Prologue to my article – Stew Richland
President Kennedy said in his inaugural address said: “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” Another Memorial Day has passed. We see our President placing a wreath on the tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We here in Century Village celebrate our veterans because we appreciate their sacrifices. Unfortunately there seems to be a trend in our society that condones the idea that the one of the purposes of government is to provide “freebees” to its citizens. These people don’t realize that when you get something for nothing you just haven’t been billed for it yet.
In an article that I wrote for publication in the UCO reporter I addressed this issue.
This trend disturbs me greatly and so I wrote the article found below that explains my views on this subject. My goal was provide seeds for thought on this issue.
In addition, over the past months I have heard people describe the various ingenious scams that crooks come up with to separate the senior citizen from their hard earned nest egg. However, after talking to many of our residents, it seems that scamming or conning is not limited to strangers but to children and grandchildren also.
I wrote a “tongue-in-cheek” fictional letter from a grandson to his grandmother in which I took the liberty to address the various appeals for “freebees” that are made to family members from other family members.
The article never made it into the UCO Reporter. I was told that it was “inappropriate,” without an explanation. From my point of view I thought that my article would be a pleasant change from some of the mundane columns and articles found in the Reporter.
I am posting my article on the blogs and I look forward to any comments on my observations. Please feel free to respond on my own blog: phyllisrichland.blogspot.com or the blog you are reading it on.
Thank you in advance.
Are the Best Things in Life Free?
Stew Richland
My wife told me the other day that I don't take her to expensive places any more, so I took her to the gas station.
Every body wants something as long as its free. That’s what Bernie Sanders thinks that our government is obligated to do for us. Tax the wealthy, free medical for all and provide a free college education for any one who wants it. These ideas have had an effect on our youth beyond which is immediately apparent. This explains why the crowds at a Sanders rally has been mostly populated by the young. This message has also resonated with the thousands of people who have donated small sums to his campaign.
The philosophy of Sanders message is clearly supported in the lyrics of the Beatles’ song of a few years ago.
"Money (That's What I Want)" Beatles
The best things in life are free
But you can keep 'em for the birds and bees
Now give me money (that's what I want)
That's what I want (that's what I want)
That's what I want (that's what I want) yeah
That's what I want
How prophetic these lyrics are. When President Obama was elected a television news reporter asked two Obama supporters who were waiting in a queue for “Obama cash” (in Michigan) “Why are you here?” The reply, “To get Obama money.?” The reporter responded, “Where did Obama get the money from?” The reply was, “I don’t know where he gets it from, but he is giving it to us.”
“He has a stash some place.” Another person in line stated, “I am waiting for a phone call to tell where to go.” One women in Cleveland said, “Obama will get me a phone, when you have no job and you sign up for Social Security, you get all this stuff.” ” Another supporter said: “It was the most memorable time of my life…. this day would never happen…I won’t have to worry about putting gas in my car…wont have to worry about paying my mortgage…he can help me.”
The reporter then turned to the camera and observed, “let me put this in perspective. This is the model citizen in Obama’s vision.”
The above HTTP links will replay the full interviews that I have referenced above.
These were real life Obama supporters displaying their knowledge on how life works. Really!
Samuel Gompers was an early union leader and founder of the American Federation of Labor. Gompers focused his attention on economic gains for his union. He said, “We do want more, and when it becomes more, we shall still want more. And we shall never cease to demand more until we have received the results of our labor.”
His philosophy was give me more, I don’t care what it is just give us more! Gompers was referring to people who work for a living not to those in our society who feel they are entitled to “stuff.”
Based on the lyrics of the Beetle song, I would bet that the Beetles would have supported Obama and yes, they would feel the burn of Bernie Sanders.
1927 Best Things in Life Are Free (George Olsen)
The moon belongs to ev'ryone
The best things in life are free
The stars belong to ev'ryone
They gleam there for you and me
The flowers in spring
The robins that sing
The sunbeams that shine
They're yours, they're mine
And love can come to ev'ryone
The best things in life are free
Re-read the lyrics of The Best Things in Life are Free. Do you agree with the song's sentiments? Are the best things in life free?
This song was from a Broadway show and then later used in a movie musical. The lyrics are idyllic and naïve. Two college age kids are in love. The girl is poor, the boy wealthy and a football star. It’s a fantasy, as their romance grows they agree there are more important things in life then money. Financial success is not everything.
The composer of these popular lyrics expressed the dreams of a generation though his philosophical sentiments might not win the plaudits of classical economists. The latter would point out that the best things derive their value from scarcity of goods and services and are far from free. Economists will tell you that a good house, that maybe free for the taking is extremely rare, in fact non- existent. So are automobiles, automatic washers and dryers, stereophonic consoles, engineering services, the latest medical drugs, classical art, fur coats, and endless other items and services — all scarce at prices buyers would prefer to pay.
