Whose Money Is It?

I find this whole approach quite disturbing.  Why?

The leading question was, “Who should be taxed more?”

In the first place, whose money is it?

I never saw a business model that did not center the creation of wealth on direct labor and direct material.  Simply put, the creation of wealth is the increase of energy state or value of material because someone put work and/or heat into it.  In most cases, God does this work: the sun shines, the rain falls, plants grow, and man reaps a profit.  In other cases, man does this work in the form of direct labor.  Man finds the ore that God hid in the earth, makes steel, makes a car, all as a gift of God and all by the sweat of his brow.  Who owns this wealth?  The Little Red Hen that by God’s grace made it.  It does not inherently belong to the investor (the farmer) that gambled on it, but did nothing to produce it.  It most certainly does not belong to the loafers that refused to help the Little Red Hen.  The only equity is sweat equity.  The only way to produce wealth is to work.  The only rightful owner of wealth is one who works.  The bread belongs to the Little Red Hen.

What is Direct Labor?

At this point, we must be very careful about how we define direct labor.  The Little Red Hen did have helpers with her labor.  Her lawyers kept her from unjust lawsuits.  Her accountants made sure that her books we in order and she was solvent.  Her engineers designed her grinders and ovens, piped in water, and maintained her bread bills of material.  Her doctors kept her feathers trimmed and her beak sharp.  Her police, fire, water, sewer, gas, electricity, and waste management services all helped.  These are all parasites, but they are beneficial parasites, and all of them worked.  She cannot live without them, and she is happy to share her bread with them.  The key operative words are share and work.  This implies that it must be fair.  All work.  None takes an unjust portion.

Harmful, Hostile Parasites

However, there are harmful, hostile parasites that do not work at all.  These worm their way into the financial system by deceit, fraud, and trickery.  These are “snake oil salesmen.”  Little Red Hen, “Have we got a deal for you,” they say.  If you only leverage your business, you can be more productive.  We have these low rate, government supported loans.  At the same time, because the Little Red Hen has a soft heart, government officials come with a plea of fraudulent mercy.  Little Red Hen, they say, “We can’t let all of these loafers starve to death.”  So instead of teaching them how, and forcing them to work, the grant entitlements out of the Little Red Hen’s bread.

Now comes the part that really disturbs me.

The Little Red Hen has been stripped of her wealth by these harmful, hostile parasites: the ultra-wealthy and the ultra-poor.  Some dim bulb in the Federal Government wakes up to the fact that the Little Red Hen is dying, she is no longer able to carry this load, let’s give her tax-incentives, more loans, etc.  Let’s tax the ultra-wealthy and reduce some of the handouts to the ultra-poor.  Let’s cut government spending.  Oh, the uproar.  Oh, the hue and cry.  Oh, the outrage.  Oh the outburst of righteous indignation.  We can’t take money away from people, that’s not right.  We can’t take the government’s money away either.  We surely won’t be so cruel as to hurt the lazy loafers, who won’t even lift the spoon from the plate to their mouths to feed themselves.

Let’s make a few things perfectly clear.

It’s not the property of the ultra-wealthy.  It’s the Little Red Hen’s property, and it was stolen from her by deceit, fraud, and trickery.  It’s not the property of the government.  It’s the Little Red Hen’s property, and it was taken from her by excessive and unjust taxation, by force.  It’s not the property of the ultra-poor either.  It’s the Little Red Hen’s property, and it was taken from her by a softheaded, rather than a softhearted idea of mercy.

Utopianism is Fruitless.

The two political parties are selling the same utopian junk.  Free bread and games in the Roman Arena.  Cash for Clunkers and Tax Rebates are both spending programs.  Both support the utopian philosophy that it is possible to spend ones way out of debt.

God said it Loud and Clear.

“Go to now, you rich, weep, and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.  Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten.  Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire.  You have heaped treasure together for the last days.  Behold, the hire of the laborers who have reaped down your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cries: and the cries of those, who have reaped, are entered into the ears of the Lord of Hosts.  You have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; you have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.  You have condemned and killed the just; and he does not resist you.  Be patient therefore, brothers and sisters, unto the coming of the Lord.  Behold, the husbandman waits for the precious fruit of the earth, and has long patience for it, until he receives the early and latter rain.”  — James 5:1-7 

“For even when we were with you, we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should they eat.  For we hear that there are some who walk disorderly among you, who do not work at all, who are busybodies.  Now, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, we command and exhort those who behave this way, that they work quietly, and eat their own bread.”  — 2 Thessalonians 3:10-12

Wisdom

Are we wiser than God?  Are we wiser than Paul?  One way or another, this system will be destroyed.  The ultra-rich, the government, and the ultra-poor have no right to the money.  It was never theirs.  It’s God’s property and He entrusted it to the Little Red Hen.  The ultra-rich, the government, and the ultra-poor have no just complaint about losing what was never theirs to begin with.

Yes,
I find this whole approach quite disturbing.  Now you know why!

Yours in Christ,

Herb Swanson aka Augie