Well The Left is at it again. Coming up with new ways to take more of your money, and give it to other people. A couple examples – from Democrats who want to be President. One you know – Bernie Sanders. The other you probably never heard of – Andrew Yang.
First, good ‘ole Bernie. The runner-up in the Democrat nomination for president last time around, believes that even though we have record low unemployment, it’s a good time for our government to guarantee a job to everybody. Not only that, but a $15 per hour minimum wage, and with full government paid healthcare benefits, and a unicorn in every garage. (Okay, I made that last one up.)
So what’s wrong with that? Well, who’s gonna pay for it? You would, of course. As the late great economist Milton Friedman once titled one of his books – “There Ain’t No Such Thing as a Free Lunch.” Somebody pays the piper every time. Free Obama phones – you paid for them. $750 million in food stamps fraud each year – you pay the bill. Streetcars that impede the normal flow of vehicular traffic, don’t operate in cold weather, and have dismal ridership numbers – yep, you pay for that too (even if you voted against it.)
The best way to provide good jobs to Americans who want to work, is a thriving economy. And thriving economies result from lower taxes, fewer government regulations, and adequate workforce training so people have the skills required to obtain employment in a free market economy. (It helps if people aren’t abusing opioids, other illegal drugs, or alcohol.)
The second wacky Democrat idea is from Andrew Yang, who’s announced he’s running for president next time around. Guess he’s trying to gain traction with his liberal scheme – a universal income. Every American would get $1,000 a month for – well, just for existing. To his credit, he at least comes up with how we’d pay for it – a 10% national sales tax.
Talk about killing personal initiative. You get a thousand dollars of somebody else’s money, for doing absolutely nothing. But candidates on The Left seem to be going further and further to the left, perhaps to outdo one another. They justify their raid on other people’s money by alleging that the rich don’t pay their fair share. That’s despite the fact that the top 20% of American earners pay nearly 90% of the taxes.
Fortunately, we currently have a President, and a Republican Congress, who understand that allowing people to keep more of their hard-earned money is the way to go. We passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Bill last fall which is energizing the economy and creating good jobs for more and more Americans. America’s businesses in many cases are responding by giving their employees bonuses, and the reduction in taxes being withheld means more employees are taking home more of their own money.
That’s the way America does it. And that’s why we continue to be the greatest nation on the face of the earth.