Winston Churchill warned the free world 80 years ago: “Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery.” Yes, a gospel of envy can be attractive to anyone who doesn’t have to pay for what they want. It’s easy to understand why “equity” is such a powerful word in the progressive world of the left. Equal opportunity is for conservatives. After hours of watching the Democratic National Convention, it’s clear that leftists feel they are entitled to equal results no matter how little people have to do to earn those results. Can you buy votes by attracting freeloaders? The left seems to think so.
It’s clear that many Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, credit card debt is hitting record highs, and their savings have shrunk or all but disappeared. President Biden has boasted that wages are up, but when you take into account inflation, real wages have declined. The average household has lost nearly $2,000 of purchasing power since Biden and Harris took office. So, it is no wonder that “free” sounds pretty attractive. Maybe that is why Kamala Harris is calling herself the candidate of “joy” for all the people, but the Biden/Harris policies have ravaged the middle class she says she is here to serve. Her acceptance speech at the convention was an emotional message to fight for all, but her vicious and inaccurate attacks on Trump were so over the top and filled with lies that she proved to be the worst divider of all. She went from joy and love to anger and attacks without substance.
President John F. Kennedy campaigned with a message of personal responsibility—“Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for our country.” Today’s leftists don’t want to hear about what they have to do for our country; they want to know what they are going to get from their government. The left feels entitled to the American Dream by just living here.
Many Democrats attack J.D. Vance, the GOP vice presidential nominee, calling him weird and judgmental. After all, Vance pulled himself up from extreme poverty to attend Yale, write a book, become the subject of a movie, be elected as a US Senator, and now campaign to become the next vice president. Democrats can’t stand anyone who dares to earn their American Dream.
Democrats want as many citizens as possible dependent on the government. How do you do that? You give them government freebies to feed their addiction to government entitlements. How do you win elections? You sell them on all the new free things they can expect if you win.
The Kamala Harris/Tim Walz ticket seems to have no qualms about promising the world if only they are elected. After all, even after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against it, the Biden/Harris administration searched for ways to authorize Uncle Sam to pay off dead beats who refused to pay back student loans. The Wallstreet Journal wonders why stop there. Why not bail out unpaid mortgages and credit card debts? Spread the joy, Kamala. Let me count the ways:
After opening the Southern border to let millions of illegals enter, why not give them Social Security, a free education, and Medicare while you’re waiting for them to have the right to citizenship…and then vote to keep Democrats in office out of gratitude?
But what about citizens who already vote? A call for a big raise in the minimum wage is just the beginning. Let’s up the promise of Republicans to expand the child tax credit to $5,000; let’s make it $6,000. Let’s promise price controls on rent, groceries, and drugs. Why trust capitalism’s supply and demand to make the economy work as it has for two centuries when you can trust Washington bureaucrats to control those greedy, price gouging pharmaceuticals, grocers, and apartment owners?
Democrats don’t want you to ask the uncomfortable questions about the consequences of such policies. Why invest billions in developing new drugs when many never make it to market and you can’t get the revenue to cover the costs? Why farm, package products, and stock your local grocery if bureaucrats won’t let you make a profit? Why build another home or apartment building to rent when you can’t charge enough to cover your investment?
It's time for a little uncomfortable truth telling. Nothing is really free that comes from government. Someone is paying for the entitlement people are receiving. What about taxing the rich? Don’t let the fact that between 2001 and 2021, the top 5 percent of wage earners went from paying 52.2 percent to 65.6 percent of the tax load, while the share paid by all other taxpayers declined. To Democrats, they are still not paying their fair share!
Milton Friedman said, “The true cost of government is what government spends, not what is labeled as ‘taxes.’” After all, who needs taxes when you can keep expanding your national debt and pushing payments decades down the line. In Washington, the central bank printing press is active, and Kamala’s promises will move that printing into overtime. But thankfully, Republicans still believe in freedom, capitalism, lower taxes, and less government spending. Under President Trump, federal revenue increased even when taxes were lowered. Why? American energy independence kept energy prices lower and inflation in check. He cut many punitive regulations that encouraged small business growth.
Don’t fall for the freebies and lies. The American Dream has always been earned. Instead of looking to Washington, look at the mirror and elect a president who will help reward your efforts to seize your own opportunity in this amazing country. Join those working hard to elect Donald Trump and J.D. Vance. Settle for nothing less!
Terry Paulson is PhD psychologist, author, and professional speaker on Earned Optimism, Making Change Work, Claiming Your American Dream, and Becoming a Conservative Values Voter. Contact him at terry@terrypaulson.com.
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