Can you Believe Americans: It's OK for the Government to Steal for Them?

Can you Believe Americans: It's OK for the Government to Steal for Them?

What is the first principle of economics? Some economists will claim that it’s supply and demand, while others insist that it’s scarcity or the division of labor. The first principle of economics is “thou shalt not steal.”

Economics is ethical before it is practical. This follows the older definition of the word “economy” found in Noah Webster’s 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language: “Economy—Primarily, the management, regulation and government of a family or the concerns of a household.” The use of “political economy” as a definition does not appear until the eighth and ninth entries, and yet it’s the primary definition today.

Almost all modern definitions of economics, like contemporary definitions of “government,” assume that the State, civil government, is the starting point in understanding economic theory and practice. To grasp these, so the argument goes, the role the State plays in economic decision making in the allocation of scarce resources must first be considered. For many, this is a reasonable and moral starting point when resources are scarce and people have needs.

On the other side of the economic spectrum, classical liberals, libertarians, anarcho-capitalists, and even some conservatives contend that the means of production should be privately owned, economic decisions also should be made privately with goods and services exchanged in a free market with little or no positive (active) state intervention. The role of civil government in economic matters should be minimal, being limited to the protection of individual rights and property.

Modern economic theory presupposes that markets need to be regulated so there will be a “just” accounting for everyone. If there is inflation (an increase in the money supply resulting in higher prices), interest rates are raised and existing and future assets are diluted in value. If the economy is sluggish, governments will increase the supply of money to stimulate growth. If one segment of society is being left behind economically, taxes will be raised and income redistributed to smooth out the inequities in the name of “social justice.”

The advocates of a free market and those who declare for a managed market claim to promote “justice” with their policies. There is little argument over wanting to establish a just market place, the question is, how do we account for justice? What is its source? Mutual consent? Public opinion? Enlightened self-interest?

Those involved in economic transactions believe and hope for an agreed upon set of rules (laws) that apply to all equally, especially since “we live in an imperfect universe.” Like reason and justice, how do we account for the validity of these rules?

Private (personal) property rights are based on the fact that God is the prior owner who delegates a derivative ownership to His creation. The creator/creature-ownership paradigm is the model for how we establish the principle of private property and the laws that go with it. If I own a piece of property and decide to sell it or give it away, the transaction has legitimacy because I had legal title to the property, and I voluntarily decided to part with it. In the same way, God’s original ownership makes subsequent ownership possible and meaningful. Without the reality of prior ownership, the idea of private property does not exist.

The average American has only vague notions of these ideas. While most Americans would agree that stealing is wrong, they don’t seem to have a problem if some other entity steals for them.

Consider this example. If John has a financial need, would it be right for him to rob his neighbors to supply that need? Most people would say no. Would it be right for John to get some of his friends to steal for him? Again, most people would say no. What if John convinces enough people to create a civil government that takes money from his neighbors to pay for things John and others need? Now the picture has changed, and I suspect that a lot of people would not call it theft because elected government officials are doing the taking.

The free market is counter intuitive for many people, especially politicians, many of whom have never owned a business.

Congress has been considering an energy bill that will include tax increases on energy consumption. It’s being sold as a tax on the oil and gas industries. Nonsense. It’s a tax on every user of energy. Corporations have never and will never pay taxes. A tax is an expense to a manufacturer similar to the raw products he must purchase to make what he eventually sells. All expenses — taxes included — are passed on to consumers.

In their purest form, taxes were imposed to pay for a service common to everyone (“common defense”) or to those who actually use a service (gasoline taxes for roads). The gasoline tax is a great example of a non-punitive service tax. The only people who pay it are those who use the roads. If you don’t drive, you don’t pay the tax. If you take a taxi, you pay it indirectly in the price you pay for the taxi ride because the price you pay includes the costs it takes to run a taxi. One of those costs is gasoline. The same is true when you and I buy something off the internet and it’s delivered to our home or office. The fuel costs that were necessary to bring the item to market and shipped are figured in the price.

So the next time you want the government to do something, keep in mind that it does not have any money.

It can only get the by taking it from you and me or printing it. The first method is theft, something that would put us in jail if we did it. The second method is also theft. Printing money lowers the value of the currency that’s already in circulation. By inflating the currency, the dollars in our wallets and investments lose value.

So, we end with the age old conundrum; How do we help people that need, while not stealing from those that have means (money)?  The answer from the political class is government sanctioned stealing; called  government transfer payments.  The modern day problem with this method is the Political Class has learned this is a quick and inexpensive way for them to buy votes with your money.

Wake up America!  It is time to throw out the tax code and replace it.  Do not be duped by any rhetoric about "revising the tax code".  That is how we got into the current mess to begin with!