Much as we might wish to acquire freely these best things of life, a moment’s reflection shows why that is an impossible dream. None of these items is handed to us by nature. None comes into being without considerable effort by persons combining skills, years of training, and savings to produce desirable products and services.
These products or services exist because they can command a price. A price that encourages productivity by those who have the imagination and energy to produce them The fact that some people are willing to pay for the product, stimulates the inventiveness and motivates individuals to create the things we want. This is called CAPITALISM. This is why the United States is the greatest nation in the world. This explains why so many people will do anything to get to our shores.
Medical Progress vs. Bernie Sanders
No nation in the world can compete with America’s progress in medicine. American advances in drugs, technology, research has brought the blessings of life to all of us. Life spans have increased, many common diseases have been wiped out, and infant mortality is the lowest in the world.
Yet our medical progress is under attack. There is this weird logic that all medical services have to be given free, that people have the “right” to have access to any and all medical treatments free of charge. We pay into Social Security in order to get “medi-care.” This is not free we pay for it.
Where do drugs come from? Companies spend millions of dollars on research. Stockholders of these companies will not risk the uncertainty of these investments if there is no profit in them. The concept of profit may invoke some nasty invectives by Sander’s supporters, but it is the driving force of Capitalism and has provided Americans with the highest standard of living compared to the rest of the world.
What Bernie Sanders is offering is a social justice monster. He favors the policies of the Social Democratic nations, such as those in Scandinavia. He proudly points to policies such as government sponsored college education, paid parental leave, and universal healthcare. Tax rates are very high in these nations. All Scandinavian countries collect a significant amount of revenue from Value-added taxes (VATs). A lot of the spending-side programs in Scandinavian countries cost a lot. Taxes would definitely need to be increased in the United States if it were to adopt these tax plans. The burden will fall on the middle-class. In most of the Scandinavian nations they have a very clear cut tax system that is easy to follow and taxes are easily verifiable. Another quality is that even with high taxes on the population, most people are highly motivated and productive. Scandinavian countries subsidize a lot of things that are complementary to work – such as education, child care, elder care and transportation – thereby compensating for their high taxes.
Scandinavian nations are small and their population is very homogenous. Scandinavians trust their fellow citizens. They think poor people have typically been unlucky instead of lazy. They vote actively and participate in civil society. They respect the rule of law, and they donate to charity.
To Scandinavians, culture matters and their nations are small and homogenous, in contrast to the United States. They seem to like their small, homogeneous countries just fine. And perhaps that’s what Scandinavia ultimately teaches us: the value of “subsidiarity, (the principle of political power should be exercised by the smallest or least central unit of government) not of subsidies.” Historically America has been referred to as a nation of immigrants. For most of our history immigrants strove to become American. They embraced the culture, traditions and language. They viewed American citizenship as the greatest gift for themselves and their children.
Today’s immigrants show little inclination of integrating into the main stream of American life. They refuse to learn English, they disrespect our traditions and symbols that represent American sacrifice (burning American flags), and display little regard for our laws.
American Progressives, and Democrats support the idea of big government, subsidies and handouts which destroy individual initiative. If you view this concept from just the economic point of view, then you can better understand the reality of Progressivism. Capitalist economics assumes that most people do not have the resources to satisfy all their wants. Thus we must make choices on how to allocate these resources. Consumers make decisions on how to spend their money and use of their time.
You are given five dollars in subsidies. How will you spend it? Every decision has a tradeoff. For example, should I go to the movies or buy my favorite candy? If you get money from the government without working for it, its intrinsic value becomes meaningless. To support this view, how often do we read about food stamp recipients using food stamps for booze, drugs and cigarettes.
People respond to incentives in predictable ways. Incentives are actions or rewards that encourage people to act. When incentives change, people's behavior changes in predictable ways. For example, why work hard when you get something for nothing. Let the other suckers work.
People's choices have consequences which lie in the future. The important costs and benefits in economic decision making are those which will appear in the future. Economic reasoning stresses making decisions about the future because it is only the future that we can influence. We cannot influence things that have happened in the past.
An example of how incentives work is illustrated by the following. Employees of the Greek yogurt maker Chobani are getting an unexpected windfall: an ownership stake in the company that could make millionaires of some. Two thousand employees will receive shares in the company. Long time employees can receive a million dollars. “It’s a mutual promise to work together with a shared purpose and responsibility. To continue to create something special and of lasting value.” This is what capitalism is all about.
Some time last year I wrote an article in which I asked my readers to respond to a problem that Curtis H. Springer, a Chicago based radio talk show host in a 1934 broadcast. In the show, Springer takes questions from listeners that mix a homespun philosophies about religion and healthful living with colorful stories about his own life and the people he's met in his travels. In the first program of the series, Springer advises a listener about mortgaging their house to pay for their son's college education. The mother states that her husband was a soldier and made many sacrifices to buy the home. I cannot bear the thought that I could lose my home and live on a small pension. Springer, of course, comes down on the side of experience and drive, rather than a college education, to get ahead in life.
What is your solution to this question?
