|
Guest
|
Sometimes I run across really good, thought-provoking political commentaries such as the one below.
And when I do I feel compelled to share them with others, not so much for their debate value, but that such commentaries would indeed provoke some to rethink their positions and for others to reinforce what they may have already intuited. This is an excellent read, no matter the political camp in which you reside.
Boxcar
_________________
The Death of Liberty
By Bob Baecht - 04.12.01
The following truths, as expressed by Henry Hazlitt in his book "Man vs. The Welfare State," seem self-evident:
"One simple truth that could be endlessly reiterated and effectively applies to nine-tenths of the statist proposals now (1969) being put forward or enacted in such profusion, is that government has nothing to give to anybody that it does not first take from somebody else. In other words, all its relief and subsidy schemes are merely ways of robbing Peter to support Paul.
"Thus, it can be pointed out that the modern Welfare State is merely a complicated arrangement by which nobody pays for the education of his own children, but everybody pays for the education of everybody else's children; by which nobody pays his own medical bills, but everybody pays for everybody else's medical bills; by which nobody provides for his own old-age security, but everybody pays for everybody else's old-age security; and so on.
"Bastiat exposed the elusive character of all these welfare schemes more than a century ago in this aphorism: 'The State is the great fiction by which everybody tries to live at the expense of everybody else.' "
The logic is impeccable, and it is obvious that a system of socialistic welfare like this is not just, and does not establish liberty. Perhaps the problem is that man lives by his emotions rather than by his reason. The people, for the most part, have evidently been brainwashed, and because they DO have concern for their fellow man, they fall into this trap which destroys individual liberty.
In order for the do-gooders to accomplish their ends, they play on the emotions of the people by constantly blathering about the homeless, the poor, the minorities, the jobless, the aged, the babies, the drug addicts, and any other group that they think they can use to stir up an emotional response from the people. Many of the dupes who make up American society, swallow this philosophy hook, line and sinker.
If one would only look at things logically, he would realize that this kind of thinking can only destroy liberty and subvert justice. It should be obvious to anyone that government cannot create wealth and that by creating the welfare state, it can only take what individuals have created and redistribute it as it sees fit. This cannot solve the problems that society faces.
If we are forcibly stripped of our hard-earned property, so that it may be given to someone else, not only have we been deprived of our rights, but also our incentive to work, create, invent, and produce have been partially destroyed.
The events happening in America: class warfare, plunder of the successful, and excessive taxes, parallel philosopher Will Durant's story of the decline of Rome. He writes of "the destructive war between rich and poor; the rising cost of doles, public works, an expanding bureaucracy; the discouragement of ability and the absorption of investment capital by confiscatory taxation." These events were caused by one fact -- "increasing despotism destroyed the citizen's civic sense." These burdens became so heavy on the upper classes that "men deliberately made themselves ineligible by debasing their social category." Is there a lesson here for us?
James Madison, in discussing the newly proposed Constitution tried to reassure the American people that the Constitution would leave things pretty much as they were under the Articles of Confederation. "The Federal Government's jurisdiction," he wrote, "extends to certain enumerated objects only, and leaves to the sovereign states a residuary and inviolable sovereignty over all other objects." He added, "If the new Constitution be examined with accuracy and candor, it will be found that the change it proposes consist much less in the addition of new powers to the Union, than in the invigoration of its original powers."
I believe that the continual destruction of the Constitution is causing the destruction of America in the same way that Rome was destroyed.
Since millions of dollars are given to private charities by the American people, it is obvious that many are not oblivious to the plight of their fellow man. If money is confiscated forcibly by government to provide for the less fortunate, we have no say in how our money is used. Experience shows that government, which, in reality, is not responsible to the people, does an inefficient job of administering a program, whether it be health care, welfare or other programs.
If we were to leave these functions to private charities we would have a choice in how our philanthropic donations were administered. If a charity acted like government and wasted our money on administration, and did not perform its proper function by helping people for which it been established to help, we could withhold our funds from that charity and give to another. Also we would be giving freely and not under compulsion.
The prevailing opinion among the statists seems to be that people are too selfish and greedy to care about anyone but themselves, yet, in spite of the huge tax burden, much money is given to charities and other worthy causes. Think of how much more might be given if the tax burden was not so heavy. Of course it is true that many people would contribute nothing to help others in need, but though morality may indicate that they should, justice does not require it. This is between the man and his God.
Perhaps another aspect of the problem may be the refusal on the part of many to take responsibility for their own lives and consequently vote for candidates who promise them the fruits of someone else's labor. Again this is an emotional response by some and does not take into consideration the consequences of their desire to get something for nothing. Besides destroying their character, these giveaway schemes eventually become so burdensome on the producers that they will cease to produce and ultimately bankrupt the government, leading to a state of anarchy that would be beneficial to no one.
The welfare state also destroys the character of all, both the givers and the recipients. There are definite consequences. Programs for sharing the wealth reduce incentives at both ends of the economic scale. Those who are capable of earning a higher income find it taken away from them. Those who are only capable of earning a modest income, find that they can do just as well, or better, by taking advantage of the handouts. Given the nature of humankind, logic dictates that destruction of incentives will be the obvious result of these schemes.
The liberals, planners, do-gooders, bureaucrats, statists and legislators have a very low opinion of people in general. The idea is that if people are left to their own devices they will spend their money foolishly. By this thinking they should be deprived of choice and the government planners, in their infinite wisdom, will make the choices for them. They should be given not what they may want but what the arrogant do-gooders deem is good for them. The way to accomplish this is to take all the money, through taxes, that they think is being spent foolishly and use it the way the statists think would be good for the people.
The idea of Supreme Government powers over the individual, and the power of government to dictate the needs of the people was expressed by Presidential candidate Lyndon B. Johnson in a speech delivered on January 15, 1964: "We are going to take all of the money that we think is being unnecessarily spent and take from the 'haves' and give it to the 'have-nots' that need it so much." This is the mindset of the liberals, though most are not quite as open and honest about it as LBJ.
A motto to help remind us of the fallacy of the welfare state reads as follows: "You cannot get something for nothing unless someone, somewhere is getting nothing for something." This should be taken to heart by all those who support all the big government schemes.
bbaecht@bitterroot.net
|
Tried of Government
The Welfare State
