E-Newsletter No. 57 ____ September 2018
In last month’s newsletter, we discussed the Left’s obsession with “income inequality.” The Left’s solution to this “problem” is simply more Socialism and a larger transfer of wealth within America. The Left continues to fail to understand the lessons from history regarding Socialism and Communism and continues to ignore the lessons from current events (i.e., Venezuela and North Korea). Many critics of inequality seem to be motivated more by envy of the rich than by compassion for the poor.
The first pillar of the American Dream is economic freedom. Property rights are fundamentally just, and they are inseparable from liberty. Where property rights are not protected, liberty is always in jeopardy. So long as each citizen’s property rights are secure, and the laws and regulations equally apply to all, one cannot legitimately speak of injustice in the marketplace.
It is imperative that we not confuse “equality of opportunity” with “sameness of opportunity”. The former is a moral imperative and a requirement of a fair and just government. The latter is a charitable pursuit, and as such, this is an issue for civil society. We should remember that not every social ailment is a responsibility of government, much less the federal government.
Because we are free, some people will inevitably earn more and others less. An excessive focus on equality of income would unfairly constrain the full range of options that America offers its citizens. Income “equality” forces everyone into the same mold.
A free-market economy creates wealth. For one person to make a dollar does not mean that another person needs to lose one. History has shown that a Socialistic economy impedes a country’s ability to create wealth.
The fear that the United States has become a society of “haves” and “have-nots” is disproven by data on consumption. Consumption is a better measure of well-being than income, because it measures goods acquired and used. In a free-market economy, consumption is distributed much more equally, with goods formerly held to be luxuries widely available to everyone. There is plenty of evidence to show that low-income families have access to more and better goods than ever before. Virtually every household below the poverty line has a television, while nearly three-fourths have a vehicle, and over three-fourths have a microwave and air-conditioning. The same cannot be said of Venezuela and North Korea.
The welfare state that is promoted by Socialism not only fosters dependence and saps the vigor of its citizens, but it also undermines the family and eats away at the culture of work.
A free-market system celebrates and encourages competition.
Socialism may well “give” the poor many things (subsidized housing, “free” healthcare, “free” college tuition, and other “free” stuff) but someone (i.e., our federal government and then, ultimately, our children and grandkids) will have to pay for all of this free stuff.
There is a quote that is oftentimes attributed to Norman Mattoon Thomas, who was a six-time presidential candidate for the Socialist Party of America – – “The American people will never knowingly adopt socialism. But under the name of “liberalism”, they will adopt every fragment of the socialist program, until one day America will be a socialist nation without knowing how it happened.”
http://www.f2ppr.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/A-Picture-is-Worth-a-Thousand-Words.pdf
http://www.f2ppr.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/One-Picture-One-Word.pdf
US Debt Clock – – August 1st – $64,885 per citizen / September 1st – $65,320