If you agree with this, please Comment…let us know if you think we can get around this when our students are such ‘true believers’ in rubbish. I would love this email post I was sent by a friend to be used in Presidential debates…..Right v Left debates. Wouldn’t you? Here goes:
THE FIVE BEST SENTENCES IN ECONOMICS
WHEN THE REWARD IS GREAT, THE EFFORT TO SUCCEED IS GREAT, BUT WHEN GOVERNMENT TAKES ALL THE REWARD AWAY, NO ONE WILL TRY OR WANT TO SUCCEED.
An economics professor at a local college made a statement that he had never failed a single student before, but had recently failed an entire class. That class had insisted that socialism worked and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer.
The professor then said, “OK, we will have an experiment in this class on this socialism plan”…. All grades will be averaged and everyone will receive the same grade so no one will fail and no one will receive an A…. (substituting grades for dollars – something closer to home and more readily understood by all).
After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B. The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy.
As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied little.
The second test average was a D! No one was happy. When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F.
As the tests proceeded, the scores never increased as bickering, blame and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else.
To their great surprise, ALL FAILED and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great, but when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed.
Could not be any simpler than that. (Please pass this on)
These are possibly the 5 best sentences you’ll ever read and all applicable to this experiment:
_1. You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity.
_2. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving.
_3. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else.
_4. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it!
_5. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that is the beginning of the end of any nation. (end of article)
Thoughts? I saw an article the other day about Republican governors cutting entitlements to “boost their budgets.” We understand that the budgets need a ‘boost’ but it almost sounds pejorative, as if the budget comes before the people’s entitlements they want so much. This is very problematic and will haunt us the next year and a half as the Left tries to scare Americans about how Republicans just plain don’t care about them but care about their budgets. It’s going to take a VERY strong Republican to articulately argue that the economic survival of our country comes before the survival of a punk ‘artist’ on a skate board who doesn’t work but buys lobster on food stamps, remember him?
Z
geeez2014
GeeeZ .... 
Punk eating lobster reminds me of something Bill Bennett said.
As Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities, faced with a budget for the Humanities, he insistently crossed out the word “needs” on each line and substituted “desire”.
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Anyone who believes in socialism is a taker rather than a contributor. When we have a sufficient number of takers already and are increasing that population all the time. When does it come apart ? We are already socialized btw.
Socialized health insurance – we all pay for everyone’s medical bills.
Ditto home and car insurance. Imagine how much texting and driving has added to our insurance costs. Drives me nuts.
Ditto some portion of sales tax and property tax.
Hidden costs in all the products and services we pay for that indirectly go to pay for the losers and the taxes we indirectly pay through the manufacturers of those products.
We still have a lot more contributors than takers it seems to me, but that going to take a big hit when the ‘boomers’ all move from taxpayers to SS collectors. Wouldn’t want to be a kid today.
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Excellent story. That obviously did not happen in an Ivy League school. If we had more professors like that, we could probably turn this country around.
Socialism has failed everywhere it has been tried
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He also could have given them an assignment on ” Write an essay on which countries has socialism been a success”,Just as an added point. although what he did was more to the point. Did he really do that? If so I am surprised he still had his job. You know to open up a slot for a more “socialized” Professor.
I was talking once to a friend who is on disability when the ACA was coming to fruition and she said the government should give health care because people can’t afford it. So I said to her ,with an explanation that the government doesn’t provide anything to people
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Of course Socialism works, just look at Venezuela….
e-r-r-r-r. The biggest oil reserves in the world can’t get oil out of the ground or food into Supermarkets.
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Every once-in-a-while I post this. I think it fits with today’s topic.
JMB
A Nation Hell-Bent on Voting Itself Gifts from the Public Trough
An excellent, must read, editorial piece that has me quite energized this morning – even before my first cup of coffee:
The End of a Free Republic
By JB Williams
Wednesday, June 11, 2008 – CFP
Karl Marx was right. “Democracy is the road to socialism” – in a nation hell-bent upon voting itself gifts from the public trough. Once an electorate is hooked on government solutions to personal self-induced problems, like a junkie on crack, the democratic process once used to guarantee individual freedom is perverted into a tool used to extinguish individual freedom. Democrats call it a greater good. The rest of the world calls it socialism.