Springer asks what is the purpose of school and why do people go to school? To keep them out of mischief? No, to acquire an education. The question is how badly do you want an education? How much would you sacrifice to get it? We send out children to school to expose them to education and hope they graduate with something more then how to mix drinks. It is a fact that many parents overindulge their children and their children take advantage of this. When a man or women has to work for their money they know exactly how much energy it took to achieve their goals They go out of their way to get 100 cents for every dollar they spend on their education. When a child gets the money for nothing, you know easy come easy go, they begin to believe they are entitled to the largess by their parents. In the end, if a child has the hunger, the fire in the belly to get an education, they would be willing to make the sacrifices necessary to achieve their goals then they have taken a major step toward a productive life.
I am sure that many of you are aware of the behavior of many of our college attendees. We read about their antics on holiday breaks. The boozing, and sexual abuse of women on school campuses. Young people are enthralled by the exploits of pop culture performers. Their antics are constantly publicized on TV and we see their foibles portrayed in the headlines displayed in the supermarket at the checkout counters. The drug deaths which cut productive careers short. Reality shows that provide us glimpses of life styles that we cannot identify with. We are inundated with television shows that provide us with the ugliness of lives that seem to have no meaning. To sum it up, it is the decline of the American culture.
A Letter to a Century Village Grandma:
Dear Grandma:
Thank you for my birthday present. I know it was hard for you to give up your car, but, as you told me, your neighbors were angry at you when you parked on the lawn and not at your designated spot. Lucky for you that you live in Century Village with its bus service. At least you can get to Publics to buy your groceries. Just a reminder, please take it easy, limit your purchases, you know how your arthritis responds when you lift heavy packages.
Good news. I have returned to the nest. Yes, I have moved back to my parents home. My parents had converted my old room into an office soon as I left for college. I set up housekeeping in the basement. It will be warm in the winter, that’s for sure. Dad bought an air conditioner because the smoke from my special cigarettes was smelling up the house. Do you remember my friend Tom? My roommate at college. Well he moved to Colorado and he sent me some great “grass.” Let me know if you would like some of this special pain killer. It could provide some relief when your arthritis flares up. If you don’t know how to roll a “joint” you can put some of the product in your cookie mix. Yes, the soft style batter that I like. Its easy to chew and it won’t damage your dentures like what happened when you made your famous holiday Honey Cake.
Dad got a second job. He now works part time as a security guard. They cut his hours at the factory since the minimum raise was increased. Mom said that she was thinking of getting a job also. What with the cost of heating fuel going up and the homeowners insurance was just increased, she thought it was best to go back into the work force.
Dad had to cancel our day at Yankee Stadium because of the cost of ticket prices, parking and food. He said you could feed the family for a week for what it costs to attend the game.
I guess you found out that I had to change schools. My grades has slid and I was put on probation, so I was forced to register at City College. It was my fault. I spent so much time with my protest group that was picketing the Wall Street market manipulators, and then I got this rash from sleeping in the tent, but its all healed now.
Did you get the poster I sent you? The one that Bernie Sanders signed. My group went to his rally in Washington Square. We support his idea on taxing the rich and income equality. I also believe that most of our nation’s problems are caused by climate change. I have tried to convince Dad to switch from natural gas to solar to heat the house. We are going to New Jersey next week to show support for Sanders and his programs. He really wants to change America for the better. When he gets elected, I can go to college for free, and if my rash comes back, I will be able to get free medical care. That so great. What a wonderful future America offers us when we can get all these services for FREE. I really do feel the Bernies Burn, “A Future We Can Believe In.”
I forgot to mention I am somewhat of a celebrity. While I was in Washington Square attending the rally, a man from a cable news station asked me some questions. He showed me some pictures and asked me if I knew who these people were. Who remembers, Lincoln, Clinton or Reagan that was a long time ago. He wanted to know who the Vice-President was, I said that’s not really important to my generation. I scored great on the next set of pictures. I knew who Beyonce and Jay Z, Prince was right off the bat. Did you know that the United States defeated Germany and Japan in World War II?
Granny, I know you have always said that I could count on you for some help. Well I need some financial assistance in paying for my car insurance and gas money. When I finish college, with the education I get, I will be able to pay you back in no time.
I would like to come and visit you during school break. Please send me money to buy a ticket. It just occurred to me that you are getting up there in age. Have you made your will out yet? When I get to Florida we can go to an elder lawyer and you can put me in your will. I think we will also have to go to your bank to put me on your accounts. You know how it is with you old folks. You begin to forget things or may fall down and not be able to get up. With all the paper work in place I can take care of all your finances.
If you sign your condo over to me, and when you go into a nursing home, they won’t be able to take my inheritance.
Well Grandma enjoy your mahjong and the shows. Take care. As they always said in Star Wars, Live a Long and Prosperous Life. Please, Please don’t forget to send me the money for my car.
Your loving Grandson X X X X X
Authors Note: Ain’t Grandkids wonderful!!!!!
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