With a growing national debt comes the question of "where to cut?" There are about 14 trillion ideas, but I choose to focus this article on one of the most contentious: entitlement reform. This "sacred cow," in some people's minds, should not be touched. I believe it should. Here's why:

Expecting more out of people may hurt in the beginning, but it will eventually cause them to thrive in ways that no one could have predicted.

I have a good friend who has been through a lot more trials than I have. He was born two months early. He was secretly abused multiple times by a reckless pre-school teacher. He was often behind his reading level and was diagnosed with a learning disorder. This landed him in a special ed class early on. One of his teachers even told him that he would "never amount to anything." And to top it all off he was only ten months behind a child prodigy older brother. Life was tough for my friend.

Many parents would have molly-coddled such a child. "He can't handle the same responsibilities that you or I can." But two caring parents, who knew their child's abilities and saw his potential, pulled him out of the special ed program (at the protest of the special ed teachers) and put him back in his regular class.

My friend has thrived since then. In high school he took AP classes. He was accepted to an out of state university. While there, he not only finished in four years, but he was also an active member of an improv comedy club. Just a couple of months ago I attended his university graduation.

It doesn't stop there, folks. He is currently pursuing a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree at a very prestigious University. He is even considering pursuing a Ph.D. in pathology and opening up his own diagnostics lab. My friend and his parents are one of the best examples I know of making the best of a hard situation. They saw his potential and expected the best of him—and he has amazed us all.

Of course there are people that need to be in special ed—people who need special exceptions. But I believe that here in the United States there are far too many people who are living beneath their potential, living off of free handouts that eliminate the need for struggle and self betterment. Our current entitlement programs should be re-evaluated and re-adjusted to better allow the talent in this nation to thrive.

Times of great calamity and confusion have ever been productive of the greatest minds. The purest ore is produced from the hottest furnace, and the brightest thunderbolt is elicited from the darkest storm.

—Charles Caleb Colton

Justin Jones

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