Hardball

Tonight I was watching Hardball with Chris Matthews who was discussing President Bush's so called privatization of social security plan. The guests were of-course two partisan political hacks, one from the right and the other from the left. The leftist fellow was of-course arguing that to allow workers to take a small portion of the burdensome 15 percent social security tax and to invest that privately in the stock market would be disastrous for our elderly people, but most of all dangerous for "society." My favorite point came when host Chris Matthews, and I must give him props for this question, asked the democrat to consider a hypothetical scenario. The question asked was whether or not the democrat would have, given the opportunity at the age of eighteen to twenty something, kept his social security tax in the current system only to receive a 3 percent return at best, or invest a portion in a stock market fund where over his working life he might average as much a 10 to 15 percent. His response started off by stating that if he only cared about himself, then of-course he would have invested privately. He then went on to scare the older generation again and mutter famous leftist mantras about the good of society.

The point here is this, leftists have zero respect for THE INDIVIDUAL. And when I speak of leftists I am speaking of 99.9 percent of politicians, republicans included. The new right is only right by name. They are very left according to historical standards. The politicians love to talk in terms of groups i.e.: blacks, women, minorities, upper class, lower class, white collar, blue collar, etc. The worst nightmare of the left would be for individuals to storm Washington demanding their lost individual rights back. The politicians have taken those rights and turned them over to the collective i.e.: social security, medicare, medicaid, welfare, corporate welfare, etc. The politicians need for those various groups to be dependent on the state for their every desire. That is how they can ensure their reelection year after year after year. The reason the politicians classify people into groups is because groups are easier to control and lead than individuals. What the left, and 98 percent of the new right for that matter, fail to realize is that the more freedom individuals have to look out for themselves, the more prosperous most people will become. One important aspect about the new right is that they pay lip service to individual rights and smaller government during election season, but they never walk the walk once elected. As the dominant party in Washington they hardly talk of shrinking the size of government any more. Which goes to prove one point. They will say what they need to say to get elected, but once in power they will use that power to pursue their hidden agendas.

When people are free to pursue their own free will and do something that they do best, the division of labor is most balanced and resources are allocated in the best manner possible. Free will creates prosperity. That is how the U.S. became the most prosperous nation in the world. The government was very weak and small in the beginning of our history and it allowed people to conduct their lives in a manner consistent with their own beliefs and values.

Is the president's plan for social security good for the advancement of liberty? It appears to be a step in the right direction, but if it passes it will probably end up causing more destruction than prosperity simply because the government will be administering it. In order for people to be able to retire with true 10 to 15 percent gains on their investment the government needs to get out of the retirement business and leave free will alone to run its course. I simply can't see how, given its track record, the government can fix this broken, fraudulant program called social security. The government can't elliminate poverty no matter how much money it dumps on that issue in its massive war on poverty that gets bigger every year. The government can't stop illegal drugs from coming into this country no matter how much money it dumps into that wortlhess war it has created costing more than just millions of dollars per year, but also the loss of thousands of innocent lives per year due to gang disputes over drug turf.

Will some people invest poorly and not have a nest egg to retire on. Yes, some will make foolish mistakes. However, if government did not take so much from the productive individuals, charities and non-profits would easily be able to fill the needs of the few who found themselves in dire straits. Americans are already the most generous people probably in the history of the planet. If the average American did not have almost half of his income seized by the government each year, he would be free to help out his family members, friends, or neighbors in a time of need, or donate to his church or favorite charity in a way he has never been able to do before. That is the kind of America I am optomistic I will see in my lifetime.