About a week ago Barack Obama was campaigning door to door in a suburb of Toledo, Ohio. Little did he know that he would soon meet a common plumber who would possibly turn the entire presidential race around.
Meet “Joe the Plumber.” Joe is Joe Wurzelbacher, a 34 year old, plumbing contractor. He was outside playing football with his son in his Holland neighborhood of Toledo when Obama made an unexpected appearance. Joe took the opportunity to ask Obama a few questions. He asked Obama how his tax policy would affect him if he bought the $250-270,000 plumbing business he was planning to acquire. Obama responded by saying his taxes would go up, but that it was fair since he would be helping to “spread the wealth” around to others! This disturbing comment began to circulate in the media, and a few days later, it became a fixture in the presidential debate when Obama and McCain mentioned him 23 times!
Joe has definitely struck a nerve. It’s funny how these things seem to pop up from nowhere every voting cycle. There was “Willy Horton,” “Read My Lips,” “Swift Boaters” and now this! Millions of dollars are spent every presidential election on intricate political platforms and slick marketing profiles, but invariably, it comes down to some unplanned, symbolic thing like this, that always sways the election.
Joe wasn’t too happy with Obama’s answer. In a host of interviews following this event, Joe explained why. It seems Joe is tired of people running down our country and proposing what he sees as Socialist policies. McCain echoed Joe’s concern during the debate, and now on the stump, by repeating Joe’s view of the American Dream. In Joe and McCain’s world, Americans are allowed to succeed to the extent that their God-given talent and hard work allows. They shouldn’t have to be punished for higher achievement by getting hit with higher taxes. In true Marxist fashion, Obama sees economic success as an opportunity to confiscate and redistribute more wealth: “from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.”
Joe the Plumber doesn’t want “another set of parents” in the government that has the power to force him to surrender some of his hard-earned profits. In that sentiment, he harkens back to the old, pioneer spirit of Rugged Individualism that built this country. It’s hard not to root for Joe. Progressive Taxation smacks of an un-American principle of punishing achievement. One’s Property Rights shouldn’t automatically decrease just because more property is earned! Who does the wealth belong to anyway: the person who earned it, or the government? And, who can spend that wealth more wisely: Obama and his “spread” machine, or Joe the Plumber. My money’s on Joe!
In an interview posted on the internet, Joe explained how he’s tired of folks “apologizing for America.” He said, “I’m not sorry for being an American. I’m not sorry for the things I have. I have worked hard for them.” He added, “We are the greatest country in the world. People downing America upsets me.” It’s clear his opinions lean to the Right, and it took no time for the Mainstream Media to figure this out. Within hours, several news agencies began critical investigations into Joe’s past examining his- plumbing license, tax returns, outstanding traffic tickets and voter registration, among other things! It’s really shameful that the Media can find so many resources to investigate this innocent by-stander, yet offer no scrutiny at all regarding Barack Obama.
When asked if he had a main issue, Joe related his frustration with the reporting on the Iraq War. He said, “I’m not sorry that we’re in Iraq. We’ve done an incredible thing there, liberating a country and giving them freedom. My friends who’ve served there tell me how much the Iraqi people appreciate us and thank us, but it doesn’t get enough play here. I’m proud of what we’ve done there, and it’s kept us safe!”
Joe the Plumber may end-up being like the character Kevin Costner played in the recent movie “Swing Vote.” Bud Johnson had a failed vote cast by his conniving daughter as result of the power going off before completing the process. The presidential election was a tie, and Johnson had the power in a special run-off election to pick the President. Of course, it was an absurd notion—about as absurd as this year’s Joe the Plumber!
(send comments to WFC83197@aol.com, or mail to POB 114, Jacksboro, TN 37757. see this and other columns at: ontherighttrack.blogspot.com)
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Political Rhetoric & Economic Fallacies
It’s election time, and once again we’re in the season of political rhetoric. One of the oldest campaign themes in American history is the idea that “Democrats are for the working man,” or “Democrats are for the poor, and Republicans are for the rich.” This is nothing more than mindless propaganda that’s built upon a fairy tale supported by three underlying fallacies.
Fallacy number one. Politicians in our government are granted the Constitutional authority to be “for” or “against” certain groups in our national economy.
If you search our Constitution, you will find no reference whatsoever to the unequal principle of government power used to favor one economic class over another. None. The phrase reads, “promote [not provide] the general [not specific] welfare” of Americans. In fact, in Canada right now there’s a legal effort underway to overturn their Universal Healthcare system based on the grounds that their government services are fundamentally unequal in their application. This is what happens when governments claim they’re going to promote “fairness” by sticking their nose in the marketplace. Those with political favor always end-up with the most “fairness!” Sound familiar?
Fallacy number two. The government needs to be “for” certain people in our country’s economy (i.e. “victims” who fail) because the free market is fundamentally unfair and unjust.
This is an ignorant and foolish indictment of freedom. One should always remember that without the freedom to fail, there is no freedom to succeed! Although it may seem comforting to grant government the power to intervene in the marketplace to avert failure, the results never turn out favorable in the long run. Government activism in the economy always creates perverse incentives that ultimately disrupt normal supply and demand functions that, otherwise, work to enhance the maximization of wealth creation!
