With the healthcare "deform" bill now ready to be signed by Obama, the Democrats are cheering. Their communist/socialist dreams are here. Freedom has been defeated. Statism is here. Another entitlement program that can't be easily repealed. But, for those bright enough, life will go on OK. We know how to still envision, design, make and sell goods. The people who will suffer are those good, loving Americans who have been our backbone. They work at our restaurants, gas stations and retail stores. They work (or worked) at our factories. They drive trucks. You get the picture. These are our friends, moms, fathers and kids. They are or were necessary.
BUT, leftist politicians told them they should make what doctors make. They deserved to get the same benefits that executives have. Blacks and Hispanics were told they weren't smart enough to make it on their own. They had to get into college with everything paid for and with lower scores. Factory workers were told they didn't and couldn't save for retirement. The fat cats had to do that for them. And the government will now take money from those that have lots of money, assets and benefits and give it to those that don't have as much money, assets and benefits. So, no need to bust it anymore. No need to be self-sufficient. You'll get it no matter what you do. Do I think teachers are awesome? Sure. BUT, education is already socialized. They get a socialist wage. And they're unionized. They get a union wage. Only the union bosses make the big bucks. Not exactly the best example though. Say you're a car plant worker. You assemble cars. A very noble and honorable job. But, you aren't building product strategy. Those are the guys making the bucks. Want those bucks? Go get more eduction and move to that world. Don't sit in your plant wanting champagne when the job only pays or should pay beer. But, that's what has been promised. Or so it seems.
I personally think that while we don't all have equal money, we all have equal freedom under our constitution. Race and ethnicity are not barriers. And in our capitalist society (for now), they are just old definitions that don't really play into peoples' value to society. Your current place in society, wealth wise, isn't a restriction either. We all have the chance, in our free society, to move up, out and over. But, the changes made in this healthcare bill (which contains non-healthcare provisions) are telling people otherwise, They aren't smart enough, savvy enough or capable enough. The government won't just ensure the rules are fair. They'll grab other people's money and give it to you. What does that tell the people who invest and nurture businesses? What does that tell those of other ethnicities about their family background and their ability to have a fair playing field? Is our government driving class envy? Are they building a wedge between races and ethnicities?
So, as the costs of hiring workers and our taxes go up, we business owners will find ways to ensure we still make it. How? We'll automate and outsource, causing the need for workers to be diminished (and as well our costs.) Who suffers? Those disintermediated workers. Maybe they can just become slugs. Wards of the state. Making less than they would if they were producers but not burdened by, OMG, work! Business owners will also look to move their point of taxation to lower cost, lower tax countries. Just because the Federal government has cracked down on secret Swiss bank accounts doesn't mean there aren't other ways to minimize tax burdens for business owners or high wealth individuals. That's what we'll have when we have high taxation. Slugs, unproductive "workers" and the wealthy, who will not lose out just because of the socialist plans by the government. The middle class and the lower class may get free healthcare. But, they'll lose their wealth and with it, their self-sufficiency, freedom and economic-liberty. And America will rapidly decline. The wealthy and business owners will carefully switch nationalities. Maybe not on the surface, but definitely under it based on where their investments go.
If our focus were on limited government and with it, lower taxation, business owners would begin to not feel the sting of doing business in the US and thus move their operations closer to home. People like doing business with their neighbors. But, nobody likes to be screwed. Nobody likes seeing their plans for charity hijacked by the government who is a pretty sorry charity organization. Charities bring both money and rehabilitation. Governments bring money but they also bring dependence and despair (as well as inefficiency.)
Here's an interesting quote from Thomas Friedman in the NY Times:
"If I just have the spark of an idea now, I can get a designer in Taiwan
to design it. I can get a factory in China to produce a prototype. I
can get a factory in Vietnam to mass manufacture it. I can use
Amazon.com to handle fulfillment. I can use freelancer.com
to find someone to do my logo and manage my backroom. And I can do all
this at incredibly low prices. The one thing that is not a commodity
and never will be is that spark of an idea. And this Intel dinner was
all about our best sparklers."
So, let's hope we can throw out the bums in office soon, repeal not only this entitlement plan but others as well. Let's hope that there are republicans who are truly fiscally conservative ready to run our federal government. Let's hope we remain the world's best economy and it's brightest beacon of freedom.
