For Andrea - Socialism Illustrated

An economics professor at a local college made a statement that he had never failed a single student before, but had once failed an entire class. That class had insisted that Obama's socialism worked and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer.

The professor then said, "OK, we will have an experiment in this class on Obama's plan". All grades would be averaged and everyone would receive the same grade so no one would fail and no one would receive an A. After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B.

The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy. As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied little. The second test average was a D!

No one was happy. When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F. The scores never increased as bickering, blame and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else.

All failed, to their great surprise, and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great but when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed.

Could not be any simpler than that.

A young woman was about to finish her first year of college. Like so many others her age, she considered herself to be a very liberal Democrat, and was very much in favor of 'the redistribution of wealth.'

She was deeply ashamed that her father was a rather staunch Republican, a feeling she openly expressed. Based on the lectures that she had participated in, and the occasional chat with a professor, she felt that her father had for years harbored an evil, selfish desire to keep what he thought should be his.

One day she was challenging her father on his opposition to higher taxes on the rich and the addition of more government welfare programs.

The self-professed objectivity proclaimed by her professors had to be the truth and she indicated so to her father. He responded by asking how she was doing in s chool.

Taken aback, she answered rather haughtily that she had a 4.0 GPA, and let him know that it was tough to maintain, insisting that she was taking a very difficult course load and was constantly studying, which left her no time to go out and party like other people she knew. She didn't even have time for a boyfriend, and didn't really have many college friends because she spent all her time studying.

Her father listened and then asked, 'How is your friend Audrey doing?'

She replied, 'Audrey is barely getting by. All she takes are easy classes, she never studies, and she barely has a 2.0 GPA. She is so popular on campus; college for her is a blast. She's always invited to all the parties, and lots of times she doesn't even show up for classes because she's too hung over.'

Her wise father asked his daughter, 'Why don't you go to the Dean's office and ask him to deduct a 1.0 off your GPA and give it to your friend who only has a 2.0. That way you will both have a 3.0 GPA and certainly that would be a fair and equal distribution of GPA.'

The daughter, visibly shocked by her father's suggestion, angrily fired back, 'That wouldn't be fair! I have worked really hard for my grades! I've invested a lot of time, and a lot of hard work! Audrey has done next to nothing toward her degree. She played while I worked my tail off!'

The father slowly smiled, winked and said gently, "Welcome to the Republican party."

Aaron wrote:Why am I and my tax dollars responsible for what happens in an Africian nation?

Andrea Cristobal wrote:

Aaron wrote:Why am I and my tax dollars responsible for what happens in an Africian nation?

Perhaps it is called being part of humanity and something referred to as 'compassion'.

Stephanie wrote:Why is it you think only with government force Americans can be "compassionate". There is no compassion in taxation, Andrea. When our money is confiscated from us and sent overseas for tribal leaders to loot, or Israel to build better bombs, or bureaucrats to piss away, that isn't charity.

Charity is something an individual, or group of individuals choose to do. The donations I make to St. Jude's Children's Hospital, that's charity. The donations I make to the Humane Society, that's charity. The children my parents sponsor overseas with their donations each month, that's charity. The donations many of us make to food drives and homeless shelters, that's charity. Medical professionals who donate their time and expertise in clinics are being charitable. Jimmy Carter, not my favorite former President, has done a tremendous amount of work with various charities, building homes, preventing blindness etc. We do these things of our own free will because we are compassionate, because we are human.

It isn't something a government participates in by taking from some people to give to whatever or whoever they choose whenever they feel like it. There is nothing charitable, or compassionate, about the Kennedy's and Jay and the other multimillionaires in Congress taking from my working class family to give to anybody else. They have plenty of money. If Lieberman wants to send money to Israel, let him send it. If Maxine Waters wants to spend money on day cares in California, she's profitted mightily from her position in the House, let her fund it. If Nancy Pelosi wants welfare recipients to have abortions, let her pay for them. If Jay Rock wants to have a single payer healthcare system, he should tap his family fortune and hit up his like-minded millionaire friends. Quite frankly, my family can't afford it even if we were interested in it.

Cato wrote:

Stephanie wrote:Why is it you think only with government force Americans can be "compassionate". There is no compassion in taxation, Andrea. When our money is confiscated from us and sent overseas for tribal leaders to loot, or Israel to build better bombs, or bureaucrats to piss away, that isn't charity.

Charity is something an individual, or group of individuals choose to do. The donations I make to St. Jude's Children's Hospital, that's charity. The donations I make to the Humane Society, that's charity. The children my parents sponsor overseas with their donations each month, that's charity. The donations many of us make to food drives and homeless shelters, that's charity. Medical professionals who donate their time and expertise in clinics are being charitable. Jimmy Carter, not my favorite former President, has done a tremendous amount of work with various charities, building homes, preventing blindness etc. We do these things of our own free will because we are compassionate, because we are human.

