-Don’s Column, Don’s Opinions…
“We have too many poor people, let’s help them out.” “We need free schools, so everyone can have a good education.” “Health care costs too much, and so many people can’t afford it. Let’s make it affordable.” “That nation is threatening us. Let’s go to war, defeat them, and make them a democracy.” “There are too many work-related accidents. Let’s police the work place to make them safer.” “There are frauds in the stock market. Let’s police it and make it safe for investors.” “People are getting injured in car accidents. Let’s make seat belts and air bags compulsory.” “Guns are killing people, let’s make them illegal.” “People riding motorcycles, should wear helmets and glasses. Let’s fine them if they don’t.” “Farmers aren’t getting enough for their milk, cotton, wheat, oats, corn, beef, etc. Let’s subsidize them, and set maximum prices for agricultural products.” “There’s too much being grown, let’s pay farmers not to grow things.” “People need protection for retirement. Let’s force them to pay into a government insurance plan, so they will be comfortable in their old age.” “The ozone ring is threatening our health. Let’s make Freon 12 illegal.” “We need to have a space station.” “Let’s help the poor people buy houses, so they will have a home.” “Let’s outlaw incandescent light bulbs.” “Let’s make cars safer, by outlawing fins and protruding things on their bodies.” “Let’s cure inflation by raising interest rates, which may harm industry, but government will fix it.” “Government ‘help’ costs nothing.” On and on it can, and has gone, since FDR in the 1930’s, began the welfare state, and it has been increasing faster every year, with appropriate federal agencies employing millions at taxpayer expense, weakening the populace, destroying our freedom, and decaying our money. Every ‘help,’ politicians vote for, causes another bureaucracy to be created, each costing billions and hiring thousands. Nails in our collective coffins.
Every time government spends. legislates, controls, regulates, licenses, subsidizes, and in a thousand other ways, doesn’t mind its own business, the citizenry becomes less able to think and care for itself. Government produces no wealth. Not a dime’s worth. Governments consume wealth, just like a hungry animal consumes food. Government consumes wealth, like a leaky bucket loses water, or a hole in a boat’s hull, causes it to sink. If you punch a hole in a rowboat, it will sink pretty quickly, but if you punch a hole in the hull of an 85,000 ton cruise ship, it may take years to sink, assuming nothing is done to plug the leak.
Picture government, as a huge cruise ship. It sprung a leak, years and even decades ago, and it was so small, that it caused no concern. After all, there were bilge pumps to take out the water. The leak, caused rust to form, and the hole became weaker, and the hole larger, but the pumps kept up, so not to worry. Eventually, that 85,000-ton ship, will sink, if the leak is not plugged. The leaks could be compared to government spending and bureaucracy, not stopped, but ever spurred on by politicians buying votes with endless handouts, and ‘help’ for those who ‘need it.’ ‘Help,’ seemed so smart and necessary at first. When government took over a private sector, in the name of ‘helping the needy,’ usually the cost seemed negligible at first. After all, what’s a few dollars to a prosperous nation like ours? The poor needed help, needed a home, needed medical care, education, or whatever, so surely a nation can afford to help the downtrodden, can’t it? No, as a matter of fact.
In the animal and fish communities, the sick and weak die, or are eaten by the strong and healthy, but not ‘helped.’ This strengthens the animal and fish sectors, by allowing the weak and sick to die, and not be ‘helped.’ If nature were defeated and the weak and sick allowed to remain and breed, that animal or fish sector would soon perish, victimized by the weak and sick, whose numbers would eventually overpower the strong and healthy, and they all would perish. Obviously, if a government insisted on ‘helping’ the weak, sick, or old, at the expense of the tax paying strong and healthy, the strong would grow weaker, and those getting ‘help,’ would eventually overtake the strong, since the strong were bankrupted, ceased being productive and the weak kept multiplying. The ‘helping’ human element, transferred to government bureaucracy, is obviously doing what fish and animals would not do, because it isn’t in their natural makeup to ambush themselves. Ninety years of ‘help’ at the expense of the strong, has driven nails in our coffin. How much longer can we survive?
Eventually, as a result of the weakened citizenry, and all the costly bureaucratic ‘help,’ and welfare of all types, cities began to decay. What used to be poor neighborhoods, became slums. Slums, with rampant crime, abandoned cars, properties, and wrecked, filthy neighborhoods. Massive exodus of the strong and healthy, became common, and suburbs prospered. Cities lost their transportation systems, tax base, beauty, livability, and prosperity. Stores closed, due to robberies and theft. Downtowns, ceased to be glorious shopping areas with large department stores, specialty shops, fine restaurants, and movie palaces. Graffiti appeared, and soon was everywhere. Former profitable transit lines went broke, were taken over by government, and operated at huge losses. Employees, began working out of their homes, rather than commuting to wonderful, vibrant cities. Shoppers, began buying ‘on line,’ rather than patronizing stores with huge varieties of items they desired. Wonderful hotels, were converted into homes for those needing ‘help,’ often with single parent families. Public housing, begun by FDR in 1933, exploded, with usual lifespans of 25 years, due to abuse by their occupants. Previous residential neighborhoods were ruined with the influx of the needy. The needy continued to breed like barnyard animals, and began taking over former wonderful neighborhoods. Philadelphia’s “Great Northeast,” ceased to be ‘great.’ Wretched humanoids began living in tents on city streets, defecating and urinating in gutters. Tourism, and the prosperity cities depended upon, evaporated. We all are watching it happen.
Everyone wondered how the violence, homelessness, crime, decay, and bankruptcy, could possibly have happened to Philadelphia, New Yor, St. Louis, Los Angeles, San Francisco, or Detroit. Where did all these nasty, lazy, useless, mean, violent criminals come from? Why can a robber steal less than $1,000 worth of items, and not be prosecuted? Didn’t we sell them no downpayment homes? Didn’t we subsidize their utilities, give them free schools and phones? How could the once marvelous cities decay so, when government did so much to help the poor, give them subsidies, schools, and medical care? Could it be ‘climate change’? Everything seems to be currently related to it. Maybe they just aren’t appreciative! More next week.
Don Stott- don@coloradogold.com