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I've noticed it greatly over the last decade. I think alot attributes to it though, not just how our government "helps" those in less than ideal situations, but also how many of our parents parented, etc.... My DS's grandparents are perfect example and raised children that are now just old children and think everything is someone elses fault and that someone should take care of it/them. UGH!

I wouldn't ascribe work ethic to political parties. I know plenty of lazy people of both side of the aisle... and plenty of hard working people on both sides too.

We rented out our house while we were gone for a couple years and the mooching sob stories were incredible. But it definitely wasn't aligned with any political party.

I don't always agree with the we worked our butts off for our degrees mentality either. The hardest I ever worked was a just over minimum wage job.

Hard work doesn't always = loads of dough and I think our society would be way better off if people got paid to do work. Why should a company like McDonalds be able rake in billions while not paying employees a living wage. Our tax payer dollars go to corporate subsidization.

@Maysprout: exactly, plus one could argue that huge corporations are the most entitled of all since they are frequently doing everything possible to avoid paying their fair share.

@mrbee: I agree wholeheartedly.

I feel your pain about uncle Sam...DH is in the middle of doing our taxes as I type this and the first thing he said when he started "only in this country are you penalized for success." Needless to say DH wishes either we did not earn as much or better yet we were not taxed as much.

I assure you the entitlement mentatlity is not a solely Democratic or liberal trait. Do I think more and more people feel like they are owed something? Yes, I think that's because we have become accustomed to having all of our needs met and most, if not all of our wants met with little effort. Generally speaking, we can thank our over indulgent parents and credit cards for that. You get a car! You get a car!

President Obama's views on tax fairness does not bother me. At the end of the day, he is trying to pay for all of our government spending. If you tax the poor more, then they will need more government assisstance. At some point both parties will have to decide what can we afford (morally) to cut and how much is enough/ too much to tax.

Do I want minimum wage to increase to $9/hour? No, because I don't want to have to pay more than a dollar for McDonald's coffee. Do I want to pay less taxes? Yes, but not at the expense of cutting programs like Head Start.

Your family member sounds like a very irresponsible person, and I would be irked to know her personally. I have absolutely no sympathy and even less patience for people who make their lives hard intentionally and complain about it. Ugh!

@MrsSCB: Well said.

Yes, the amount of "entitled" individuals is disheartening to say the least.

If the minimum wage is increased prices for services and products will also increase since labor costs are one of the larger expenses for most businesses. Increasing the minimum wage will not insure that people make a living wage are completely independent of government.

Also, government subsidies such as food help everyone- even us so-called self-sufficient, independent people with great jobs.

@andrea86: are you aware of the cost of higher education these days? It is not as easy as you're implying for people to get college degrees. How are parents working full time at minimum wage jobs supposed to find the time and money to earn a degree? I'm very thankful for the opportunities I've been given in life because I know a lot of people don't get them. I'm lucky to have been born in an area with excellent public schools. I'm lucky to have parents for whom education was and is a priority. I'm fully aware not everyone is that lucky. Some people are born into very difficult circumstances and it is not always "easy" for them to pull themselves put of bad situations.

@andrea86: not sure that everyone has had those opportunities to go to college. I have done a fair amount of work around poverty alleviation, and I've met a great many extremely hard working but poor people.

Although maybe you're referring more to people from a middle class background?

No, I'm referring to everyone that is physically and mentally able to go to college. There are so many scholarships and government grants that do not even ask where you went to high school (so I'm not sure how they are available only to middle class) and are based solely on your income. Many people could get their entire college degree paid for and then some. Sure they may have to work to have money to live off of, or get student loans, but many many people do and reap the rewards of that. I didn't say working full time, going to school, and supporting a family is easy, but it is doable.

@andrea86: Not everyone who is 'physically and mentally able' to go to college in reality, can. It is a reality that those who are born into lesser circumstances do not reap the benefits that those of us born into middle class or higher do. Those benefits include something as basic as parents who are around to mention college, never mind encourage it. I agree that there is a LOT of help out there, and I myself have benefited from grants and scholarships, but it isn't the case that everyone has equal access to that help.

