It was made clear to me today why nothing gets done in D.C. I had an eye opening experience in class (okay, I was actually a part of said experience—and it was awesome!) that made me think about how bad it must really be over on the Hill. In philosophy class we were discussing ethics, morals, Utilitarianism, Libertarianism, and the philosophers who introduced these concepts to the world. So today we get to discuss the three principles of Libertarianism: no paternalist legislation, no moral legislation, and one of my personal favorite topics to debate-- no wealth redistribution. I became completely giddy inside just thinking about how much fun this is going to be since I have learned that my passion for the subject outweighs what anyone thinks about my opinion. Anyhoo, it starts off easily enough because this instructor, who may be young and kinda hot, is no idiot, and we build up to the finale. Let the fireworks begin! He insists that everyone in class HAS to vote either for it or against it. Before he could finish "if you are AGAINST redistribution of wealth, raise your hand" my hand was in the air. Which he notices, and I think after our discussion yesterday on whether murder is morally wrong, he totally expected. Up to this point I have been fairly quiet in class and had not really asserted my opinions, "politically speaking," until then.
So after he completes this part of the exercise, he comes back to me and says "Tell me why you are against it" and I explain to him how many ways I find it wrong that anyone who works hard for their living should have to "share" it with those who are not willing to do the same work--or any work for that matter--just because the government says it's the right thing to do. Our founding fathers didn't put it in our constitution, so as far as I'm concerned, no one should have to do it if they don't want to. If they do want to, there are plenty of charities that would LOVE to take your money. So the debate begins with "well why is it fair for people like Bill Gates who has a gazillion dollars to not 'give back' to those who are less fortunate?" For those of you playing along at home, Bill Gates gives more to charity than just about anyone in this country--more than $30 BILLION --so I think he's done his "fair share" on top of the taxes that he pays. After the Bill Gates comment from a woman in the front row, she is countered by another woman sitting two seats down from her with "Well, he earned it, he should be allowed to keep it. He pays taxes and I don't think it's fair for me or anyone else to expect him to take care of me. What about personal responsibility? There is a certain amount of pride that I get taking care of my girls MYSELF and showing them that you work hard and you EARN what you get. I have family members making $5,000 a month and getting nearly $1,000 a month in food stamps and it makes me sick." GO ON WITH YOUR BAD SELF, SISTER! The other girl says “Well that's an individual case and not everyone does that” and the other woman says “but the MAJORITY of them DO.” There for a minute I thought we were going to have a cat fight right there, but the instructor jumped in and told them to settle down. All the other girl could say was “It's just not right for anyone to have THAT much money that they will never spend. The RIGHT thing to do would be to give some of it away to those that really need it.” Says who? You? Then how about you give them YOUR money? Don't tell me I have to if I don't want to. It should be my choice. If I remember correctly, we all have personal liberties in this country (at least for the moment). We all get to make our own choices and I believe it should be THEIR choice to want to better themselves if they are not financially able to support themselves. I see help wanted signs all the time at fast food joints, Wal-Mart, and even 7-11, so you can't tell me no one is hiring. That is a load of crap. The reality of it is they have no incentive to find a job because the government will just keep giving them a check and food stamps. And don't even get me started on the whole California welfare benefit “ATM” card fiasco where people were using them in strip clubs and casinos. That's a whole other Pandora's Box for another time.
I raised my hand again when he asked if those of us who were initially against wealth redistribution were still against it after hearing the arguments for and against it and said “My husband has a saying: I am willing to help those who help themselves. Plain and simple.” And the girl from the front row's husband says “Well what about single moms who have kids and can't afford to work and pay for daycare? It's not cost effective for her to keep doing it.” To this I replied, “I have no problem helping single moms who are trying to feed their kids. They are TRYING and making an EFFORT. My mom did it with FIVE kids, in the 70's, so YES, it can be done. I know, I lived it. There is no reason why they can't too. And if you want to be so mad that we have so many starving people in this country, why don't you tell me why it is our government sends BILLIONS of dollars to other countries while people right here at home are starving?” He didn't have an answer. Class dismissed.
And let me say this: Just because we don't have the same views, THANK YOU for having an opinion and being passionate enough about your beliefs to get fired up and debate it. Too many people are lacking the passion our founding fathers had for this country and their belief of how great it could be.