It isn't something a government participates in by taking from some people to give to whatever or whoever they choose whenever they feel like it. There is nothing charitable, or compassionate, about the Kennedy's and Jay and the other multimillionaires in Congress taking from my working class family to give to anybody else. They have plenty of money. If Lieberman wants to send money to Israel, let him send it. If Maxine Waters wants to spend money on day cares in California, she's profitted mightily from her position in the House, let her fund it. If Nancy Pelosi wants welfare recipients to have abortions, let her pay for them. If Jay Rock wants to have a single payer healthcare system, he should tap his family fortune and hit up his like-minded millionaire friends. Quite frankly, my family can't afford it even if we were interested in it.

Well spoken Stpehanie. I will be interested to see Andrea's reply.

Aaron wrote:First Andrea, as you're grasp of the constitution is limited at best as displayed by your inability to name the Supreme Court case supporting YOUR argument and the fact that you had never heard of FDR's court packing measures cementing your lack of knowledge on our founding document, I'm not debating what is and isn't constitution with you.

And it is clear you have reading comprehension problems as at no time did I say foreign aid (that's what your talking about) was unconstitutional. I said we as Americans live under a rule of law guided by our constitution which also dictates our taxes. The people who you believe we should have compassion for do not pay any of those taxes so why should they be entitled to the benefits of my tax dollars? In your tirade, you failed to answer that one simple question.

And speaking of that tirade, can you answer a one more question? Where in the United States are public vouchers used to pay for a private education at religious schools? I did a quick Google but I could find no instances.

I did find out that if private tuition is not tax deductible so those who send their kids to private schools are not only paying for their children's education but for public education as well but I found no cases of vouchers. I don't suppose you can back that claim up, can you?

Andrea Cristobal wrote:
Do you think that none of those people give to charity? I would say that many if not all of them do, it's good for their careers if for no other reason. Should I then be unwilling for my tax dollars to be spent in a way I disagree with? As a Catholic I know that many parents send their children for a Catholic education. Since the inception of Catholic schools in this country Catholics have always paid for their own children's private education. Yet 'school vouchers' are a cornerstone of the conservative movement. Why should I pay one dime in tax dollars to send someone's child to a private school because they disagree with the curriculum? I could just as easily say "If you want to send your child to private school, pay for it yourself, or home school your child. I pay taxes for public schools not your private desires." There was just a segment today on a news program about the power of 'faith based lobbyists'. Many who want the same access to funding as other social programs that are not faith-based. Why should I pay one dime in tax dollars for a faith based program? For the Salvation Army to have a drug program, etc and so on. They should raise their own. Every dime from the members of their faith. If I am not of that faith and I choose not to give to them, then why should I be forced to with my tax dollars? Is there not in WV a fund for black lung disease administered through the government. Why should I who am not a coal miner give one dime of my tax dollars for the care of miners? Let them fend for themselves with their own insurance. Why should I give one dime to corporate farmers for research and development? Or other industries for that matter such as the pharmaceutical industry. They make major profits and don't require my hard worked for money which I prefer to give to charity. They can easily take care of themselves. That is a knife which cuts both ways. If not one dime were ever spent on something that each and every American doesn't want it used for, this country would come to a standstill.

Aaron wrote:You seem pretty hellbent on patting your own back for someone of who's opinion you profess to have no regard for.

I'm curious if you're familiar with Matthew chapter 6.

Matthew 6:5

Beware of practicing your righteousness before man to be noticed by them, otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.

Stephanie wrote:Then use YOUR money to assist the people you want to help. You are free to do whatever you wish with YOUR money.

You are also free to do whatever you want with YOUR life. Join the Peace Corps, or volunteer at a food bank or homeless shelter or Red Cross.

In the first place, our government doesn't have the money to spend on "foreign aid". I don't know whether or not you've been paying attention, but our nation not only has an enormous deficit that is growing, but we are borrowing incredible sums of money from Communist China. So much money have has our government borrowed from the Communist Chinese government, that it can't even adequately protect us from inferior, dangers, even toxic goods they ship here.

In the second place, as I mentioned previously, the money our government does give to many of these nations winds up lining the pockets of thugs, or funding terrorism, or is used to increase the suffering of other people. That's a fact.

So send your money to CARE if that's what you choose to do. Give to ACORN if that's what floats your boat. Give to Catholic Charities or the Jimmy Fund. Sponsor a couple of kids in Somalia, or Ethopia, or better yet, right here in the USA where there are plenty of kiddos going to bed hungry at night or to school without decent shoes on their feet.

Spend your vacations with Habitat for Humanity, or your days off working in a soup kitchen, or as I said before, join the Peace Corps, or see if Doctors Without Borders can make some use of you.