“You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours.”

–Psalm 128:2 (NIV)

Those of you as long in the tooth as I were blessed with parents of the greatest generation. Tens of thousands of young men and women, some not even out of high school, went to war to protect our freedom and our country’s sovereignty.

Considering that their effort put their lives at risk, they were grossly underpaid. After the war, what did they do? They came home, rolled up their sleeves, and found work. No pity parties! As a result, our country not only survived, it thrived.

To be sure, some college-bound veterans took advantage of the G.I. Bill, a program that rewarded them for their efforts and gave them a shot at a higher level of education and, ultimately, a better job. It was not a giveaway, but a recognition of the recipients’ sacrifices. That is government functioning at its best.

We saw our moms and/or dads go to work, day after day, to provide shelter for our families and food for our tables. That work ethic was ingrained in us. It was a societal norm, not an exception. We emulated our parents. After high school, we either found work or went to college with a specific plan for our life’s work.

For me, my life as a physician is now over. I sometimes look back and wonder: “How did I do that for thirty-eight years?” I suspect those of you who are retired have wondered the same thing about your careers.

The answer is simple and nothing special: It’s just what we did. Aristotle once said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.” We repeatedly went to work–day in and day out–and that in itself was a mark of excellence. Many of you are still doing that.

What’s happened in today’s society? I could be wrong, but for many, it appears that the work ethic is no longer very important. Currently, with many job openings unfilled, people sit at home and opt for government money for their support. “Couch potato” should not be a career plan!

Sadly, our government is enabling this mindset. What started last year as a legitimate effort to get people through the pandemic shutdown has morphed into a government giveaway–still necessary for some, but poorly targeted and unnecessarily prolonged and generous for many.

Just nine years ago, President Obama proposed a program where the government would provide people with free phones. Remember the uproar it created? That was child’s play compared to what Washington is doing today.

Proposed legislation includes extended maternity and paternity leave, free pre-school, a monthly stipend per child, free community college, college loan forgiveness, and guaranteed basic income. States have even resorted to making millionaires out of a few lucky but late-to-the-party vaccine recipients.

Don’t mistake the government’s generosity (with our money!) for a safety net to keep us from poverty. The more they give us, the more indebted we are to them. Where does all of this end, and what does it accomplish?

For an administration and Congressional majority that are overplaying their weakly mandated hand, the end is not in sight–at least, not until November 2022. That’s when the American people will likely check the government’s overreach and make a correction in the corridors of power in Washington. I believe that will happen.

What the giveaways accomplish is a greater dependence on government. We’ve seen this “movie” before. At the onset of last year’s pandemic, the government took charge and shut down our lives, and then continued to do so for far too long a time. Control is a powerful addiction.

Now, the government’s using fiscal policy to do the same. The more “free” money we’re given, the more indebted we’ll be to the government. Rules, regulations, and taxes are bound to follow.

The Bible warns us about laziness: Proverbs 21:25 (NIV) states, “The sluggard’s craving will be the death of him, because his hands refuse to work.” Don’t get me wrong. No one is wishing death or even ill will to those given to sloth. But witnessing the death of laziness and a return to an emphasis on the power and dignity of work would be a good thing.

So, have we lost our work ethic? Hardly! Millions of Americans, from corporate suites to the blue collar work force (our country’s backbone) continue to work every day. Those incentivized by government benefits who are able to work will ultimately return to gainful employment, especially as more states discontinue giveaways.

Most Americans never strayed from our citizenry’s commitment to honest work. It is this majority that will make enough noise and cast enough votes to get our government back on track.

And when it happens, we’ll make the greatest generation proud of us once again.