Feed the beast

Democratic Senator Tom Harkin is the latest in a line of Democrats who maintains we do not have a governmental spending problem in the United States.

First of all, I want to disagree with those who say we have a spending problem. Everyone keeps saying we have a spending problem. And when they talk about that, it’s like there’s an assumption that somehow we as a nation are broke. We can’t afford these things any longer. We’re too broke to invest in education and housing and things like that. Well look at it this way, we’re the richest nation in the history of the world. We are now the richest nation in the world. We have the highest per capita income of any major nation. That kind of begs the question, doesn’t it? If we’re so rich, why are we so broke? Is it a spending problem? No.” link

Besides the fact that the Senator is clearly mathematically challenged, Harkin's statement belies the real truth of the Democrat position on spending. It may be true we are the richest nation in the world. It may be true we have the highest per capita income of any major nation. I will accept the Senator at his word. What the man fails to grasp is that wealth, that income, belongs to individual citizens. The riches of the United States is not Governmental wealth, doled out by the State. The government takes my money to spend.

Your neighbor may be rich, but you might still be maxed out on your credit cards.  His money is not your money.  My money and your money is not Washington's money.

Wealth belongs to the individual. Democrats of Harkin's ilk believe they allow you to keep your wages. Conservatives like me believe the government takes my money. Read that again. There is a clear difference.

Digging a little deeper, can we assume it is OK in Harkin's mind to lower the standard of living, to reduce the per capita income in order to feed an ever-growing government?  Is it perfectly natural to reduce the standard of living to Cuba. Zimbabwe, Venezuela, North Korea levels in order to spend, spend , spend until Daddy takes the T-bill away?

History has shown us multiple times that the economic model espoused by your average progressive is a total failure. The French Republic, the Soviet Union, North Korea, Cuba -- all resulted in a lower standard of living and poverty for all.  The poor are never lifted up, the rich and middle class are brought down.

What leaves me dumbfounded is not hat Democrats like Harkin are economically illiterate, rather that so many voters clearly are too.