It's graduation time, and everyone was invited to give a commencement speech .. except me, of course. I've never been invited to give my commencement speech. I did deliver a high school commencement speech once, and enjoyed it. No negative critiques either. But a college or university? You have to be kidding me. Ain't gonna happen. We will have the chance this week to get some inkling of what I might do, however. I'm going to be delivering a faux commencement speech this Wednesday evening Kennesaw State University. That's about as close as it's gonna get for now.

Let's get to the people who do get to speak to graduates ... Michelle Obama gave the commencement address at UC Merced over the weekend. In her speech, she told the students to do one of my absolute favorite things: give back.

Gag.

She says, "You will face tough times. You will certainly have doubts, and let me tell you because I know I did when I was your age ... Remember that you are blessed. Remember that in exchange for those blessings, you must give something back. You must reach back and pull someone up. You must bend down and let someone else stand on your shoulders so that they can see a brighter future."

Sometimes I think I'm alone here, but this "give back" crap just makes me nuts. It is now the standard language of the left and those who should know better use the phrase all the time.

OK ... here we go again: The inference in the "give back" phrase is that whatever you have was given to you. You graduates have had this education handed to you on a silver platter. You didn't earn it. You didn't study. You didn't stay up long hours trying to understand a difficult text or to study for a critical exam. You didn't spend evenings in study groups that you could have spent brandishing your fake ID at several local watering holes. You romped and played your way through college and these diplomas you will received today will be given to you, not earned. Once you leave this college you will be given a job. You will not have earned that job through your educational pursuits, it will be given to you. Then, after you begin work, you will be given a salary. You will not have earned that money. If you receive commissions those will have been given to you as well. A gift. Not something you have earned. Ditto for bonuses. All gifts. Nothing earned through the application of skill and sweat.

Michelle Obama, and every other looter who has an eye on the wealth you produce, and who uses this "give back" line, will be completely negating every amount of effort you have put into your livelihood. Remember, they're not asking you to "give," they're telling you to "give back." The very premise of that phrase is that your wealth was a gift, not earned. Since your wealth was given to you, when you make some sort of a donation to a charity you are not "giving," you are "giving back."

I know that I drone on and on about this ... but this "give back" nonsense is like a dripping faucet.