Somehow our nation lost its sense of thrift. Not that long ago, Americans fundamentally understand thrift and frugality as desirable virtues. We’ve become so far removed from these ideas we no longer even understand what it means to be thrifty and frugal. Thrift doesn’t mean being a miser or being greedy. It means making the wisest use of what we have (time, money, possessions, health, natural resources, everything) for good and productive purposes. Similarly, being frugal means conserving those same things instead of using them up in a “consumer” mentality. The opposite vices of the virtues of thrift and frugality are idleness and waste.
The greatest American champion of thrift and frugality, Benjamin Franklin, told us, “Rather go to bed supperless than rise in debt.” Similarly, he teaches us, “Be industrious and frugal, and you will be rich.” Instead these virtues have been replaced by the vice of “entitlement.” Too many people think they’re “owed” something from everyone else. We’ve been brainwashed into believing Big Government handouts are “compassionate.” Are they really? Let’s think this one through, shall we?
Person A works hard, spends wisely and saves for a rainy day. Person B doesn’t. Person B sees Person A and cries, “It’s not fair!” Big (Compassionate) Government hears Person B (and smells votes) and says to Person B, “You’re right, it’s not fair! We’ll help you!” Big (Compassionate) Government goes to Person A and takes from him the rightfully earned fruits of his labor. Big (Compassionate) Government goes back to Person B, gives him Person A’s money and says, “Remember, we’re from the government and we’re here to help – vote early and vote often!”
What’s wrong with this? After all, you big meanie, “it’s for the kids”™. What, do you just hate poor people and kids and old people and puppies and want them all to die?
Yep, that’s it Alan Grayson (by the way, so sorry about the unemployment thing, but with a net worth of over $31 million, I’m sure you’ll somehow make it through – filled for unemployment already, haven’t you, you sly fox?), you caught me! I simply hate everyone and want them all to die. Or, just maybe, I see through your Big (Compassionate) Government programs and understand what they’re really doing to all the people you claim to be helping.
Let’s consider for a moment exactly what happens when we continue to take from Person A in order to give to Person B. Productive Person A is going to get rather tired of working hard in order to support unproductive Person B sitting around on his butt with his hand out demanding more from Big (Compassionate) Government – a demand to which Big (Compassionate) Government (smelling votes) continually caves into. So what’s the incentive for Person A to keep working hard, spending wisely and saving for a rainy day when all he has to do is stick his hand out and demand his “entitlement” too? Are you ready for the answer? THERE IS NO INCENTIVE for Person A to keep working hard, spending wisely and saving for a rainy day. So Big (Compassionate) Government isn’t exactly being all too compassionate to Person A – but Person A is “rich,” so who cares, right?
Now, let’s suppose Person A is a small business owner. As Big (Compassionate) Government takes from Person A the rightfully earned fruits of his labor, Person A now lacks capital to expand his business – an expansion which would have offered Person B something called a “job.” But why do something as distasteful and unseemly as work when Big (Compassionate) Government will provide? As Big (Compassionate) Government continues to answer Person B’s demand for more by taking more from Person A, Person A has to shrink his business, putting Person C out of work. Now Person C joins Person B in demanding their “entitlements” from Big (Compassionate) Government. So what must Big (Compassionate) Government do in response? Print more money? No, that’s just what the Treasury does in order to give money to the Federal Reserve (a private banking system not owned by the government) in order to buy up our national debt and keep the whole “entitlement” charade running – at least temporarily. Instead, Big (Compassionate) Government takes more and more of the rightfully earned fruits of Person A’s labor. Finally, Person A finds it impossible to continue in business and closes the doors, sending Persons D through Z, along with Person A to the Big (Compassionate) Government handout line.
What happens when we run out of Person As from whom to take the rightfully earned fruits of their labor in order to give it to others? Why do so few people bother to think about the end consequence of “socking it to the rich?” Once we’re out of Person As, boys and girls, the party is over. There are no more wrongfully taken fruits of the labors of others to handout in order to meet the demands for “entitlements” from the unproductive people. We become what Greece is today. Socialism is fun until you run out of other people’s money to spend.
Once we become Greece, we see clearly that Big (Compassionate) Government was never compassionate. The only thing it cared about (or more exactly, the politicians) was power. Through its lust for power, it created dependent people – on purpose! Why? Because the more people dependent on Big (NOT Compassionate) Government, the more power it can amass for itself.
Once people are dependent on the government doles, they don’t want to go anything to upset the apple cart and lose their “entitlements.” So these people end up giving up more and more of their liberty and freedom in exchange for more Big (Compassionate) Government “goodies” – the money for which comes from Big (Compassionate) Government stealing a productive person’s rightfully earned fruits of labor and giving them to an unproductive person. But, as I just mentioned, you can only plunder the purses of productive people for so long until there’s nothing left to steal.
In the end, let’s ponder this question: is it more compassionate for Big (Compassionate) Government to hand out fish taken from others or is it more compassionate for Person A to teach Person B how to catch his own fish? And if Person B refuses the fishing lessons, is it really still Person A’s responsibility to take care of Person B or does not Person B maintain primary responsibility over his own destiny? Is it better to empower someone by making him capable of supporting himself or is it better to disenfranchise someone by making him dependent on some other body for his support? How did we lose all common sense that we no longer answer these questions as our founders answered them?
“I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it.”
– Benjamin Franklin
The Blaze News
Semper Alacer 
Government Handouts are Compassionate? No!
