Nearly all of us do it: liberals and conservatives, the rich and not-so-rich, the young and the old, the educated and uneducated, among all races and ethnic backgrounds--we seek financial gain from the government. Though we may not acknowledge it, or maybe we are unaware because the practice has become so pervasive, so commonplace, but we do it. The reasons are many and varied: it’s our “right,” or we “deserve” it, or we “need” it. It’s our right because so many have been telling us that for so long. We deserve it because we have paid so much in taxes. And we need it because we are retired or unemployed, or because our business cannot be competitive without it.
We are encouraged and virtually compelled to look toward government for financial gain because it is so lucrative. One of the primary missions of our government, at all levels—federal, state, and local—has become to redistribute financial resources from one private entity to another. To refuse their offering (assuming you quality) would be folly.
Why, in a country where self-reliance is considered a virtue by so many, and where the free market is still upheld by the majority, does this circumstance not bother us? Well, it does bother many of us, however because our benevolent “Big Sister” government has come to control such a large share of our country’s resources, it seems that we have no reasonable alternative. Why not resign ourselves to the reality and make the most of it?
In 2010, by using its police power to tax, the Government controlled over 40 percent of our country’s financial resources (i.e., federal, state, and local government spending as a percent of annual Gross Domestic Product). It is only natural, and appropriate, that we try our best to claim as much of that wealth for ourselves and our families through whatever means are available. But as we participate in and “benefit” from government programs, we confer our tacit support for all government programs.
Not nearly as sinister as George Orwell’s “Big Brother,” Big Sister has achieved her substantial power indirectly, by controlling our pocketbooks. However, she who controls the purse strings controls much. Despite the abundance of legal tender and services that Big Sister already bestows on us, she is more than happy to help with yet more of our problems: such as our food choices, the car we drive, our prayer habits, the people we hire, and the like. But naturally, providing such assistance requires that we bequeath to Big Sis yet more of our earnings because, as we know, she is deeply in debt.
Though there are many who are opposed to Big Sister’s far reaching and ever-expanding control, who among them is willing to stop looking to her to grasp their rightful piece of her pie? And who does not have some issue that they wish Big Sister would do something about? And who is so naïve that they are willing to sacrifice while those around them continue to profit from Big Sis? And, anyway, does it not seem a futile pursuit? With almost 50 percent of all households exempt from paying income taxes, and a large proportion of the rest content with the statist philosophy that is pervasive among our government leaders, personal sacrifice for the cause seems almost an act of martyrdom. Then again, where is the wisdom in participating in a practice that one rejects in spirit? If we continue to give our implied support to her programs and policies, at what point might Big Sister’s control of the wealth of private citizens become so extensive that virtually all of us will be looking to her as a principal benefactor? Or have we arrived already?
