Posted on 03/09/2012 3:17:32 PM PST by trappedincanuckistan
America has been embroiled in a losing war far longer than any engagement in Afghanistan or Iraq. In declaring a War on Poverty in 1964, then President Lyndon Johnson asserted the grandiose claim that government could be the conqueror of a foe as old as mankind.
But with rising poverty rates and an exploding national debt it is time to reconsider just how to fight a war on poverty and whether government is of any lasting help at all.
Fundamental to the current rules of this war on poverty is the assumption that government can redistribute wealth efficiently from those that Have Too Much to those that Have Too Little. This myth of epic proportions claims that the right balance of taxes on the rich with offsetting aid programs for the poor will bring about an economic utopia. While many hold this position as the gospel, the facts do not agree.
(Excerpt) Read more at humanevents.com ...
Sounds like the title of a news article that would be appropriately published in North America in or around 1776....
Not exactly ground breaking, but worth repeating over and over....
“Fundamental to the current rules of this war on poverty is the assumption that government can redistribute wealth efficiently from those that Have Too Much to those that Have Too Little.”
No, what’s fundamental is the assumption that the government attempting weath distribution at all is morally acceptable.
This article takes a utilitarian approach.
Absolutely.
Government needs this kind of attention as much as possible!
Great thread!
The government is eliminating government poverty!
I’ve always understood that “you can’t make a poor man rich by making a rich man poor!”
Nice! I’ve never heard that expression.
Your statement hit the ball out of the park. Something that MUST be trumpeted to the public is, "As the spending by the US government hits 100% of GDP, that means in order to balance the budget, the US government MUST confiscate 100% of all goods and services produced in the USA." This includes ALL WAGES!!! Meaning everything earned. Not a penny left for you to buy food, gasoline for your car to get to work, payments for a place to live, NOTHING! 100%!!! Simply increasing taxes won't even come close, even at 99% tax, of every person who works in the USA!
The fact is that the government, at the behest of the people who elected the government, is now borrowing 40% of every dollar spent! This is unsutainable, and makes Greece look like nothing!
Mark
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