Posted by
Ted in California on Thursday, February 26, 2009 9:52:50 PM
The saying that, “If you make guns illegal, then only criminals will own guns” is provocative. It expresses two ideas about what would happen if rights afforded to American citizens are taken away. This saying implies if you own of a gun, you are a criminal. Most importantly, it says that if you take away the rights of lawful citizens you give power to the criminals.
What would happen when we as a society take away the wealth of honest men or the ability of honest men to attain wealth? The freedoms and rights granted to private citizens in the U.S. Constitution is the framework of a lawful nation. These framework is required for private citizens to create wealth. Thomas Jefferson declared that we are free to pursue life, liberty and happiness. In these words we hear simple eloquent words that declare the rights of the lawful, honest, and enlightened man. That he should be able to accumulate wealth and that their families should be able to prosper from their talents and industry.
When you punish talent and industry. When you expect the top achievers it to shoulder the burden of government through a graduated tax system, you destroy the motivation for wealth. You destory the base from where you intend to gather your resources. When the richest people become over taxed, they will leave or seek to protect their wealth. Men who didn't pay their taxes before will not start paying them when they are raised. Just like the criminal who had a gun before his gun was outlawed.. The criminal will not give it up his gun now that the gun is illegal. He will just do a better job of hiding it.
How do taxes punish the honest man? By raising the amount of money that a person must commit to society, you create a barrier to his natural inclination towards industrous action. Those that are motivated by fear of loss and work only for the sake of survival are also negatively impacted. People are motivated by intrinsic and extrinsic values. Honest hard working people expect to be equitably compensated for their work.
We are creating a society where our decisions are made based upon mostly negative motivators. Here is a quick brainstorm of what the American citizen will face when they pursue their own version of life, liberty, and happiness.
1) I will continue to work at the same level and earn less, I can afford to make less for my efforts.
2) I will work less, "why should I work so hard if I won't gain anything from it."
3) I will work harder, because I have obligations to others.
4) I will work as hard as I need to and lie, cheat and steal to keep what I can.
The financial meltdown which is the catalyst for the current economic downturn, was created by dishonest policy makers. Dishonest or incompetent pawns, I am still not sure what the mix is there, but I am sure if we could quantify it we would need bigger prisons. The lack of controls in the system guaranteed that it would spin out of control and ultimately consume itself.
Now the answers we are hearing from our political leaders all involve the government. The government has the answers to a problem they are chiefly responsible for, incredible!
What upsets me and most honest Americans is the idea that we should bailout those that acted irresponsibly, save those that chased fools’ gold in houses is reprehensible. Especially to honest men who bought a home, pay their HOA, pay their mortgage on time, and are now being told to pay for those that believed the American dream is about making a quick buck!
Since when does a $20,000 upgrade to a home valued at $175,000 increase the value of the home to $280,000 in a matter of 6 months? Did someone discover oil on the property? Was a new microchip plant built in town? No, that's not possible because manufacturing has been killed by government policy and oil drilling is so strictly controlled. That unless oil were spilling directly from the Earth into an elementary school, it would not be pumped out of the ground.
The value of homes during the housing bubble was not built upon a sustainable base, it was built on a pyramid scheme where the value of other homes were jumping because it was easier to get cheap loans with no income verification. The loans were not intended to build wealth. They were designed to be refinanced at a later date. Rates were bound to rise. Increasing the likelihood that an unqualified or high risk borrower would default on their obligation. The lack of proper risk controls in the mortgage industry created by government policy destroyed the economy.
Greed was not the root problem. Greed is as much the problem as lust or jealousy is the problem when a marriage ends because of infidelity. The systemic problem occured when men and women who were supposed to be acting in the best interest of the nation told lenders to ignore good business practices in the name of political correctness. Politicans who wished to expand their political power over people by eliminating the controls that were in place is the reason why the market collapsed.
The American dream, the guarantee of the pursuit of happiness has been rocked to its core. Taxing the honest men and women who have prospered and created wealth for themselves and others is not just bad policy. It is un-American. The government’s sole purpose is to protect its citizens' rights. The Bill of Rights will soon come under attack and soon only the criminals will control the wealth of the nation. Thomas Jefferson's declaration rings hollow in the halls of the buildings that surround Capitol Hill and the White House.