From the point of view of the liberals, life isn’t fair because some people have more than others. What they mean is that there are citizens who have more material goods and resources than others, and that just isn’t fair, and by hang we are going to see to it that this doesn’t exist as soon as we can eliminate it. So there, take that all you greedy money grubbing conservatives who believe that you should be able to keep your hard earned resources.

What’s unfair is that ignorant, self serving politicians of both parties pander to the “gimme” crowd in various ways. The liberal Democrats take through the tax laws from those with more in order to give to those with less in the name of fairness and equality. The Republicans brag about removing the low income people from the tax rolls so they won’t be burdened with helping pay the nation’s bills. Either way, it is giving a large number a free ride at the expense of others, all in the name of fairness and equality.

When nothing but material holdings are used to determine fairness and equality, the real issues that cause the condition of having less than other people are hidden and are far different. Whether the issue is taking from one to give to others or removing them from the taxpayer category, the issues are the same; individual abilities, self-initiative, and the plain old desire to do better by getting out of bed early and working late into the night. Now that isn’t fair to those who don’t want to do that, so we must penalize those who produce the goods and services and who think they should keep the fruits of their labors. After all, we must be fair and promote equality.

Don’t even mention to the liberal crowd of holding two jobs or three or having a part-time business since that is so demeaning to those who didn’t and won’t take advantage of the education system designed to teach them something (which in this day and age is open for debate on the something being taught) useful to make them productive citizens. But why should they better themselves when the government sets the minimum wage and gives them other freebies ... you guessed it... because they won’t on their own, take it upon themselves to do better. And no matter the amount of cajoling or the number of swift kicks in the sitter, those remedies won't change them because the politicians and bureaucrats say that it's so unfair and demeaning to those who can’t shake the dependence of “big government”, and consequently the poor souls just need us to help them each day.

While on the subject of unfairness, another one sticks in my craw. Senior Citizen Centers prepare meals for the needy. Needy? If the cars that are parked in the lots by those taking part in the meal program are any indication, the owners are about as needy as a hog with a new trough filled with its favorite swine swill. Unfair?  You bet it is when owners of private eateries are struggling to make ends meet due to government competition.

But the government never sees the programs they devise as being in competition with private business. On the contrary, the politicians see private business as an impediment to their grand schemes because business rips off people and aren’t compassionate due to their insistence on making a profit which makes prices higher.

Those who produce are being gouged by the government to provide for people who are capable of providing for themselves. In Sorting It Out, it is fair to say that the greatest unfairness of it all is that the people who produce are being forced into helping others be more dependent on an increasingly socialistically oriented government under their new mantra of “For the Common Good.”

© 03-10-2006 DEC