You Cannot Multiply Wealth By Dividing It

It looks like one campaign “theme” in the upcoming election, will be that the wealthy are to blame for every woe and misfortune suffered by the under classes here in America. And the charge will be trumpeted that these rich need to pay “their fair share,” (whatever that means), so the poor can be elevated to a level of economic security to which they are somehow entitled. Only then can the country begin healing from the financial wounds inflicted upon it by those opportunistic capitalists of the evil one percent.

Now, I grew up in a family that was relatively poor…… but only in a financial sense. In truth, we and our neighbors were a proud band of citizens whose motivation to improve our status was evident on a daily basis. And over many years, it happened. Most of us worked our way up to solid Middle Class status, or better… mostly because of our determination to use the talents, abilities, personal attitudes, and work ethics we were taught from childhood.

Interestingly, I don’t remember wasting much time resenting those with more money than myself, or categorizing them as greedy individuals that were bad for the country. Instead, I saw them as a resource for jobs that moved me up the financial ladder. And these “well to do” were not only of practical benefit in an employment sense, but a clear example of how unlimited the possibilities were for someone like me, to achieve upward financial and social mobility.

Now, while I don’t know how this “class warfare” theme will resonate with voters in the 2012 elections, I am certain about my take on the issue. And, whenever there’s someone who can explain my point of view better than I can myself, I share what he or she has opined with anyone who will listen. Obviously, this takes less time away from my always strenuous Senior schedule, and offers a scent of creditability to subject matter that my own style of writing often renders odorless.

So, I introduce to you Dr. Adrian Rogers, an Evangelical minister who was not bashful when it came to mixing politics with religion. And in a 1984 sermon he said the following regarding the destructive nature of class warfare, and the foolishness of using wealth redistribution in order to strengthen a sovereign nation:

"Friend, you cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom. And what one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government can't give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody. And when half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half's going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea it does no good to work because somebody's going to get what I work for. That, dear friend, is about the end of any nation."

I couldn’t have said it better. And these insightful words from the pulpit (which were later posted in the Congressional Record on January 24, 2009), should constitute a stark warning to the policy makers of this country. To me, it’s more than the ideology of one political party or another. It’s even more than partisan theory that can be backed up with conclusive research that proves it either true or false. To me, it’s just plain common sense.

In my years as a teacher, the issue of how much help to offer children as they learned new things, seems to absolutely parallel the truth of what Dr. Rogers said. There was always a fine line between giving kids the tools and support they needed to solve learning problems on their own, and doing too much for them so that they became dependent on YOU for any progress made. And when the latter occurred, success was usually temporary. For over time, those who knew their teacher would sooner or later give them all the right answers, learned to sit back and wait for that to happen. Uninterested in doing the work needed to become achievers, they became intellectual “takers” who accomplished little on their own unless it was being spoon-fed to them by those who had the knowledge.

It was a classic play-out of that Chinese proverb that says, “If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.” Kids who refused to take responsibility for their learning, were only successful when others helped them think and apply new concepts. Those that embraced how to learn by applying their abilities to new tasks after appropriate teaching and practice, always ended up as the best students.

So, on the basis of common sense alone, I believe that Dr. Rogers was correct. Convincing people that taking from the rich to give to the poor is good fiscal policy, is a cruel hoax that will NOT solve the economic problems this country faces, even temporarily. And while many of our current lawmakers would love to engender political popularity by dressing up as Robin Hood and reenacting his larcenous adventures in Sherwood Forest, it’s obvious by doing so, they’re not smart enough to see the forest for the trees.