THINKING
OUTSIDE THE BOX
Liberals, I have Some Bad News for You
There is no
Government Santa Claus 12-07-11
Dr.
Charles Ormsby
There is a school of thought
among psychiatrists that liberals suffer
from a severe case of arrested
development. The theory is that their
parents routinely rewarded their temper
tantrums by giving them whatever they
demanded. Anything to make them shut up.
I can certainly sympathize with their
parents goal.
Unfortunately, as most rational adults
are aware, capitulating to spoiled
children merely teaches them that their
irrational rants will be rewarded. If
screaming doesnt get these brats
what they want, they learn to just scream
louder. If that doesnt work,
pounding on the floor and holding their
breath until their faces turns purple may
bring the result they seek.
This problem, which we have all seen play
out in miniature at our local grocery
store, is now a massive societal problem
that is threatening to bring the world to
the brink of collapse.
How else can one explain the swan dive
into insolvency by the PIIGS
Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece, and
Spain? Their history of deficit spending
for the benefit of public employees,
welfare recipients and union workers can
only be described as irrational and
suicidal.
This problem is not confined to Europe.
California is leading the way here in the
U.S. and the federal government is
following California over the cliff and
dragging us with it.
California is our poster child for
arrested development. Its tax burden,
compounded by an onerous regulatory
burden, is rapidly driving businesses out
of the state, which in turn causes higher
unemployment rates, lower wages and, as a
consequence, reduced tax revenues.
Californias financial situation is
bleak. Its current debt, not counting
future obligations, is over $370 billion
and just servicing this debt costs
taxpayers over $7 billion annually (8% of
the state budget). Estimates of state
revenues this year have recently dropped
$3.7 billion compared to projections made
just a few months ago and those estimates
were already nearly $20 billion below the
peak revenues in 2007-08.
California is only a steps throw
from bankruptcy. Achieving junk bond
status, just like the PIIGS, is probably
the next step.
As Europe tilts towards economic collapse
and California wallows in debt, our
Congress has failed to meet a
ridiculously easy target for deficit
reduction. Cutting $1.2 trillion in the
projected deficit over ten years
represents less than a 10% cut in deficit
spending. Most sensible people could meet
that target over lunch.
Obama blames the Republicans for being
obstructionists, even though ALL of the
plans for significantly reducing spending
have been proposed by (and in some cases
passed by) the Republicans. It is the
Democrats who have routinely blocked
these measures so they can continue to
funnel tax money to their constituencies:
public employees, the poverty lobby,
unions, and the radical
environmentalists.
The present is bleak but the future is
even bleaker if government spending is
not radically curbed.
So, what is the reaction of those who
feed at the government trough when told
that the government is bankrupt and their
bloated paychecks, pensions, and benefits
might need to be moderated?
They throw tantrums: Pathetic
demonstrations, occupations, sit-ins, and
riots. The only thing that they havent
tried is crying, holding their breath and
turning purple.
These parasites are no better than
ignorant children who have no clue why
their mother wont buy them a new
toy car or the latest doll that will pee
on command.
They have no idea how to be productive
because they never have been. They dont
appreciate that goods and services will
only be produced if someone has a
motivation to do so a motivation
that is eliminated if their paychecks or
those goods and services are routinely
expropriated.
All the gimme lobby knows is
that these goodies exist, and they want
them. How did the wealth that they want
to steal come into existence? These
low-lifes not only have no idea, this
question doesnt even occur to them.
They see it. They want it. To them,
nothing else could possibly matter.
How does this state of mind differ from
the red-faced three year old hanging by
one arm from his mother and screaming
bloody murder?
It doesnt.
You probably know the child who has
learned that Santa Claus is fictitious
but who continues to pretend he is real
just so the Christmas presents keep on
coming.
The same willful blindness is rampant
among the leftist parasites. It doesnt
matter what facts are spelled out to them
regarding our debt, our deficits or the
economic consequences of increased taxes
and regulations.
The facts dont matter to parasites;
they just want us to keep giving them
what they want, or else. Or else they
will riot, stop traffic, block shoppers
at stores, or pollute our city parks.
What the demonstrators deserve is our
contempt. What they need is a big dose of
tough love.
Lets get this straight. Parasites
rarely benefit their hosts. If we had to
choose between the current situation and
not having them around at all, we would
be better off without them. But those are
not the only choices available to us.
A third choice is to convert them to
productive citizens. This means
eliminating the government Ponzi scheme
that steals the property produced by our
productive citizens and uses that
property to purchase the votes of the
parasites.
Think of it as putting pieces of coal in
the Christmas stockings of lazy,
insubordinate kids. It may lead to an
uncomfortable moment, but ultimately it
is good for them and for the rational
adults that have to deal with them.
Everyone must eventually grow up and
learn to be responsible and productive
and finally realize that there is
no Santa Claus.