Frontier Thinking Under Attack

This Fourth of July weekend lots of people are going to be writing columns about the basic themes of patriotism, the sacrifice and bravery of our military, our best Presidents, bravest leaders and leading thinkers and innovators.  I approve of all of that.  I am a huge fan of studying history; it is our only human lab.   My theme for this week is a much over-looked aspect of the American character—our attitude toward making money.

            I have never known a time when the traditional American economy was so much under attack from people committed to income redistribution.  These people are not motivated by a desire to alleviate want or suffering (which is humanitarian and laudable), but by a wish to homogenize the American economy.  These people are after power not equity.  The proof is that there is absolutely no example of a socialistic state that is classless.  There are always those who milk that system and end up with the good life while the rest of the people eke out a marginal existence.  Make no mistake, today’s socialism was once called serfdom.

What these, “redistributors” seem to unremittingly hate is the idea of wealthy people who got that way by their own hard work and intelligence.  There are two lines in the political theater that always irritate me.  One is the predictable reference to, “…special interests” which always seems to refer to oil companies and banks and never labor unions and companies headed by good Democrats.  And the other is, “…tax the rich” without ever defining who those, “rich” people are.  Let’s take a look at Bill Gates as an example of a rich special interest. 

Don’t get me wrong, I love Bill Gates and all the good that he does.  I consider him a true American success story.  I just think it is a little disingenuous of him to talk about getting rid of tax loopholes for the rich when he could give away 90% of all the money he earns and not change his lifestyle one iota.  This man is worth about $60 billion!  Personally, I don’t think Gates should have to pay more taxes.  What he owes the government should not be a penalty for being good at what he does.  I admire him for the vast sums of money, time and moral energy that he uses to better this world.  I think he should be allowed to spend his money as he wishes, and the fact that he does good with it raises him in my eyes.  By the way, the man who may have started that habit of the super wealthy being benefactors of the country was John D. Rockefeller.  (Someone pat Nancy Pelosi on the back, she is choking on that bit of information right now.) 

Most people in government who talk about soaking the rich make the magic number defining that term to be $250,000/year.  That means if you are a commercial pilot for FedEx and your wife is a pharmacist at Walgreen’s you are a rich family worthy of, “soaking.” Never mind that you spent years learning difficult work and earn your money by using your valuable skills in a productive manner.  And if you are making less than that, don’t think you are safe.  In truth, no income level is safe from those who favor income redistribution.  Their goal is no more nor less than this:  to make government the clearing house for all that we give and all that we get.