Free AI web copilot to create summaries, insights and extended knowledge, download it at here

Abstract

eminded him that he was doing something dishonest and that I didn’t raise him to be that way. He simply smiles and shrugs.Many people think it’s ok to hide things from the government.Another example of doing things “under the table” is when assets are transferred or inheritance is taken in cash to keep their government benefits from going away. Now, I have a certain amount of sympathy for this. I can’t imagine how some people are living on their Social Security or disability income. Or there are cases when a senior is placed in a nursing home, and their assets must be exhausted to pay the bill. But it is what it is. It’s the law.It’s not necessarily fair. We definitely need some reform.The same type of thing involves people living illegally in a Section 8 apartment or house. They can’t put their name on the lease because they aren’t supposed to be there. These people are living on benefits they aren’t entitled to.So then you have your people who steal from a retail establishment.I’m not talking about simple shoplifting. I’m talking about a systemized method of using products without paying.Many years ago, my husband worked at J.C. Penny’s in the catalog department. So many times, someone would order an entire set of wedding attire and then return it after the wedding! It was the same with cruise clothes.My good friend did this often with pageant dresses for her daughter. She talked about it often, and guess where I met this friend? Yup, it was at church. She didn’t see it as dishonest; she saw it as saving money! She would have been offended if I told her it was stealing.Even though the J.C. Penny catalog department is long gone, there is still systematic stealing. Let’s take Amazon. We can all agree that it’s a wealthy company. A couple of years ago, I was given a lesson on how to get something for nothing from Amazon.Someone visiting my house broke an item that I had purchased. Rather than offering to replace it, she showed me how to claim the item was defective and ask for a replacement.For the record, I declined to do so and replaced the item on my dime.She is not alone. When I bought a new phone, some college students I knew through my job showed me how to get a new phone case. It was a hack similar to the Amazon deal, where I would claim I didn’t like t

Options

he case. The company would tell me to keep it. These were sweet, church-going young ladies who would never go into a store and steal and they were shocked when I refused to go through with their instructions.I’ve stopped selling on eBay because there are systematic ways of stealing on the website. I would ship an item and the buyers would claim it was defective and ask me to refund them without sending the item back. Or they would send an empty box and have a receipt to prove the return. I would be out of the money and the item.Have we become a society of where we think we should get something for nothing?Students think it’s ok to cheat on tests and assignments.I’m not sure I have enough space to talk about how often I saw college students cheating on tests or trying to get away with something they weren’t supposed to do. They would come to the college library and take an online test while sitting next to another computer where they had the answers displayed.They were cheating themselves but you couldn’t tell them that. They also would pay others to write their papers or do their assignments.It’s an everyday thing for them. They learned not to tell me though because after thirty-two years in the classroom, I could have them quivering in their seats with just a look. Their protests of “it’s ok” just didn’t fly with me.Maybe they learned to cheat from the parents who used to do their homework? Hmm. That’s a thought!So many people may think that the examples that I have listed is not a big deal. It really is! Have you heard the story of how a man interviewing for a job lost his opportunity when his future boss saw him hide a packet of butter from the cashier? The candidate had the job until he stole a ten cent pack of butter.Our children are watching us. Do you lie about their age so they can get into the movie cheaper? Do you see someone drop money and pick it up and keep it?Do you hold your children and yourself responsible for mistakes?Everybody makes mistakes. Admit your mistake and move on. If you need help, say so. Don’t resort to dishonesty to get it. We’ve gone from a society of where we can leave our doors unlocked to one where we have to install cameras to keep our neighbors from stealing our packages.It’s a shame, don’t you think?</article></body>

When Did We Start Thinking It Was Ok To Be Dishonest?

Have we become a society where it is ok to lie and rip people off?

We’ve all been there. We’ve been a victim of someone’s lie or someone has stolen from us. The days where we could go to a buffet restaurant and leave our purse on the chair while we went through the line are long over.

Watching Judge Judy is always an eye-opener for me. However, it isn’t her caustic comments or blatant eye-rolling that get me; it’s the blatant dishonesty of the folks who appear on her show.

Time and time again, I will watch an episode where someone is suing their employer, friend, neighbor, etc., and there's blatant dishonesty involved.

Ironically, some of them don’t even know they are being dishonest! You can see it in their eyes.

For instance, they don’t appear to know that it’s illegal to work “under the table.”

