Dear Friends,
It seems to me, everyone knows that you punish that which you don’t want, and reward that which you do want. Even a fool understands this concept. The Elite who make far more money than the average person should understand this as well. When asked, why do they make so much more then the rest of us, they always explain that they are much smarter than us, so they must get more money. Presuming their explanation to be true… we can only conclude that when they reward some behavior, they want more of that behavior, and when they punish some behavior, they want less of it. Nothing else follows logically.
Using this concept we can place the actions of the Elite into context. We don’t have to assume what they want more of… we have empirical proof. We don’t have to assume what they want less of… we also have empirical proof. This allows us to know when they are lying because we know the truth of their actions.
One example of this are the actions of the Elite in Europe and Cyprus. They are taking money from savers to keep the banks solvent. Those on the public dole however will not have any reductions in their welfare. Even a cursory examination of the reward and punishment concept gives us pause. Those that work, save money for retirement and provide investment capital for the market, will be punished by having their money taken directly from their bank accounts. The product of their labor will be stolen from them. The very fact this was considered shows, unequivocally, that the Elite in Europe and Cyprus don’t want people to work, don’t want people to save and otherwise be mature citizens.
Those that do not work, do not save for retirement and plan to live off the public dole the whole of their lives, are a large part of the financial problems of the government in Cyprus and Europe, but will face no reduction in their welfare checks. This amounts to a reward. Therefore, it is clear that the Elite in Europe want people to go on the dole, layabout all day contributing nothing, and demanding more. The old adage, “Idle hands are the devils tools and an idle mind is the devils playground,” is appropriate. Those that have nothing to do all day, because they are on public assistance, are by definition… idle minds and idle hands. This makes them a source of social unrest and criminality. If we consider our concept of punishment and reward, it is obvious, the Elite in Europe want more crime and social unrest.
Now that we have determined what the Elite want, the question that inevitably come up is, why? Why would the Elite want people to be dependent on the State for everything even to the point of encouraging crime and social unrest? It would seem that this is the opposite of their mandate to promote social order, a thriving economy, and an industrious and wealthy populous. To a person who is invested in their country, this is a hard concept to grasp, that the Elite would want these things.
Thrasymachus said, in Plato’s Republic, that most people only want to live their lives, so they readily accept the concept of justice, but those that want to rule must not. Those that seek power over others, must appear to be just, while actually being unjust… We see in the actions of reward and punishment that the modern Elite, those who seek power over others, seek to appear just, ie, saving the banking system, while actually being unjust, ie, seizing money that doesn’t belong to them. Using Thrasymachus’ logic we see that this is a means to enhance the power of the Elite.
People who follow the reward and avoid the punishment, will become dependent on the State for their sustenance, and their indigent lifestyle. Dependents worry they are unable to engage in the market system, and this gives them certain knowledge that their lifestyle will suffer, if the power of the State is eroded in any way. Therefore, as more people become dependent on the State for their livelihoods, the power of the State and of the Elite will grow. The Elite’s power to take that which they have not earned, will be increased commensurately with the number of dependents, and so we see why the Elite want less people to work, less people to save for their retirement and less money available to the market for upgrading plant and equipment. That would diminish their power not enhance it. Social unrest and crime drives a demand for government to pass more laws further increasing the power of the Elite.
The Elite have armed guards protecting them, so they don’t have to worry about crime, they have high paid, cushy government jobs, that are more protected the further society slides into chaos, and their retirements are secured by the power of the State to take the assets of those that still work. We have come full circle. The incentives and intentions of the welfare state, are far from benign, they are diabolical. Until we wake up and put a stop to it, our assets are not safe, our children are not safe and we are not safe. Are the Elite in America any different? The inevitable slide to depravity will consume us all… all but the Elite.
Sincerely,
John Pepin
