It's Not Fair!

Recently read that President O is planning to push his tax code reforms on the basis of fairness.  If you listened to the SOTU address you heard this theme there too.

I won't deny this has me concerned.

Remember when you were a kid and playing some game?  What happened when something didn't go your way?  You stated (in some form or another at some volume or another)  "It's not fair!"  By that you meant clearly that it wasn't fair that you lost and the other person won.  They had some advantage over you and it wasn't fair.

Have you ever observed a family where the main goal of the parents is 'to make everything fair'?  What one child gets the other must as well.  It becomes the main goal in life and it warps the world.  It isn't possible to make everything fair and to try and frame the world for the children that it is fair puts them at a disadvantage.

Now we are being told that 'it's only fair' that the rich pay in taxes 'their fair share'.  It sounds good.  It sounds right.  It isn't fair that they have money and I don't.  I'm one of the 99%.  I'm entitled to get relief from the unfairness of the world by making those rich people shoulder 'their fair share'.

But do you see the problem?  Remember back to the childhood game?  This time remember when you were the winner and your friend cried out, 'It isn't fair!'

The world has always been about those who are in power make the rules.  Now it appears that the rules are this:  everything you own belongs to the government.  They will determine what is fair and will take (tax) 'only what is fair'.  You shouldn't complain.  It is fair.

This, my friends, is at best socialism and at worst communism.

America always used to be about trying to give everyone a chance to make it big.  It wasn't always a perfectly level playing field and some had advantages of wealth, education or talent.  But the key was that it was up to you.  If you worked hard, took chances and risks, kept your nose to the grindstone and sometimes were lucky, you could make it big.  But it feels like we are straying away from this hard work ethic and moving towards an entitlement mindset.  I suppose we shouldn't be surprised... this is the generation that learned in school that giving out grades would hurt the self image of children.  Everyone was special (think that one through.... if everyone is special then the word/phrase loses meaning and no one is special) and we need to celebrate the uniqueness of every person.  But people don't get anywhere convinced that their unique status will win the day!

While this may come across as a political post it is meant more as an expression of exasperation at this brave new world.  Here then is the power - if you can define what is fair then you will be able to switch places with them and have what they've got!  It is the hope and dream of our times.  Just occupy it and it is yours. Because it's fair!