The Impossible Dream

What is an impossible dream? Well, for one thing the classless society is an impossible dream. At least it will be impossible in the current direction of this country and most of Europe as well.

Today we have more or less three classes: The political class of legislators and their bureaucrats is a class on one end of the scale. On the other end of the scale is the poor. And in the middle of the scale is the vast “middle class”, the class of workers, inventor, and producers.

Now this middle class produces all of the world’s wealth upon which the other two classes depend. So when and if the socialists achieve their impossible dream, what will you have? Answer: You will end up with two classes: The politically elite class which is still dependent upon the now lowly slave-laborer class. So there appears that there is a dilemma

Or is there? To truly achieve or even approach the impossible dream, the power of the elite political class must first be diminished. This means returning to the world of the framers of the constitution vision. This ultimately means reducing the federal government’s role to protecting the citizens from invaders and criminals. The federal government should not attempt to rescue an automobile company, nor a bank, nor any other business. The laws should be rolled back to what they were in the middle of the nineteenth century. That means getting rid of a lot of unproductive laws such as: The Wagner (labor) act, Social Security act, the minimum wage, welfare, and a whole plethora of “social” engineering laws which are destructive. Then the lower “dependent” class will have to go to work and join the middle class

Win-Win or Lose-Lose

The current political-economic environment seems to be very similar to that of Russia at the beginning of the 20^th century. Using the labor unions and a very favorable government, the proletariat has assumed, at least for now, the upper hand.

It disturbs me that the American people have a disdain for “big” business and favor instead “big” government. That seems to be a backward way of thinking.

Consider the role of capital: Were it not for capital investment, where would we get the expensive machinery to manufacture such modern marvels as the electronic micro-chips from which our computers, televisions, and digital cameras are made? You can assemble a computer in your home work shop, but you cannot make the parts from which it is made. You can put up a jar of canned tomatoes in your kitchen, but you cannot manufacture the glass jar.

The capital supports the jobs on which we rely and if it cannot receive a return here in America, it will flee to where it will receive a higher return. The labor unions would have you believe that they are “protecting” the average worker, but in reality they are destroying the opportunity for a job in the long run. Just look at the current situation with Chrysler and General Motors. Will Ford soon follow? The unions are forcing upon the American brand auto manufactures a labor cost much higher than the foreign brand auto manufacturers and we will all be the worse off because of it.

On the other hand “big” government brings us higher taxes if we pay now or higher inflation if we defer the payment along with the paralysis of burdensome regulation as unelected bureaucrats write the rules that press upon us all.

There is a calamitous disaster on the horizon that may be too late to avoid.

Lincoln and Obama

Unlike Lincoln who freed the slaves. Obama will, if allowed, enslave the free. What is high taxation, but slavery? He vowed he wouldn't raise taxes on the poor and middle classes. Instead he will raise taxes on businesses. Does he not realize that businesses do not pay taxes; they pass them on to their customers in the form of higher prices or to their employees in the form of less salary or to their owners in the form of less dividends. Either way ONLY PEOPLE PAY TAXES.

So raising taxes on businesses is a way to get more money from us all, rich or poor.

Going Galt anyone?

I'm going Galt. Are you?

What is “Going Galt?”

• “Going Galt” doesn’t simply mean getting angry. That would be “Going Postal.” It means having righteous indignation at the injustice of a political system that bails out individuals and institutions for irresponsible behavior and at the expense of those like you who prosper through hard work and personal responsibly.

• “Going Galt” means asking in the face of new taxes and government controls, “Why work at all?” “For whom am I working?” “Am I a slave?”

• “Going Galt” means recognizing that you’re being punished not for your vices but for your virtues.

• “Going Galt” means recognizing that you have a moral right to your own life, the pursuit of your own happiness, and thus to the rewards you’ve earned with your labor.

• “Going Galt” means recognizing that you deserve praise and honor for your achievements rather than damnation as “exploiters.”

• “Going Galt” means recognizing that you do not need to justify your life or wealth to your neighbors, “society,” or politicians, or bureaucrats. They’re yours, period!

• “Going Galt” means recognizing that the needs of others do not give them a claim to your time, effort, and achievements.

• “Going Galt” means shrugging off unearned guilt, refusing to support your own destroyers, refusing to give them what Ayn Rand termed “the sanction of the victim.” It means taking the moral high ground by explicitly rejecting as evil the premise of “self-sacrifice” that they sell to you as a virtue— in fact “self-sacrifice” is an invitation to suicide.

The role of government vs. its practice

The role of government is to protect its citizens. To protect them fro those who would do them harm from those within, the police function; and from those from afar, the military function. In practice however, it often serves to destroy wealth.

The government takes money from the citizen it pretends to serve and spends it wastefully on things which the citizen would not otherwise spend it on for himself thus destroying the citizen's wealth.

I observe this phenomena here in Hillsborough County as the government is involved in replacing bits and pieces of sidewalk that have been cracked or pushed up slightly by tree roots. A section of sidewalk in front of my house was replaced yesterday because it was cracked. It has been cracked for nearly thirty years and did not seem to be bothering anyone. This is done at a time when we are suffering from a deep recession, and is not what I would consider a wise use of finite resources.