Yes I have actually. While I was little my Dad attended both undergraduate and then law school full time (which he paid for with student loans) and was unable to work. My family lived off of student loans and my mom typed term papers as our only real income. We definitely struggled, BUT it paid off. This was before there were any government grants and my parents did foot the whole bill for college.

My husband and I had a similar experience as adults, however with all the government grants that we were able to get (which are available to everyone) our situation was not nearly as hard. Our entire tuition was paid and we just had to work to support ourselves. We lived off of bare minimums and actually have some great memories from that time in our lives.

I'm not saying that I don't agree with helping people out, but that people also need to help themselves. There are opportunities for everyone, if they are willing to take them.

@MrsSCB: I agree with you completely on both the minimum wage not being a living wage and lack of access and opportunity for higher education.

I was raised to work hard, too. I don't think my mom being a Democrat had anything to do with that.

I work with teens who bust their butts in school, though some of them aren't A students (many are B students) and they just don't have the same opportunities because of their socioeconomic statuses.

I live the American dream. But how did I get here? Parents were small business owners. Thank god we had government support so that we could bust our butts as a family to make the business successful. That meant small business loans, VA benefits that gave us a leg up...

I would have been unable to attend college at all if it weren't for Pell Grants, federal student loan programs and sometimes a little assistance with the basic needs of life. In addition to that, I worked 40 hours a week and maintained a respectable GPA.

So would you call that lazy? I'm guessing no. What about a close relation who may have needed AFDC and Medicaid for a brief period while getting out of a bad relationship and trying to save the small business they are now running. Lazy? probably not.

There is a national narrative that people who use gov't resources are lazy or welfare queens or gaming the system. Those who receive gov't benefits are LESS likely to use drugs than those who don't. That national narrative serves a purpose to reinforce the ideas of one party... but doesn't necessarily reflect the data.

Data is good!:
http://raisetheminimumwage.org/pages/qanda
http://www.businessinsider.com/minimum-wage-increase-job-loss-unemployment-workers-2013-2
http://www.cepr.net/index.php/publications/reports/why-does-the-minimum-wage-have-no-discernible-effect-on-employment
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/economy/news/2013/02/15/53603/a-higher-minimum-wage-will-not-hurt-u-s-businesses/

@septemberlove: I completely agree and see it all the time. I haven't had a lot of luck hiring new employees recently (the pay range is low but not minimum wage) because it seems these kids coming in for interviews think the job should just fall in their laps. This bugs my husband and me to no end.

@JoJoGirl: what was wrong with my target? The poster said, "What happened to personal responsibility? Has anyone else noticed this entitlement mentality?" I answered her question.

@Ree723: I completely agree with you. I have my bachelors and am working towards my masters. My brother and older sister are just as accomplished as I am and they did not go to college. I look up to them. They have worked so hard to prove themselves that they are just as good as someone with a degree.
I don't think the amount of education you have defines you and they are the last people I think of when I think lazy.

I think that poverty is more influenced by systemic factors than individual ones. I think the "American dream" is a myth we use to justify wealth by telling ourselves everyone could be rich if they just tried.

I'm middle class but not because I worked my butt off. My parents paid for my college, my in laws paid for my husband's law school. That makes us "lazier" than a lot of people but we still reap the rewards. I'm not complaining, but I recognize its not fair.

By the same token, we could be wealthier. But he chooses to work for the state and I work for a nonprofit. He could make twice what he does in private practice, but the state would still need lawyers. And I think the taxpayers are grateful he isn't making twice what he does. The way our economic system is set up, we need people of all incomes. If everyone went to college, there would be no janitors. And we need janitors and gas station attendants and waitresses. But we can make sure that the work they do is enough to support themselves and a family. We even need unemployed people - it allows the job market to stay competitive.

By making work pay a fair amount, we can help end systemic causes of poverty. Then maybe personal factors would be the cause of poverty. But if you look at who is poor, it's hard to say all those people just happen to be lazy. For example, female headed households are much more likely to be poor. And since we are all moms here, I think we can agree that being a mom does not mean you are more likely to be lazy than anyone else!!