It only took America 232 years to arrive at this moment…
It is in this way, that Thomas Jefferson was also right. “A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine.”
Our founders chose against a democracy for this very reason. They chose instead, a representative republic, whereby the will of a majority could be represented, without running roughshod over a minority in that process. The key to a representative republic, or any self-sustaining form of self-governance for that matter, is ultimate respect for the individual. Not any specific voting bloc seeking to run roughshod over another.
The inherent and unalienable right of every individual to freely determine their own destiny is at the root of self-governance. Every initiative that intrudes, impedes or attempts to circumvent and alienate this fundamental set of rights is a direct affront on freedom and liberty.
Yet this is exactly what today’s Democrats have chosen. They have bought into the ideas of Marx, Lenin and Stalin, that the “greater communal good” of the working class (proletariat) trumps individual freedom and liberty. Individuals have neither the right to fail or succeed.
As a result, the entire Democrat political platform is built upon the notion that “fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine” – in the name of a greater good, of course.
The 50% who no longer pay taxes in America (most of them Democrats) have the right to strip the other 50% of Americans (most of them Republicans) of their lawful earnings for the betterment of a communal good. Only government has the right to determine each individuals worth. Even McCain and other Republicans have fallen for this line of thinking.
The central power in Washington DC must have the power to decide how much is too much and how little is too little, for every American. This is the definition of socialism, not self-governance. It’s also the basis for today’s Democrat Party.
Self sufficient American tax-payers are called “greedy capitalist pigs” while government dependents seeking the earnings of others are referred to as “generous patriots,” compassionate towards the welfare of their fellow Americans.
Of course, these generous patriots are only generous with the earnings of others, not their own. And those who earn and pay taxes seldom ask anything of their government or their neighbors.
Winston Churchill said it well; “The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.” How can a nation survive leadership by people who often can’t manage their own lives?
What do we have when those who depend upon government for their very existence outnumber those who pick up the government tab? Because, that’s where we are in America circa 2008.
For years now, national elections have been decided by 51-49 or 49-51. When those who want to be government dependent outnumber those who want to live free of government intrusion, democracy will be used to strip 49% of the population of their rights in order to pay for the wants and desires of the simple majority.
Jefferson was right about many things, among them the fact that “Information is the currency of democracy.” A democratic society will never be any better than the quality of information used to make decisions. Today, we swim in a cesspool of disinformation and our democracy is showing the corrosive results of a poorly informed electorate.
Simpler times brought forth simpler truths, which would be politically incorrect terminology today. “As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy.” Lincoln put a fine point on the topic with this statement.
No man should be enslaved; therefore, no man can be master of anything more than his own destiny… This is my idea of freedom. This is the only American promise worth keeping.
Yet today’s Democrats seek dominion over the lives of others. They seek the power to decide the worth of individuals. They seek the power to “free” some by “enslaving” others. In the end, modern Democrats will enslave both. They seek the power of life and death over the most innocent and defenseless American citizens.
Just as the debtor is enslaved to the lender, the welfare recipient is enslaved to his caretaker. Government dependents vote for Democrats because they must. Democrats promise to keep them enslaved by keeping the bread crumbs of life flowing.
The American electorate has been trained to ask what its government can do to solve personal challenges. Not so long ago, the general welfare of our nation meant simply maintaining a maximum level of freedom and liberty which allowed every American an equal opportunity to determine their own station in life.
But today, Democrats have redefined general welfare to mean government entitlements which guarantee a big screen TV in every home, a new car in every driveway, free socialized medicine for all and equal economic status regardless of unequal economic productivity.
This is the Democrat version of Democracy and just as our founders warned, a government powerful enough to provide for all your needs is powerful enough to take everything you have earned.
Jefferson said, “I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.”- “The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.”
We have failed to stop Democrats from doing just that and this reality leaves us with two more Jefferson quotes…
“Every generation needs a new revolution.”
“Every citizen should be a soldier. This was the case with the Greeks and Romans, and must be that of every free state.”
I wish a single Democrat were as wise and as American as Jefferson!
Until they are again, it’s up to the rest of the nation to keep them far from power.
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Just read 1 out 5 children in France live below the poverty rate. So much for socialism success.
