Some Fundamentally Sound Principles:
*You cannot legislate the poor into
freedom (financial or otherwise) by legislating the wealthy out of
freedom. What one person receives
without working for or contributing to, another person must work for without receiving
what was worked for. This kills incentive and initiative. Invention becomes
unnecessary, because ultimately, there is little benefit in it. The government
cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from
someone else. Half of the people get the
idea that they do not have to work, because the other half is going to take care
of them, and the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work, because
somebody else is going to get what they’ve worked for. You cannot multiply
wealth by dividing it. When you take this approach, it is the end of healthy democracy
and ethical capitalism. It becomes the
essence of communism. When this happens,
NO ONE is free because the government has the power to take and give as it will
and thereby keep everyone under its control.
That is, fundamentally, why I am opposed to bigger government and more
government programs. In the end, it enslaves the very population you are intending
to serve. Socialism that moves to this end is detrimental to freedom as a
society and personally. America did not come into existence to create another
hierarchy to control the masses, it came into being to serve the individual and
allow him to prosper. In providing for this environment, there needs to be, and
should be reasonable compensation to the state, and to its members who cannot
help themselves in a minimally satisfactory manor, which would include aid for
health, education and personal welfare.
The ultimate danger lies in the
extremes. On one hand there are those who feel entitled. They always want
maximum benefit for little or no contribution. On the other hand are the
greedy. They want all they can possibly get without a concern of what it may
cost other individuals or society. A
democracy cannot sustain when either extreme controls. As I see it, we are
being pushed further and further to the extremes, and the fighting has become
more intense. Compromise and cooperation are becoming a thing of the past. America, nor any state, can ultimately
survive that kind of faulty foundation.
Negotiation and compromise must be applied in order to determine for a
nation and its citizens what constitutes a hand up, rather than simply a hand
out. Decisions must be made about who
the “less fortunate” really are and what approach can be taken to provide an
adequate foundation for their lives. Emigration, defense, education, veterans
benefits, teachers compensation, first responders support and fair
compensation, along with many other issues must be addressed. We cannot address these and other issues with
the polarization that now exists in America.
A number of sources and past readings have gone into this little
manifesto. I do not claim it as my own original thinking. I have tried to put
together some principles that I would consider important in “doing life” in a
reasonable, responsible and sustainable manner.
*This statement and some of the language in this paragraph was drawn
from a statement written in the 1930’s by Dr. Adrian Rogers.
2 comments:
Interesting comments. Much of what he says makes sense. Common sense. The art of negotiation is long lost today. We have leaders who are more interested in being in the media than working for the good of the country. In high school we had debate team made up of three or four people to a side. One theme debated . One side pro and one side con. Research was done then the debate with each side politely listening. Only facts were to be discussed. What happened to that format today ? I must say that this author or any author can not judge the whole by the minute or vice versa . There are circumstances beyond one's control that happen to deliver one to poverty or destitution. The solution was in times past for neighbors helping neighbors in dire situations. That has been lost for the most part today. Jesus ministered to the needy but really got pissed if one became like the self absorbed intellectual Pharisees and yet he loved their nation and them . We have to be careful of self righteousness . There are many who really have real needs. Too often we sit in church and assume there are no needs because they are there. I can speak from experience . Enough for now. I could go on. Interesting article though.
Thanks for your comments on my article, Russ.
Mark
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