A perfect example of this misguided vision is the current subprime housing crisis. It was engineered, albeit unintentionally, by government interference. It wasn’t the free market that created this housing bubble. It wasn’t rational, private sector, risk-management that brought us to this catastrophe that has adversely affected every market in the world. It was the socialist dream of “affordable housing” for all, via Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac & the Community Reinvestment Act! Alas, the market rewards rational decisions, the government rewards political cronyism.
Fallacy number three. The “poor” or “rich” represent absolute classifications of people who remain “poor” or “rich” their entire lives.
For anyone who cares to find out- Federal statistics clearly show that there has always been a fluid movement of people, both directions, throughout all five categories, (Quintiles), of our economy. People generally begin their adult lives in the lower Quintiles then move up to higher Quintiles as they age. Economic advancement is a natural progression for most people, and is based upon the individual merits of God-given talent and effort. Therefore, the manipulative appeal of tempting politicians who preach special favors to the “middle class” is a complete canard. Think about it. Any policy that would exclusively benefit the middle Quintile would necessarily have to account for a means to keep middle Quintile people trapped in their circumstances indefinitely. This is the frustrating reality of a divisive ideology that demonizes one group in favor of another.
“Group” politics can’t permit individual, self-determined achievement like that of Justice Clarence Thomas or Gov. Sarah Palin. If it did, then there would be no political opportunity to exploit voters in exchange for “group” favors that serve to consolidate more and more power for the governing elite.
Instead of adhering to fraudulent political rhetoric that belies economic realities, wouldn’t it be better to decide our political future using other, more thoughtful, assessments?
America is the envy of the world, not because of our government guarantees, but because of our freedom. Freedom inherently exists in the absence of guarantees, and so, we should be wary of any politician who attempts to promise them. Our economic environment simply can’t provide both freedom and guarantees.
Politics will always have stump speeches full of empty-headed rhetoric designed to appeal to the lowest common denominator of the masses. The responsibility of each citizen, however, is to look past all of the smoke and mirrors and vote on principle over populism. (send comments to WFC83197@aol.com, or mail to POB 114, Jacksboro, TN 37757.)
Fallacy number one. Politicians in our government are granted the Constitutional authority to be “for” or “against” certain groups in our national economy.
If you search our Constitution, you will find no reference whatsoever to the unequal principle of government power used to favor one economic class over another. None. The phrase reads, “promote [not provide] the general [not specific] welfare” of Americans. In fact, in Canada right now there’s a legal effort underway to overturn their Universal Healthcare system based on the grounds that their government services are fundamentally unequal in their application. This is what happens when governments claim they’re going to promote “fairness” by sticking their nose in the marketplace. Those with political favor always end-up with the most “fairness!” Sound familiar?
Fallacy number two. The government needs to be “for” certain people in our country’s economy (i.e. “victims” who fail) because the free market is fundamentally unfair and unjust.
This is an ignorant and foolish indictment of freedom. One should always remember that without the freedom to fail, there is no freedom to succeed! Although it may seem comforting to grant government the power to intervene in the marketplace to avert failure, the results never turn out favorable in the long run. Government activism in the economy always creates perverse incentives that ultimately disrupt normal supply and demand functions that, otherwise, work to enhance the maximization of wealth creation!
A perfect example of this misguided vision is the current subprime housing crisis. It was engineered, albeit unintentionally, by government interference. It wasn’t the free market that created this housing bubble. It wasn’t rational, private sector, risk-management that brought us to this catastrophe that has adversely affected every market in the world. It was the socialist dream of “affordable housing” for all, via Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac & the Community Reinvestment Act! Alas, the market rewards rational decisions, the government rewards political cronyism.
Fallacy number three. The “poor” or “rich” represent absolute classifications of people who remain “poor” or “rich” their entire lives.
For anyone who cares to find out- Federal statistics clearly show that there has always been a fluid movement of people, both directions, throughout all five categories, (Quintiles), of our economy. People generally begin their adult lives in the lower Quintiles then move up to higher Quintiles as they age. Economic advancement is a natural progression for most people, and is based upon the individual merits of God-given talent and effort. Therefore, the manipulative appeal of tempting politicians who preach special favors to the “middle class” is a complete canard. Think about it. Any policy that would exclusively benefit the middle Quintile would necessarily have to account for a means to keep middle Quintile people trapped in their circumstances indefinitely. This is the frustrating reality of a divisive ideology that demonizes one group in favor of another.
“Group” politics can’t permit individual, self-determined achievement like that of Justice Clarence Thomas or Gov. Sarah Palin. If it did, then there would be no political opportunity to exploit voters in exchange for “group” favors that serve to consolidate more and more power for the governing elite.
Instead of adhering to fraudulent political rhetoric that belies economic realities, wouldn’t it be better to decide our political future using other, more thoughtful, assessments?
America is the envy of the world, not because of our government guarantees, but because of our freedom. Freedom inherently exists in the absence of guarantees, and so, we should be wary of any politician who attempts to promise them. Our economic environment simply can’t provide both freedom and guarantees.
Politics will always have stump speeches full of empty-headed rhetoric designed to appeal to the lowest common denominator of the masses. The responsibility of each citizen, however, is to look past all of the smoke and mirrors and vote on principle over populism. (send comments to WFC83197@aol.com, or mail to POB 114, Jacksboro, TN 37757.)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
