DEAR EDITOR:
"Hope and change" is what was broadcast around our country prior to the last presidential election. We did get change, but where's the hope? It has been revealed that 1 in 16 citizens are now on the public dole for one reason or another. It is hard to accept this number without wondering if we are heading for community life.
Somewhere around the beginning of the 20th Century in Russia, a community lifestyle was proposed because of the problems in that country. It was a manifesto that was accepted because there was a class warfare in existence. So it was expected that the rich should take what they have and give some or a great part of what they possessed to lift up the poor. In other words, eliminate class warfare by evening out the wealth; share the wealth.
The poor people hung onto this and became dependent on the government to give them a lift in lifestyle. However, soon it became obvious that you did not have to toil to have things like food in your pot and coins in your pocket. The Soviet Union then became a power. The Kremlin looked over everything. All was supposed to be equal. If I grew potatoes and you grew cabbage, we would share these equally by the going value of the ruble. Soon it was experienced by individuals that some people were using the potatoes to make vodka and were selling it on the side - in secret - and profited by the fraudulent action.
When the government heard of this, they nationalized the still and decided the government needed a still czar paid for by the taxes of the people who yet worked to earn. The czar decided he needed an office and it must be staffed and paid for by the government that needed more taxes from the people. The increased taxes soon required an accountant to process the monies collected. He needed an office and staff to oversee the collection of the taxes. This payroll was paid for by the people who still worked to earn and pay the government.
Soon the overtaxed person decided he was done sweating and working to pay the taxes to the government in order for the government to meet this payroll. So he went on the government payroll in the name of disability or welfare. In fact, if the bureau of Welfare and Disability proved the man was not disabled, he was sent to the gulag run by the Bureau of Prisons, paid for by his taxes before he tried to get paid for not working.
This is what caused the breakup of the Soviet Union - no one was independent - just dependent. I pray this is not "hope and change" that will be around another four years. We cannot afford to continue dependency on the government.
Patrick M. Liste
Girard