Put your hand out...so I can slap it.

It's amazing to me the culture of entitlement we live in. This is something I could go on about for hours, but today I'll just focus it like a laserbeam on one particular situation. I was reading "Pop Candy" on USA Today's Web site, and the writer mentions that Dustin Diamond, the guy who played Screech on "Saved By the Bell," wants people to send him money to save his house. He's got a Web site detailing his tale of woe. I am curious.

When I get to said site and read his story, I see that he has indeed gotten the shaft from some sheister who was supposed to help him after he bought a house on a land contract and the deal went sour. I didn't know what a land contract was, so I looked it up. Here's the scoop. Land contracts are a seriously bad idea, apparently, and according to Diamond, the only reason he went that route was because he has really bad credit and it was his only option. Now, he wants you and me to send him money so he can pay what he owes, and in return, we get t-shirts.

Now, I'm sure Dustin Diamond is a nice guy. I have no reason to think otherwise, but there are so many reasons that this makes me want to scream. Let's start WAY back at the beginning of Mr. Diamond's saga. He says he has bad credit. Why, Mr. Diamond? Why do you have bad credit? Are you the victim of identity theft and it hasn't been straightened out yet? No mention of that, so I'll assume no. Let's make the more logical assumption - that you spent money you didn't have and didn't meet your financial obligations. And you must've screwed it up good for your credit to be so bad you can't get a normal mortgage. I mean good Lord, illegal aliens can get regular mortgages in this country. You might pay a higher rate than someone with good credit, but just about anyone can get a mortgage somehow or other. Just how many credit accounts did you default on to get where you are?

And how exactly does that happen anyway when you've worked on a hit show during your teens? Did your parents rob you? Did they take every cent you earned and then kick you out of the house when the show ended, leaving you with nothing - no earnings, no college education and no marketable skills to support yourself (I'm assuming acting was not among your skills since your compatriots on the show went on to other acting gigs and you're left with standup that apparently doesn't pay your bills)? If they did that, I'm sorry for you that that happened, and I can see where being left penniless could lead one to get into credit trouble. But if that's not what happened, then surely you had money to support yourself, so what kind of financial irresponsbility must you have engaged in to get so screwed up credit-wise?

So, apparently he mismanaged his finances in a colossal fashion, then made yet another really bad financial decision by buying a house on a land contract because he seemed to feel he had no choice. Um...yes, you did, Big D. You didn't have to buy a house. You could've rented for a while, saved up, paid your bills and repaired your credit, then bought a house like a normal person. That you keep making one bad choice after another is lamentable, but does not make you a victim.

Now, the New York Capital Exchange guy is clearly a scumbag. I give you that for sure. I'd punch the friend who led me to that guy for starters, and I hope to God you made copies of everything you signed. It's scary to think what further damage you might have done with this jerk. But let me see if I can sum some things up for you, because it sounds like you need someone to.

1. The NYCE guy is not going to help you. Find out exactly what your transactions with him entailed and if there's anything you need to get out of. Get a lawyer for this. I realize you're a financial moron, and this will mean spending money, but for chrissake you need someone who knows what they're doing to guide you out of this morass.

2. You're going to lose your house. That's it. That's all. You made a bad deal, and it didn't pay off. You were essentially renting, and your landlord is booting you out. Next time you want to buy a home, get a Realtor or real estate lawyer to help you. Again, do not rely on your own savvy. You have none. Pay someone to help you who knows what they're doing. You can now see what happens when you don't.

3. Do not ask strangers who work every day and manage their finances so that they have money leftover to donate to worthy causes (like Make a Wish, environmental groups, medical research, animal shelters, helping friends and family in need...) to give you that hard-earned money just because you seem to have no financial responsibility. You got yourself into this. You need to get yourself out. It's the only way you're going to learn how to manage your financial life, and you might just get a little dignity along the way. Asking for handouts from strangers ain't dignified, pal. If you can't pay your bills with what you earn, get another job. I know you'll probably say, "But showbiz is my life!" Fine. Work 40 in an office during the day, and do standup at night and on weekends. When you hit it big, you can quit the day job.

It never ceases to amaze me how people who won't make the sacrifices to have a stable financial life (whether that means working a boring 40-hour job somewhere or just living within your means and putting back some savings) expect the people who DO make those sacrifices to subsidize their choices. As I said at the beginning of this, it's just another symptom of the direction our society has moved in, in which no one wants to take personal responsibility for their choices. We all make bad choices - hell, I've made some recently. But you have to own up to it and accept the consequences. In this case, D, it's losing your house. That does NOT mean that someone else (like NYCE guy) is absolved of their bad behavior. He's just as responsible for his behavior as you are of yours, so that guy is still a big, fat jerk. But learn from it and move on with your hand in your pocket instead of stretched out to strangers. You'll feel better about yourself, and we'll all feel better about you.