Much of what I hear these days on TV from politicians and talking heads speaks disparagingly of “the rich.” I get the strong impression that they somehow think that if person A has a lot of money, then that keeps person B from having any. Like they think there is only so much “wealth” to be had. A finite amount, it is only fair to divide it up more equally, and they are bound and determined to do that. And, a lot of folks want that too. They want their “share” and think that someone else has to give some up in order for them to get theirs.
This could not be further from the truth. Wealth is created, it isn’t finite nor stagnant. We are not still working off the same number of dollar bills that we started with decades ago. People create wealth, by starting a business (small business owners), building and adding to an existing business (CEO’s), and by saving and investing (working people like me). No, we don’t all have the same outcomes for our efforts, but we aren’t guaranteed that. We are guaranteed only equal opportunity, NOT equal outcomes.
I know this and believe it completely: the wealth I don’t have is not in someone else’s pocket. The wealth I don’t have is wealth I haven’t created yet. There is an infinite supply of “wealth and riches” in the world, not one finite amount.
Pres. Obama is not working toward recovery of our economy, he is working toward redistribution of income. He may well be successful, because there are a lot of our fellow citizens who want their share of what they believe is a finite pile of dollars, and believe that taking it from someone else is the only way to get it. I feel sorry for these Americans, who have been robbed of something more precious than money, or free health care, or free college tuition.
The American spirit of “I can do anything” has been stolen from these people. Decades of low expectations from the Democrats have created a large group of people who live down to those expectations. They haven’t been told “you can do anything you want!” No, they’ve been told repeatedly, “it’s so unfair that you don’t have more, and it’s that rich guy’s fault, but don’t worry, we’ll take care of you.”
This post doesn’t really have that much to do with money. I used money to illustrate my point. I don’t care that much about the money. I won’t be one of the ones who has to give up some of my money, because I don’t really have any. If anything, I might be eligible for a bunch of free stuff. Yippee.
It breaks my heart that so many of my fellow Americans have not had this spirit of independence, this I-can-do-it belief in themselves, nurtured and fostered and encouraged with great enthusiasm. They willingly trade personal liberty and the responsibility that goes with it, for a nanny–the government–to take care of them.
And that makes me sad for them.