They prove this by showing up and suing their employer for not giving them their money. Their employer can get away with it because there is nothing on the “books” that prove a record of employment.

Judge Judy will explain the concept of “clean hands,” and no light of awareness ever appears in the client’s eyes. They leave appearing to be confused about why they didn’t win the case.

My good friend was denied child support because her ex always worked under the table. Because of this, there was no salary to garnish. She and her four children lived in poverty. However, she and her children had the last laugh. Her children grew up to be doctors, lawyers, and civil servants. None of them wanted anything to do with their father. He begs to see them and they aren’t interested. He wants to take credit for their success but he can’t.

My youngest son is currently working “under the table.” Since he is an adult, I can’t stop him, but I sure let him know how wrong he is. Soon, he will want an apartment but will have no job history to demonstrate employment. He has to learn the hard way. I have frequently reminded him that he was doing something dishonest and that I didn’t raise him to be that way. He simply smiles and shrugs.

Many people think it’s ok to hide things from the government.

Another example of doing things “under the table” is when assets are transferred or inheritance is taken in cash to keep their government benefits from going away. Now, I have a certain amount of sympathy for this. I can’t imagine how some people are living on their Social Security or disability income. Or there are cases when a senior is placed in a nursing home, and their assets must be exhausted to pay the bill. But it is what it is. It’s the law.

It’s not necessarily fair. We definitely need some reform.

The same type of thing involves people living illegally in a Section 8 apartment or house. They can’t put their name on the lease because they aren’t supposed to be there. These people are living on benefits they aren’t entitled to.

So then you have your people who steal from a retail establishment.

I’m not talking about simple shoplifting. I’m talking about a systemized method of using products without paying.

Many years ago, my husband worked at J.C. Penny’s in the catalog department. So many times, someone would order an entire set of wedding attire and then return it after the wedding! It was the same with cruise clothes.

My good friend did this often with pageant dresses for her daughter. She talked about it often, and guess where I met this friend? Yup, it was at church. She didn’t see it as dishonest; she saw it as saving money! She would have been offended if I told her it was stealing.

Even though the J.C. Penny catalog department is long gone, there is still systematic stealing. Let’s take Amazon. We can all agree that it’s a wealthy company. A couple of years ago, I was given a lesson on how to get something for nothing from Amazon.

Someone visiting my house broke an item that I had purchased. Rather than offering to replace it, she showed me how to claim the item was defective and ask for a replacement.

For the record, I declined to do so and replaced the item on my dime.

She is not alone. When I bought a new phone, some college students I knew through my job showed me how to get a new phone case. It was a hack similar to the Amazon deal, where I would claim I didn’t like the case. The company would tell me to keep it. These were sweet, church-going young ladies who would never go into a store and steal and they were shocked when I refused to go through with their instructions.

I’ve stopped selling on eBay because there are systematic ways of stealing on the website. I would ship an item and the buyers would claim it was defective and ask me to refund them without sending the item back. Or they would send an empty box and have a receipt to prove the return. I would be out of the money and the item.

Have we become a society of where we think we should get something for nothing?

Students think it’s ok to cheat on tests and assignments.

I’m not sure I have enough space to talk about how often I saw college students cheating on tests or trying to get away with something they weren’t supposed to do. They would come to the college library and take an online test while sitting next to another computer where they had the answers displayed.

They were cheating themselves but you couldn’t tell them that. They also would pay others to write their papers or do their assignments.

It’s an everyday thing for them. They learned not to tell me though because after thirty-two years in the classroom, I could have them quivering in their seats with just a look. Their protests of “it’s ok” just didn’t fly with me.

Maybe they learned to cheat from the parents who used to do their homework? Hmm. That’s a thought!

So many people may think that the examples that I have listed is not a big deal. It really is! Have you heard the story of how a man interviewing for a job lost his opportunity when his future boss saw him hide a packet of butter from the cashier? The candidate had the job until he stole a ten cent pack of butter.

Our children are watching us. Do you lie about their age so they can get into the movie cheaper? Do you see someone drop money and pick it up and keep it?

Do you hold your children and yourself responsible for mistakes?

Everybody makes mistakes. Admit your mistake and move on. If you need help, say so. Don’t resort to dishonesty to get it. We’ve gone from a society of where we can leave our doors unlocked to one where we have to install cameras to keep our neighbors from stealing our packages.

It’s a shame, don’t you think?