IN HER piece on self-entitlement, Kylie Lang raised serious concerns far beyond supermarket theft, namely a freeloading Australian culture (C-M, Feb 12). 
Our shortcomings as a -nation receive persistent coverage on issues such as domestic violence and an alcohol-fuelled culture, to which can be added self-entitlement, from political and welfare rorts to shoplifting.
Too often we hear of inadequate, slap-on-the-wrist penalties. We read that retailers tolerate theft to the extent of making economic allowances.
Somehow, the moral aspect of our welfare system seems to have faded. What happened to a sense of responsibility and a moral code in a secular society? It seems like we need a shake-up from the political hierarchy to the ordinary citizen.Roslyn Smith, Middle Park