FAST TALKING

Unlike many Americans and nearly all Democrats, I learned long ago that the thing to do when you make a mistake is to own up to it, take the consequences, learn from it, and move on. Of course when I do something right I want to do the same thing which is why I'm so opposed to inefficient government subjecting me to excessive taxation to take care of those that don't do these things, but I digress. This is actually not another political blog.


You see, I was running late for an appointment a couple of weeks ago. Not late late, but not my customary 5 or 10 minutes early, and wasn't paying attention to my speed. As I was driving down a main thoroughfare I rounded a corner, and there they were. The Travis County Revenue Enhancement Department, Motorcycle Division. And there I was the only car visible on the road, and I had their radar pointed directly at me. I glance at my speedometer, and they had me dead to rights. I was doing 60 in a 45. So, I flipped on my hazards, waved to them as I passed by them, and turned onto a side road.



As soon as I turned onto said side road I saw a parking lot with a shade tree I could pull under, and it being well over 100 I decided both the sheriff's deputy and myself would be more comfortable under the shade so I drove the extra block to park under the tree.



At first the deputy was somewhat belligerent sounding when he asked, “Why'd you make me follow all the way into this parking lot?”

I responded truthfully, that I figure we'd both be safer and more comfortable under the shade off the roadway. He allowed as to how the shade was nice, and let that go. He then asked me if I knew why he'd pulled me over.



I responded in keeping with my take your punishment like a man and move on way of life, “I'm guessing, just guessing mind you, that it was because I came around that corner going like the hammers of hell were chasing me.”

He actually snickered. Now it's important to realize that all I really wanted to do was take my ticket and get back on the road. He asked, “Where were you going in such a hurry?”



Here again, I truthfully answered, “I have a doctor's appointment, but it's not an emergency, I'm just running a few minute late. But that's not really even the deal, I simply wasn't paying attention.”



He then spent a few minutes running my license, registration, and inspection. Presumably to make sure I wasn't a wanted ax murderer driving a stolen not inspected car. Then he approached my window again, handed me license and insurance, and said, “I don't normally do this, but since you took responsibility, and found shade, I'm going to let you go with a warning.”



Got on his bike, and rode off. So it just goes to show you guys that even when screwing up taking responsibility makes things much less harsh than they have to be.

EAT THE RICH

Twice now I've had the conversation with people that we should call the rich's bluff and let them leave. When discussing what will happen when we tax them to highly. But let's think a minute about what would happen if we did that shall we. The thing that immediately concerns me is that we'd loose our most productive individuals. The ones who had proven in the harshest test of all that they can get things done that benefit, indeed keep alive, their fellow man, the market place.

Now they're gone, but our needs for their goods and services are not. So what do we do? We are forced to bring in our second string. These are not bad guys, but they are not as good as their former competitors or they'd have been run out with the competitor. Now eventually, in a generation or two we'd breed a new first string, and they'd figure it out for themselves.



But what happens during those generations? Well we suffer shortages in goods and services. Our beans aren't canned, our cars aren't built properly, and clothing falls apart. Some of us probably suffer directly from hunger simply because the mechanisms that bring us our foods are now far less efficient than they had been. In short we have huge amount of suffering to go through while our market place breeds new efficiency. We probably don't die off as a race or anything, but it wouldn't surprise me that some of us die of malnutrition, hunger, or disease because food couldn't be delivered fast or with high enough quality to them.



Now let's assume that we survive that transition, and we've gotten back on track with the production of our goods and services. Great. But guess what? The market has made those that guided us through that transitions WEALTHY! And, we have accomplished the dubious goal of exchanging one set of wealthy people for another set of wealthy people at great price in suffering and possibly human life.

Is that really the intelligent thing to do?

I think not. I think instead we should study the rich, and teach their methods to our children via Dave Ramsey's or Dr. Thomas Stanley's works. Then we should emulate them. As I've said in the past, if you make more rich people the result will not be more poverty.

WHAT IS OURS?

So, why is it that we seem to feel that we have a right to that which is the property of others? That is what taxes are after all, us helping ourselves to the property of others. And of course to some degree those that produce that property do owe something for the legitimate services of the government. But at what point does it become legalized theft? To me that point is fairly simple to define. That point is the point at which that property is taken to pay for things that are contrary to our constitution.

Even a partial list of those things would be so long I haven't the time nor inclination to write it out for you. But to see the list of things that are justified all you have to do is read Article 1 Section 8 of the United States Constitution. And, as soon as we stray away from those we stray into legalized theft. Something that is legal of course, but totally immoral.

'The tyranny of the majority,' is a term coined by Alexis de Tocqueville in Democracy in America. It simply means that the majority can tyrannize anyone one it wishes if it can merely get the votes. But, and this is where many people loose their way, legal is NOT the same thing as moral. We need to rethink these concepts for America and maybe think that our need does not make it moral to take from others that which is their property. So, when you next hear that such and such group isn't paying their fair share, ask yourself, “How is it that I have any claim on it at all?”