Worried About Cash Crunch? Lower Expectations, Justice Thomas Says
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas told student essay contest winners this week that some Americans think prosperity is a right, but they need to adjust their expectations and appreciate life’s little luxuries.
Thomas said it is remarkable how many people think that “each of us is owed prosperity and a certain standard of living,” Legal Times reports. He spoke Tuesday at a contest dinner sponsored by the Bill of Rights Institute.
Thomas said he was taught that prosperity isn’t a constant. He remembered a time when “air conditioning was the ultimate luxury” and joked that, “I’m one of those who still thinks the dishwasher is a miracle.”
Thomas also complained that too many Americans celebrate grievances while downplaying responsibilities, according to a story in Education Week.
“It seems to me that, more and more, people are celebrated for their litany of grievances about this or that,” he said. “Shouldn’t there at least be equal time for our ‘bill of obligations,’ and our ‘bill of responsibilities’?”
Related ABAJournal.com coverage:
Justice Thomas: Americans Little Disposed to Sacrifice and Self-Denial
