Catalina Cataract, #12. Near Tucson, Arizona, 2016
I have heard this term bandied about here and there in the media lately. Typically, it is associated with the politics of Bernie Sanders. As in, “That weird socialist who just wants to give out ‘free stuff'”.
Like so many things in politics and Life, this “free stuff” phrase is clearly an oversimplification, a slogan, a catchy sound bite, that doesn’t really capture much of the truth. Naturally you (or the government) can’t simply give out “free stuff” and stay in business for long.
I think most of us agree that whatever services we decide that our government ought to provide, those services should be paid for by the tax monies coming in. No “free stuff”. Balance the damn budget, Congresspeeps.
Yep, I, like damn near all of us, am a fiscal conservative (if socially progressive and liberal).
I am pretty sure Sanders realizes this, too. So, I think what Sanders is really after is not simply “free stuff” (or the promise of “free stuff” in order to get elected), but a re-prioritization of what we value in our society. That is, a re-prioritization of where we want our tax dollars to go.
When I first heard the phrase “free stuff”, I actually thought the term referred to corporations hiding assets off shore to avoid taxes, oil and gas companies receiving tax breaks, subsidies, and/or lowering of legal or environmental hurdles, the super rich using creative accounting and lower capital gains rates to pay a much lower effective tax rate than poorer people, huge wartime defense contracts benefiting a few companies but not necessarily benefiting our soldiers, huge bags of cash disappearing into the Afghan and Iraqi deserts, and so on.
To me, that was some serious, super-sized, “free stuff” that was being handed out by the feds.
[An aside: Adam and Ayn, I can hear you now: “But, the corporations and the rich are the ones who take all the risks to invest and create the jobs for the rest of us–they move the economy! Therefore, they should get special preference.”
Well, there is surely a grain of truth to that. And maybe they should get government assistance–to a degree…until that critical industry gets on its feet. But not so much that it leads to where we are now, with 400 individuals in this country owning as much wealth as 50% of the rest of the population.
We are setting new records for income inequality in the U.S.A. and it does not bode well for the rich nor the down-and-outers.
So, lets not forget the other side of the equation: the effect on the economy of millions of happy, healthy, educated, well-paid workers spending their pay checks. That would be an economic super-boost! Insert the Henry Ford factory worker pay raise example here as an anecdotal argument. You know the saying, “a rising tide…” End aside.]
Come to find out, though, the term “free stuff” apparently is meant to be applied to all those millions of freeloaders out there who would rather not work for what they need and/or want. That would include those who collect government checks for unemployment or disability, those on food stamps, students wanting a “free” university education, families wanting “free” health care, et al.
Geez, maybe it even includes me–after all, I receive a retirement check from the government for my 21 years of military service as well as for a minor hearing disability (jet engines, you know).
I guess I have a different view of people in this country. Sure, there will always be a certain percentage of lazy bums and bumettes who would rather not pop a bead of sweat to earn an honest buck, but I suspect that the vast, vast, vast, VAST majority of folks would rather earn an honest living doing something they enjoy–if given the opportunity.
I think that is what Sanders is getting at–changing our budget priorities to give the vast majority of Americans a solid, fair shot at being productive citizens. And to make citizens productive, things like accessible educational opportunities through the university level and health care for all are critical components. A sick and uneducated populace will get us nowhere.
Bernie’s examples might be the Nordic countries of Europe–you know, those countries who have embraced the evils of democratic socialism. According to some studies, the happiness meter there seems to peg the needle significantly higher than it does here in the U.S. of A. (We are merely #15 in that linked study.)
Maybe there are lessons to be learned?
[Another aside: “Democratic Socialism” is not really inherently evil as we were all taught. It is certainly not what we find in Cuba or North Korea. And it is not what we saw in the former USSR and its satellites. Look to maybe Switzerland, Denmark, Iceland or Sweden for better illustrations. I personally prefer the problems associated with those latter four examples of modern democratic socialism in action to the problems associated with our more “pure” form of “I -got-mine-now-you-get-yours-dammit” capitalism. End aside.]
So, yes, lets take away some of that “free stuff” from the corporations and the super rich, maybe even from the bloated military-industrial complex, and, redistribute it as “free stuff” for the masses of Americans–but this so-called “free stuff” will be serving an important purpose…helping millions to become fishermen (you know, “teach a man or woman to fish…”).
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2 Comments
So true, glad you expressed it. We’re looking like with Soviet Union with government by oligarchy. A thinking electorate can cut thru the chaff.
Thanks for your comments, Rick. Yes, with Citizens United and the resultant campaign financing issues, banks and companies “too big to fail”, gerrymandering, and so on, we have become much more of an oligarchy-corporatocracy and much less of a democracy.