I Could Never Be A Fiscal Liberal

When I deconverted from Christianity, I rethought a lot of my stands on social issues. I am still pro-life, believing that abortion is murder, but I understand more why it needs to remain an option. I am very pro-gay rights. I was actually a little out of the box with gay rights when I was a Christian, but that is a topic for another hub.

As a Christian, my view on economics and politics was a little muddled. I agreed with the Old Testament view that wealth was given to those who worked hard while also believing that we should be giving to the poor. I believed that taking from the rich and giving to the poor was stealing, and thought it should be given willingly, which it often is. 

I still believe that taking from one person and giving to another is called stealing, but there is more to my stance of being a fiscal conservative.

It Won't Work

The 80/20 rule describes the distribution of wealth. Namely, 20% of the people control 80% of the wealth. No matter how you slice the pie, a small group will end up with most of it. If you try to redistribute it, this rule will quickly kick in again. How will that 20% regain the wealth that was taken from them? It is pretty simple; they have the skills and determination to do it. 

This may sound offensive to some, but the poor are either lacking the skills to be wealthy, or they are lacking the determination to be wealthy. If they possessed the skills and had the determination, nothing would stop them from taking their large cut of the wealth pie and doing with it whatever they want.

Redistributing wealth does not work. If you give a family a month's worth of food stamps, they will have a month's worth of food. They will be worse off for it, since they will not have gained the skills to get a month's worth of food for themselves. They will have only learned to depend on another to get by. The rich, who funded those food stamps with their tax dollars, will still reap the profits. The poor will have food and the rich will have profits.

We Are the 20%!

It doesn't make sense for the wealthy of the US to be giving to the poor of the US. The poor of the US are still some of the wealthiest people in the world. The poverty level in this country is a hoax. What is the point of giving to the poor of this nation? They have all of the resources and opportunities available to be rich of this nation. This is coming from someone who has, for several years, lived as one of the 1 in 7 living below the poverty line with my children and husband. I am now changing that because I want a different life than I once did... but I can say confidently and from experience that US "poverty" is just a political ploy.

What About the Environment?

There is no nice way to say this. I have tried to write this in a way that is nice, but there is no nice way to say it. 

Giving money to people who don't earn it is bad for the environment. Liberals who claim to care about the welfare system and the environment are hypocrites. They are opposing values.

There is a natural order. The Bible "If any man won't work, neither should he eat." It is a true statement. Not only should he not eat, but if he works and only earns a little, he may only eat a little. To take the earth's resources and give them to those who give nothing back is robbing the earth in the same way that taking from the rich and giving to the poor is robbing them. If I say more about this particular connection, I will begin to sound heartless, and that is not my goal here. Maybe some day I will learn how to accurately express my thoughts in this arena, but for now, I will just say this: why is the current generation of living people more important than future generations?

Disclaimers:

I am writing this based on the American political system. I would probably have a different perspective if I lived elsewhere, especially in regards to health care. If I lived in a country where higher tax rates paid for national health care, I would be on that health care.

I must also bring up the distinction between a hand up and a hand out. If you are on government assistance to get back on your feet, I would say that you would do better in the long run if you struggled harder and became a stronger person on your own, but I understand. If you have been a beneficiary of a government program for year after year, and rely on that program to get by, then something needs to change, whether it is your determination to make money on your own, or your skills.