Vacationing in Lebanon

A number of Americans are currently vacationing in Lebanon. Some of them have decided to leave but are unable to as a result of the current situation and are wanting/hoping that the U.S. government will help them get out of the country. The government is planning to charge the evacuees for the cost of transporting them out of the country. A number of people (congressmen and others) are decrying the inhumanity of expecting evacuees to pay to be rescued.

Let me get this straight, these people made their own decisions to take themselves and their families to Lebanon for business or pleasure, are apparently shocked when there is an escalation of military action and cry/demand the government to help them get out of harms way. Not content to be saved from a dangerous situation that they placed themselves into by their own poor decisions but want it to be done on my dime.

I am not completely heartless and am not saying that these people should be left there to whatever the fates have in store for them. I don’t think that they “deserve” to get hurt or killed. My point is that I am getting awfully tired of people getting themselves into jams through their own lack of personal responsibility and poor decision making skills and then expecting the government to pull their bacon out of the fire at my expense. Grow up already!

Update:
I have recently heard that some of the folks that were rescued have decided to sue the government because of the time that it took for them to be saved. I really hope that this is not the case. If it is true, anyone connected to the filing of this lawsuit should be stick-beat. These people have put solders and others in harms way for the expressed purpose of saving their pampered *sses. I guess this is what passes for gratitude in the new millennium.