MONEY GROWS ON TRESS – A TAKERS UTOPIA

When I was a little boy I believed there were trees in bloom with dollars hanging like delicious fruit from every branch. I think there may have been cartoon images that stimulated those fantasies. All I needed was a tree or two for all my wishes to come true. A new three-speed red Schwinn, a platoon of miniature plastic soldiers, toy machine gun and skateboard were suddenly within my reach. Childhood innocence is charming. But trouble ensues when child-like dreams stimulate adult dellusions.

That’s exactly the case with reference to Democrat Party leadership, millions of young people and leftists of all stripes whose economic perspective is sourced to an adult version of the money tree. They have replaced money trees with the prospect of harvesting the fruits of “millionaires and billionaires” by way of taxation and regulation. They perceive a bottomless pit of other people’s money they can tap into to fulfill their desires. In their infinite wisdom they decide how much is too much to earn and how much needs to be confiscated to serve their needs.

A childhood money tree fantasy is pure fun with no moral implications or legal confiscation of money.

The leftist’s vision of “millionaire and billionaire” money trees is not without moral implications. Motivated by envy, resentment and class warfare rhetoric, they rationalize legally taking other people’s excess money. The takers believe that money earned by other people of significant wealth somehow denies those of lesser means the wealth they deserve. It’s a zero sum game.They give little thought to how much more productive and efficient private capital is when compared to government largesse. This adult delusion is debilitating for the individual believer and the economy, unlike the money trees I desired as a child.

Our leftist friends have replaced the money tree with the deep pockets of the successful. Leftists see the economic pie as fixed. They patronize average hard working Joe as if he is incapable of baking his own pie. To paraphrase Bernie pontificating his one note lyric the system is fixed for “millionaires and billionaires”. Sanders promotes dependence while stifling initiative.

All this silliness would be just that, silliness, if it weren’t implemented through legislation. Call it the Bernie Sander’s formula for economic disaster. Stifle incentives to create and build, by taxing and regulating the creative builders.

How can ideas that have over and over again paved the road to economic stagnation and eventual collapse attract so much support?

At least two reasons can explain the popularity of failed theory. The first is easy to detect. Schools no longer teach the economic miracle of a free market economy, private property and competition. In the same way innocent children thrive on fairytales, poorly educated adults (often highly credentialed) are vulnerable to the allure of socialist redistribution myths.

The second reason can be detected in the emotional appeal of persuasive politicians. Thus the seeds of ignorance and envy grow into an adult money tree.

The left paints a picture of rich robber barons exploiting ordinary people. It’s the bad rich guys verses the struggling little guy. Pull up any You Tube video of a Bernie campaign speech. The content and tone will bear this out in spades. He generously spices up his pitch by waving shiny objects in front of those who are economically handicapped and emotionally ginned-up; voila an army of millions of raucous young people and aging hippies who prefer socialism to capitalism. They are tempted with the prospect of a free college education, medical care and loans that need not be paid back. It’s the money tree fantasy played out via socialist taking theory. What’s the expression? Capitalists earn the money that socialist spend.

How easy it is to rationalize all the freebies Bernie and his sycophants demand? An entitlement mentality will answer that question. I exist, therefore I deserve. Just like participation trophies and grade inflation. It’s all about me without consideration of effort, achievement, talent or creativity. Oh and by the way it allegedly helps the little guy too. After all the little guys in Venezuela and Cuba are doing so well.

In the finial analysis the fate of this magnificent experiment called America will hinge on how many people embrace a soothing fairytale that they perceive as a taker’s Utopia.