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Ed….that Thatcher video almost brings tears to my eyes. She was even MORE fantastic than I’d thought. SHe is so right, isn’t she, about that gap? The Liberals would rather the gap decrease; so would we. But they don’t understand that pulling the rich DOWN to meet the poor doesn’t build a healthy economy. Remember when we all grew up thinking how wonderful it would be to be RICH!? That’s the American way! It’s not bringing the rich DOWN. The rich lose riches (corporations, inheritance richness, hard work richness of individuals) and EVERYBODY SUFFERS…less luxury goods are bought, less people are hired, etc etc.
YOU all know that.
This is a great video. I’m so grateful to you for posting it.
JB…also excellent…and so sad. When I saw Free Republic, I thought it was FROM there and I’d NEVER EVER repost a Free Republic ANYTHING….but I saw it was in the title!
“The American electorate has been trained to ask what its government can do to solve personal challenges. Not so long ago, the general welfare of our nation meant simply maintaining a maximum level of freedom and liberty which allowed every American an equal opportunity to determine their own station in life.”
The article has a lot of great points…this one really relates to Thatcher’s video and all the feelings of Conservatives, doesn’t it.
Thanks for posting that article!
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FB: I would LOVE to see how many of those children are the children of Arab/Muslim immigrants. IN PARIS, and other large cities I’ve visited, one doesn’t see much poverty except on the outskirts, where the immigrants crowd in and destroy community after community…actually burning down businesses, threatening French owned businesses…burning cars (you and I know that Americans saw those cars burning in Paris and freaked out, but that’s a very common occurrence in immigrant areas).
I believe natural French children are better off than this statistic. Do you?
You just returned, oui??
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Mustang; my favorite quote from her…absolutely. My mother has either an autobiog or a biog on her..not sure which . I’m going to borrow it from her. I’d love to know even more about ol’ Maggie.
And yes, it’s very hard to imagine what you wrote is actually happening and it’s going to take a very articulate Republican to wake Americans up. A hope I don’t hold too high in the realm of possibility.
FB; if you come back, I think you’ll howl at the humor of the Monty Python video on a post below this…and Mrs. FB would laugh, too. It’s priceless.xxx
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“they in turn borrow money from China ……… It is hard to imagine anything more irresponsible or un-intellectual than that.”
How about “quantitative easing”?
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantitative_easing
JB…is this wiki definition a fair assessment? Sounds very scary to me…very artificial, like a house of cards, but my expertise is certainly not the economy.
???
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You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity.” Period.
Is this the true story of that prof who flunked his whole class? If so, why did not the news give us back story? Great post.
Quantitative easing = print money.
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FB: I want to be sure I add my sentiment that that statistic, whether about natural French citizen children OR immigrant children is very sad. Nobody wants to see children living under the poverty line.
I’d be curious about the line the French draw as far as poverty in comparison what the States call ‘below the poverty line’….in other words, what income defines poverty here and in France?
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http://www.snopes.com/college/exam/socialism.asp%5D
Baysider; Snopes says it’s a LEGEND aimed only at showing this prof’s feelings about socialism. I’ve found Snopes to say things like “MAYBE” (instead of T or F) when it’s something that leans Conservative. Snopes was started and might still be owned by an extremely lib couple who actually lives in our San Fernando Valley, from what I’ve read.
I think it’s more than LEGEND and it might be hubristic but I think more and more need to speak up on this subject.
yes, the Wiki definition of QE definitely inferred PRINTING MONEY.
The Left wants to legislate EVERYTHING….like “Don’t be a racist”…wait for a LAW on that one.
That’s almost as dumb as legislating certain sexual acts are illegal…as if a person can see into a racists heart any easier than it is to know what a couple’s doing in their bedroom.
One by one, our freedoms are being legislated.
I like to say the only freedom the Left likes is freedom to kill an unborn baby.
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Z, QE. If I may slip in here. The last QE the Fed did after 2008 financial “crisis” (QE1, QE2, QE3) was used to transfer perfectly good treasuries to the banks for their MBS (Mortgage based securities) that are worthless and will always be worthless and that the Fed has already stated they will write them off someday.
