I have been watching in disbelief as our “leaders” in government try to fix our economic distress. The Democrats are, once again, blaming it all on the “rich,” that elusive, unidentifiable group of madmen who are supposed to be bent upon the demise of our country as long as “they” manage to keep their money.
This is such a laughable proposition that I should be rolling on the floor, but the fact that there are actually people who belief this hogwash and vote based upon this belief keep my chuckles at bay. I cannot help but exclaim to myself, “Do people actually think that someone who is invested in our economy wants it to tank? What the heckfahr are they supposed to gain from an economy that’s closing businesses right and left and draining our tax rolls?”
Ah, but it’s not really economic dominance – nor even economic equality – that is sought here. It is power, the power that is wrung from an uneducated and mostly apathetic populace. For those who do not know better, it is easier to appeal to the lowest common denominator in the human condition rather than make educated arguments to persuade voters to understand your position. It is easier to cry “The rich, they are out to get you!” than to work hard to provide equal opportunity to those less fortunate. Indeed, if those “less fortunate” were to become successful, much of the power base of these sleazebag politicians would be lost. Notice that “the rich” won’t be found in any list anywhere. “The rich” is not merely those who are lucky enough to have incomes over a certain amount. (Note that the “luck” is often disguised by the years of hard work, sacrifice, and assumed risk.) No, “the rich” are not evil unless they also subscribe to a certain political attitude, blaming their “fellow rich” of the opposite political spectrum for all of the evils. I suppose dollar bills, like sand*, have a memory, and reflect the social mores of their last owner. That evil, evil money! Except the money from the likes of George Soros and his ilk!
It is more expedient for the power hungry politicians to appeal to the base emotions of the uneducated in order to gain their votes and keep their power. One of those base emotions, and one of the Seven Deadly (or Capital) Sins, is Envy. Envy keeps one from being happy. Envy makes it easy to not achieve. Envy lets the lazy offload their personal guilt over non-achievement to focus their frustration elsewhere. You don’t have a lot of money? Well, then, the rich people must have taken it from you! They refuse to even think that accumulating wealth is not a zero-sum game, where if one wins it means another loses. They think of wealth as coming from a finite pile of money, and if someone else grabs larger handfuls of the cash it means there is less for someone else. Even with the wealth of information available in public schools and free libraries, it easier to blame someone else for their failures than to bootstrap themselves through self-discipline and a taxpayer supplied education. Envy! Be jealous of someone else’s good fortune! Don’t be happy for the success of others! Noooo, carry that weight of envy and anger and allow yourself to be manipulated into voting for those who would continue your plight, in order to retain their power.
I teach the pre-confirmation class at my church, and last week’s discussion was Sin & Virtue. We talked about the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, the Three Theological Virtues, and the Seven Capital Sins. When we got to envy, I asked if any of the students had heard about how to keep crabs in a bucket. One of them had, and explained to his fellow students the best way to do it. If a bucket holds only one crab, that crab will escape the bucket every time, unless a lid is used. However, if two or more crabs are in the bucket, as soon as one crab starts making progress out, the other crab will reach up and pull it down.
The envious class is treated like a bucket of crabs. They continually try to pull down those who are escaping their poverty bucket, and peer in awe at that godlike creature that put them in that position in the beginning. That godlike creature has every reason to keep them in that bucket. Little do the crabs realize that they are the main course for the godlike creature who wants to keep them right where they are.
*A reference to Al Gore’s book on the environment. I refuse to supply the name.