
care of.
We are celebrating Independence Day this
month, July 4th now isn’t that
ironic! A group of citizens took the
responsibility upon themselves to fight
for what they believed in. They wanted to
be independent of the influence and
demands of another country. They wanted
to be independent and responsible for
their own actions right or wrong.
Citizens of the United States of America
standing on their own two feet. Now,
today we have citizens who seem to want
to go back under the influence and to be
relieved of any personnel responsibility.
They want the United States government to
bail them out of every wrong decision or
action.
Why, because they believe they are
entitled! I now ask you, is this truly
the direction we as the citizens of the
United States of America want to go in? I
think not!
God Bless you all,
Peter Larocque is a member of the
Lawrence School Committee. He was
originally elected by the Lawrence City
Council to fill the unexpired term of Amy
McGovern in 2006 and then elected in his
own right last month. You can email him
at peterlarocque@hotmail.com
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