Somehow our nation lost its sense of thrift. Not that long ago, Americans fundamentally understand thrift and frugality as desirable virtues. We’ve become so far removed from these ideas we no longer even understand what it means to be thrifty and frugal. Thrift doesn’t mean being a miser or being greedy. It means making the wisest use of what we have (time, money, possessions, health, natural resources, everything) for good and productive purposes. Similarly, being frugal means conserving those same things instead of using them up in a “consumer” mentality. The opposite vices of the virtues of thrift and frugality are idleness and waste.
The greatest American champion of thrift and frugality, Benjamin Franklin, told us, “Rather go to bed supperless than rise in debt.” Similarly, he teaches us, “Be industrious and frugal, and you will be rich.” Instead these virtues have been replaced by the vice of “entitlement.” Too many people think they’re “owed” something from everyone else. We’ve been brainwashed into believing Big Government handouts are “compassionate.” Are they really? Let’s think this one through, shall we?
Person A works hard, spends wisely and saves for a rainy day. Person B doesn’t. Person B sees Person A and cries, “It’s not fair!” Big (Compassionate) Government hears Person B (and smells votes) and says to Person B, “You’re right, it’s not fair! We’ll help you!” Big (Compassionate) Government goes to Person A and takes from him the rightfully earned fruits of his labor. Big (Compassionate) Government goes back to Person B, gives him Person A’s money and says, “Remember, we’re from the government and we’re here to help – vote early and vote often!”
What’s wrong with this? After all, you big meanie, “it’s for the kids”™. What, do you just hate poor people and kids and old people and puppies and want them all to die?
Yep, that’s it Alan Grayson (by the way, so sorry about the unemployment thing, but with a net worth of over $31 million, I’m sure you’ll somehow make it through – filled for unemployment already, haven’t you, you sly fox?), you caught me! I simply hate everyone and want them all to die. Or, just maybe, I see through your Big (Compassionate) Government programs and understand what they’re really doing to all the people you claim to be helping.
Let’s consider for a moment exactly what happens when we continue to take from Person A in order to give to Person B. Productive Person A is going to get rather tired of working hard in order to support unproductive Person B sitting around on his butt with his hand out demanding more from Big (Compassionate) Government – a demand to which Big (Compassionate) Government (smelling votes) continually caves into. So what’s the incentive for Person A to keep working hard, spending wisely and saving for a rainy day when all he has to do is stick his hand out and demand his “entitlement” too? Are you ready for the answer? THERE IS NO INCENTIVE for Person A to keep working hard, spending wisely and saving for a rainy day. So Big (Compassionate) Government isn’t exactly being all too compassionate to Person A – but Person A is “rich,” so who cares, right?
Now, let’s suppose Person A is a small business owner. As Big (Compassionate) Government takes from Person A the rightfully earned fruits of his labor, Person A now lacks capital to expand his business – an expansion which would have offered Person B something called a “job.” But why do something as distasteful and unseemly as work when Big (Compassionate) Government will provide? As Big (Compassionate) Government continues to answer Person B’s demand for more by taking more from Person A, Person A has to shrink his business, putting Person C out of work. Now Person C joins Person B in demanding their “entitlements” from Big (Compassionate) Government. So what must Big (Compassionate) Government do in response? Print more money? No, that’s just what the Treasury does in order to give money to the Federal Reserve (a private banking system not owned by the government) in order to buy up our national debt and keep the whole “entitlement” charade running – at least temporarily. Instead, Big (Compassionate) Government takes more and more of the rightfully earned fruits of Person A’s labor. Finally, Person A finds it impossible to continue in business and closes the doors, sending Persons D through Z, along with Person A to the Big (Compassionate) Government handout line.
What happens when we run out of Person As from whom to take the rightfully earned fruits of their labor in order to give it to others? Why do so few people bother to think about the end consequence of “socking it to the rich?” Once we’re out of Person As, boys and girls, the party is over. There are no more wrongfully taken fruits of the labors of others to handout in order to meet the demands for “entitlements” from the unproductive people. We become what Greece is today. Socialism is fun until you run out of other people’s money to spend.
Once we become Greece, we see clearly that Big (Compassionate) Government was never compassionate. The only thing it cared about (or more exactly, the politicians) was power. Through its lust for power, it created dependent people – on purpose! Why? Because the more people dependent on Big (NOT Compassionate) Government, the more power it can amass for itself.
Once people are dependent on the government doles, they don’t want to go anything to upset the apple cart and lose their “entitlements.” So these people end up giving up more and more of their liberty and freedom in exchange for more Big (Compassionate) Government “goodies” – the money for which comes from Big (Compassionate) Government stealing a productive person’s rightfully earned fruits of labor and giving them to an unproductive person. But, as I just mentioned, you can only plunder the purses of productive people for so long until there’s nothing left to steal.
In the end, let’s ponder this question: is it more compassionate for Big (Compassionate) Government to hand out fish taken from others or is it more compassionate for Person A to teach Person B how to catch his own fish? And if Person B refuses the fishing lessons, is it really still Person A’s responsibility to take care of Person B or does not Person B maintain primary responsibility over his own destiny? Is it better to empower someone by making him capable of supporting himself or is it better to disenfranchise someone by making him dependent on some other body for his support? How did we lose all common sense that we no longer answer these questions as our founders answered them?
“I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it.”
– Benjamin Franklin