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The Fallacy of Redistribution (Sowell on Obama)
Creators Syndicate ^ | September 19, 2012 | Thomas Sowell

Posted on 09/19/2012 10:02:40 AM PDT by jazusamo

The recently discovered tape on which Barack Obama said back in 1998 that he believes in redistribution is not really news. He said the same thing to Joe the Plumber four years ago. But the surfacing of this tape may serve a useful purpose if it gets people to thinking about what the consequences of redistribution are.

Those who talk glibly about redistribution often act as if people are just inert objects that can be placed here and there, like pieces on a chess board, to carry out some grand design. But if human beings have their own responses to government policies, then we cannot blithely assume that government policies will have the effect intended.

The history of the 20th century is full of examples of countries that set out to redistribute wealth and ended up redistributing poverty. The communist nations were a classic example, but by no means the only example.

In theory, confiscating the wealth of the more successful people ought to make the rest of the society more prosperous. But when the Soviet Union confiscated the wealth of successful farmers, food became scarce. As many people died of starvation under Stalin in the 1930s as died in Hitler's Holocaust in the 1940s.

How can that be? It is not complicated. You can only confiscate the wealth that exists at a given moment. You cannot confiscate future wealth — and that future wealth is less likely to be produced when people see that it is going to be confiscated. Farmers in the Soviet Union cut back on how much time and effort they invested in growing their crops, when they realized that the government was going to take a big part of the harvest. They slaughtered and ate young farm animals that they would normally keep tending...

(Excerpt) Read more at creators.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Editorial; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: obama; redistribution; sowell; thomassowell; wealth
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To: GOPJ

Absolutely, and they’ll never be any different.


41 posted on 09/19/2012 1:37:17 PM PDT by jazusamo ("Intellect is not wisdom" -- Thomas Sowell)
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To: jazusamo
future wealth is less likely to be produced when people see that it is going to be confiscated.

Why bust yer azz to buy a Mazerati, when all they'll let you have is a Yugo?

42 posted on 09/19/2012 1:39:06 PM PDT by rawcatslyentist (I'd rather have a bottle in front of me, than a Barack 0b0tt0my!)
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To: onyx
I'll raise your bump!


The pain you feel today is the strength you'll have tomorrow.

43 posted on 09/19/2012 6:47:50 PM PDT by rdb3 (Democrats: Once a slave owner, ALWAYS a slave owner!)
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To: jazusamo

Been my tag for four years now...


44 posted on 09/19/2012 8:34:29 PM PDT by wastoute (Government cannot redistribute wealth. Government can only redistribute poverty.)
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To: rdb3

GOOD to see you, sweet and dear friend!


45 posted on 09/19/2012 10:00:52 PM PDT by onyx (FREE REPUBLIC IS HERE TO STAY! DONATE MONTHLY! IF YOU WANT ON SARAH PALIN''S PING LIST, LET ME KNOW)
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To: loveliberty2
The probability of this type of discussion on a libtard site is zero. In their world view historically proven truths are irrelevant. In their mind, redistribution would work “if only” they were in charge. Never mind that history has proven it never works! They forget that they are as human as those that they wish to rule, in their mind they are as perfect as gods and are uncorruptible.

We (FReepers) understand that as humans we are all corruptible, therefore we can not rule other men. That leads us to understand that we do not want to be ruled by other men. History has proven us right and progressives must deny history because it proves that they (and their vaunted leaders) are not gods.

46 posted on 09/20/2012 12:26:17 AM PDT by CSM (Keeper of the Dave Ramsey Ping list. FReepmail me if you want your beeber stuned.)
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To: jazusamo

A vivid image of this is to say ‘Eating the Wallpaper’.


47 posted on 09/20/2012 1:38:23 AM PDT by BelegStrongbow (St. Joseph, patron of fathers, pray for us!)
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