Republican activist and member of the Hamilton County GOP non-judicial screening committee, Ron Mosby, submitted the below article for publication on this blog. Ron's thoughts about the state of our economy and the future of our capitalist democracy are thoughtful and well-reasoned. Thanks to Ron for submitting this article.****************
Words to consider
There is an old saying, “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” This is especially true with today’s government.
President Obama’s proposed tax increases on the wealthy are being met with skepticism by both Republicans and Democrats alike. His call to reduce taxes on lower incomes and increase taxes on the higher incomes is reminiscent of Robin Hood – robbing from the rich to give to the poor. Yet, the government does not exist to determine who succeeds and who does not. That is because the government cannot determine what success is. For many, success has nothing to do with monetary gain. But for those who do consider the earning of a high wage to be successful, what incentive will there be for those individuals to seek to improve their standard of living if they know that the reward will be for the government to expiate their success by compensating the indolent? The result will be the exact opposite of what was intended. Those people will not work to their full potential out of fear or resentment, and as a consequence, join the ranks of the indolent. This, then, becomes the unintended consequence of the government interfering in a capitalistic economy. Because the purpose of taxation is not to improve one’s standard of living at the expense of another. The purpose of taxation is to provide services that are common to all who live in a society.
What is interesting is that this line of reasoning is nothing new. Carter G. Woodson warned of this philosophy nearly 80 years ago in his book “The Mis-Education of the Negro.” First, he describes a particular class of people, “highly educated Negroes,” as those “who have studied economics at Harvard, Yale, Columbia, and Chicago.” Mr. Woodson then goes on to describe how these educated individuals will seek to remedy the inequalities of capitalism:
"The impatient, 'highly educated' Negroes, therefore, say that since under the present system of capitalism the Negro has no chance to toil upward in the economic sphere, the only hope for bettering his condition in this respect is through socialism, the overthrow of the present economic regime, and the inauguration of popular control of resources and agencies which are now being operated for personal gain. This thought is gaining ground among Negroes in this country, and it is rapidly sweeping them into the ranks of what are commonly known as ‘Communists.’"
Upon first glance, one may be taken aback by such strong language. But, when we look at the recent action that the government has taken, such as a 36% stake in Citigroup, it is clear the direction that our country is headed. It is naive to think that this is not the beginning of nationalization. Why else would investors be fleeing the equity market like roaches scrambling to hide when the light is turned on? They understand that the moment public money is introduced into the private sector, the potential for growth for that business is severely diminished. Once the floodgates are opened, it is difficult to close them. Ultimately, the uplifting of our society as a whole will never come through government intervention. It will come through the volition of responsible individuals across the economic spectrum that desire to preserve the spirit of this nation, that all people are created equal, and that each human being has a right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. What people do with that right is their choice.
Ron Mosby
