I have been reading a lot about the cutbacks proposed for the City of Toronto.

Mostly, paragraph after paragraph of complaints about the proposed cutbacks: "We want subsidized childcare", "leave libraries alone", "stop the war on the poor" and so on.

While I don't disagree with the importance of caring for children, encouraging reading and so on, what I do disagree with is the childlike clamouring that insists on having privileges without recognition of the costs attached to them.

It seems many Torontonians have accepted the belief that it's OK to spend more than you earn, to incur debt and consume resources without thinking about who will pay the bill.

The first thing I learned in economics class was "there's no such thing as a free lunch". How have we developed such a sense of entitlement without feeling an equivalent sense of responsibility? Instead of protesting, perhaps those who want services can chip in and give back in a way that will cut costs in other places.

My family is going through a trying time financially, but we've learned to cut back, leaving our wants until a time when we can afford to pay for them instead of demanding the rich pay for us.

Internet site reference: http://www.insidetoronto.com/opinion/letters/article/1076791--torontonians-have-to-be-willing-to-pay-for-what-they-want