In English is means the government transferred about 5 trillion $ to the banks so they could have a do over from their bad mortgage paper bets at the height of the Housing Bubble.
We will pay that 5 trillion back in taxes, inflation and in other ways.
Guess how many people know that?
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Go get ’em Maggie! I was never employed by a poor man.
And excellent post JMB! In my kitchen I have framed a poster from the Cato Institute, which is set up like an eye test chart with lines progressively in declining sizes.
A Vision Test for Congress
“A wise and frugal government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and which shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government.”
Thomas Jefferson, 1st inaugural
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I meant to write Mortgage Backed Securities. Like most things the name is deceptive. These are also called derivatives, and they were Not connected to actual mortgages or real estate. Nothing more than poker chips. Therefore worthless when the housing bubble burst.
Bay, Printing money is also correct. Those treasuries turn into cash at some point and probably already have. But it’s important to know that the big banks just told the Fed to “Print us up the 5 trillion we lost, make the peons pay the bill”.
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And this is ALL a house of cards…….ALL of it sounds good and ALL of it is toxic.
Like voting for Dems….
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Victor Espinoza, American Pharoah’s jockey who road him to the TRIPLE CROWN, is donating the whole amount of his win to City of Hope Children’s cancer research.
I’m a little stunned that Espinoza only makes $80K for the ride because it’s way more for the ride; unless he probably gets a kind of salary, too, as he rides him through the training, etc.
Sure, I know that’s a lot for a few minute’s work, but…..
Anyway…he’s apparently always given 10% of his money to children’s cancer treatment and now he’s giving it all.
THIS IS WHAT AMERICA NEEDS MORE……..PEOPLE WITH THIS BIG A HEART.
Sure, he probably doesn’t need a ton more money; I’m sure he’s done very well, but….this is wonderful; This is someone who Conservative Capitalists really ought to celebrate; not only for his jockeying talent but, particularly, this huge heart.
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I’m sure it’s a lot of minority kids b/c unemployment is high for those people due to the lack of skills and yes, some discrimination. But I don’t have numbers. The article mentions the failure of the public education system.
To me that’s the results of decades of politicians promising freebies and also the fact that they focused on getting everybody to college. Those jerks, for being elected, have set unrealistic expectations.
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Failures of the public educ system? And I have such respect for the French schools as I’ve seen how hard the kids work and what important subjects they emphasize…but maybe that’s only my experience with our Fr friends and neighbors’ kids.. I saw REALLY good stuff.
More likely the inability or not wanting to learn from French teachers by minority students.
Discrimination….sure; when people are burning your cars and stealing from you and on the dole, it’s tough to keep wanting to help…particularly when they destroy the places they live, etc.
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You’re right it’s a vicious cycle. But French are not as “open minded” than Americans when they hire. For a lot of generations before mine, including some of my friends, being French means being white. So that’s a bit of a problem.
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FB: I know that’s true; there is almost a caste system there still, if you didn’t go to the ‘right’ school, etc. You’re right. What I’m trying to say is that they have the same situation here with muslim arabs as we do with black Americans….the Black Americans who use their talents, go to school, live good lives, thrive….those who don’t can’t get hired because they’re clearly punks who don’t care, who’ve had records, etc. Who’d want to hire a muslim Arab whose family’s all on the dole and who has scorned schooling, etc? I think they will hire Arab Muslims who are clean cut,speak good French, have good talents, no? Maybe some won’t….there’s discrimination in every place (to say nothing of the hate the Arabs have for natural French), etc.
am I completely off here?> You know better than I do but I did see a lot living there for four years.
by the way, I sometimes get lucky and find FRANCE 24 for news on cable. it’s remarkably good, unbiased, and actually covers all foreign countries, not just the few America has interest in , like we do here.
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No you’re right but I still think it’s more difficult in France than here. Maybe I’m wrong but you could still hear things such as “the arab and black players of the French national soccer team are not that French” not long ago. There’s a reason why the National Front has now a very strong voice in French politics.
There’s a guy on Youtube whom I love. His name is “Aldo Sterone”. He’s an Algerian descent who now lives in England. He has a lot to say about the Western world, radical Islam and France. He advises people of Arab descent to go live in Anglo saxon countries where it’s easier for people like him to work and have a career.
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