"Takers" and "Makers" revisted (again)

 

 

"Are an entitled society, a greedy society, or neither? I guess that all depends on your point of view..."

A long time ago before he became President, Ronald Reagan ran for the job of Governor of California. He was concerned the Golden State was becoming the welfare state under Pat Brown (yes, the father of Moonbeam). The people were fed up enough to elect Ronald Reagan to replace Governor Brown. The people wanted Reagan to to come in and fix the mess.

One of the first things Reagan did was to scrub out everyone on welfare who did not deserve it. Those who did need help, received the best. Those who did not, received nothing. It did not take long for Ronald Reagan to become a hated man by the "Taker" class.

I am afraid President Reagan would roll over in his grave if he saw the county today. The number of people not working, the number of people on food stamps, the number of people who are just getting by due to a stagnant economy. In a country awash in "Takers" there are fewer and fewer "Makers" to pull the wagon. The result has put us on an unsustainable course. And at the end of the course is Greece - or much, much worse.

We all have stories on how the system works (or does not work). A friend has an extended family member who is approaching 40 years old. She has not worked since age 21. She is on SSI. She has a son out of wedlock. She will never work again, as she does not need to. She is healthy enough to shop, to drive around, to play video games all day, and use social media. And yes, she is healthy enough to work. But she, with the help of her mother, has learned how to "game" the system. She will be a "Taker" from age 21 until the county pays for her funeral expenses.

Many education reformers honestly believe the biggest challenge we face today is the dumbing down of our population. I agree that is a huge problem. But the problem I see which is much more unsolvable is the growth of the dependent class. And I believe much of that growth is by design.

Over the past decade or so, the "wagon" has become heavier. Those riding in the wagon have increased substantially in numbers. Those pulling the wagon have not. Here is the rub. For Conservatives, for Libertarians, even for Republicans, to run on a platform to reduce the size of government by empowerment, might be a bridge too far. "Takers" and their allies who believe in the welfare state will not buy it. And why should they?

This is the issue I have been racking my brains on. How in the world do you cut through this fog? How to you construct a message to really get to the "Takers"? To show them there is a better way. To show them we are currently on a course for disaster. In other words, we are becoming just like Greece - unsustainable. I really don't know the answer. It is hard to compete against Santa Clause or people promising snake oil.

What the people in Greece are finding out this morning should be the shot heard around the world. The banks are closed and their economy is on life support. If we don't voluntarily fix this, it will fix itself. Our economy will tip over. The ride will be over. For all of us.