The day-to-day musings of a frustrated conservative American.

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Your Right to Someone Else's Work

Most of us in the real world know that NO ONE has a moral right to the work product of someone else. We know that walking on to an automobile dealership lot and driving away with a vehicle is illegal, because we didn't PAY for it. That's one of the major differences between society the way the liberals see it, and society the way conservatives see it -- we engage in voluntary exchange, of goods and services, with another person or entity. I agree to hand over something of value, and in exchange I receive something of value. This principle is at work all the time, every minute of every day, from the electricity powering my computer to the iced tea I am drinking.

I do not have the RIGHT to any of those things; what I have is the ABILITY to purchase what I want and need from someone who offers it for sale. Thirsty? Buy a drink. Cold? Buy a coat. Exchange your money for that which you desire. Or barter, your service for someone else's. You don't have a RIGHT not to pay for it.

Where this principle is turned on its head, primarily (though not exclusively), is the area of healthcare. Since so many of us pay only indirectly for the health services we receive, we are blind to the costs of those services. How much is an X-ray, if you walked into a doctor's office and asked for one -- without insurance to cover the cost for you? I have no idea. It probably costs more than an entire month's worth of insurance premiums, but I have no clue. Do you? Of course not. Just because we don't KNOW the cost does not in any way mean there is no cost!

Things like that X-ray seem free, since we don't pay for them directly to the people that conduct them. The less economically-savvy among us therefore equate NO cost with UNKNOWN cost, and bristle at the notion that a doctor wants to be paid for what he provides. How dare he! It's that righteous indignation which is the hallmark of the left... but I digress.

If that X-ray is to be free to the patient, who will pay for the equipment, personnel, training, electricity, building, maintenance, etc.? Those things cost money. Who should pay this money? If you say, "The government!" then you have failed. That model has brought us where we are today...

Because 'government' has no money of its own, only money that it collects (through taxes and fees) to pay for anything. Anything paid for by 'government' has been paid for by the citizens who fund it.

Romney Thinks We're On Our Own?

As usual, it seems that liberals take a conservative thought or philosophy, and expand it until it reaches idiotic or ridiculous proportions. For example, they think that Mitt Romney holds the opinion that 'everyone should take care of themselves and the Government does not owe anyone any kind of social service'. Which is wrong, of course.

Liberals always miscategorize, lie, set up strawmen... it's a shame, and a really old, tired playbook. I'll give you quotes from an interview on September 19, 2012 by Mitt Romney:

"I believe the right course for America is one where government steps in to help those that are in need. We're a compassionate people, but then we get -- let people build their own lives, create enterprises. We believe in free people and free enterprise, not redistribution. The right course for America is to create growth, create wealth, not to redistribute wealth."

"There are a number of retirees, members of the military and so forth who aren't paying taxes, and that's as it should be. But I do believe that we should have enough jobs and enough take-home pay such that people have the privilege of higher incomes that allow them to be paying taxes.

"I think people would like to be paying taxes. The good news is, if you're doing well enough financially, that you can pay a tax. And the problem is right now as you see in this country so many people have fallen into poverty that they're not paying taxes. They have to rely on government. And the right course to help them is not just to have government handing out, but instead government helping people to get back to good jobs.

"[t]he numbers on food stamps are really revealing. When the president took office, 32 million people were on food stamps. And now that number is 15 million higher, almost 50 percent higher, now 47 million people on food stamps. You've got Americans falling into poverty under this president and an increasing number; it looks like, on these food stamp figures. And I want to get people back to work. I'd like to see – I'd like to see everybody who is not retired, not in the military having the privilege of having a good job and a good income, enough that -- that -- that they qualify to pay taxes."

"I believe America was built on the principle of government caring for those in need, but getting out of the way and allowing free people to pursue their dreams. Free people pursuing free enterprises is the only way we'll create a strong and growing middle class and the only way we'll help people out of poverty."

Remember a time when liberals had the intellectual honesty to like or admire someone with whom they disagreed personally? Remember a time when we would hold up a guy like Romney as someone to admire? In some things, if not all things; there's always room for disagreement. But such venom? This is a man who gives millions and millions of dollars every year to his church and to charity. Voluntarily. Aren't those traits to be admired? I mean, I don't agree with everything about the guy, but seriously -- whether or not I agree with him politically ought not dictate what I think of him personally.

Liberals make everything personal, whether it should be or not. Provided the target of their ire holds different views than theirs, of course!

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