Dear Friends,
It seems to me, we have been carefully programmed to turn to government to solve problems, and away from self sufficiency. Since the Garden, or the first human was born, the paradigm has been that of self sufficiency. The industrial revolution and the surpluses it was capable of creating gave the egoists the idea of central planning. Those newly minted central planners thought they could marshal the economy far better than individuals ever could. History however is a harsh mistress, and not only did central planning fail, but it failed spectacularly, every time it has been tried. Nevertheless, the egoists did not give up, far from it, they invested in education. So that everyone would be carefully taught to seek help from the government, worship government, be dependent… and eschew selfish self sufficiency.
There are lots of “reasons” why we are told self sufficiency is not important, one is because the world is too complex now, even though no greater lie could be told. Because, the more complex the world is, the lower decisions need to be made. As Mises explained, there is too much information for any central planner to digest, so rational decisions are impossible. Take the example of a shoe store, every month the owner has to decide the number, size and styles shoes to buy. If he or she is wrong there are real consequences. The bureaucrat however, not only has no skin in the game, but will take the path of least resistance and buy the average shoe size and style. No matter how expert the expert, the world is too complex, and getting more complex by the moment, for government to solve our problems.
Government “solutions” are “easier.” Just increase government spending to solve all the problems. The trouble with that “solution,” is that government never solves any problems, they only make them worse. It simply is not in the interests of a bureaucrat to solve a problem. Their job is at stake. The rural electrification program is going at full steam. Even though the US was fully electrified before I was born, and I’m such an old fart, I don’t even stink anymore. Government solutions then are not only immortal but impotent. That same program was the example to the rest of government, never to complete its assignment. There will always be more to do. More means more, money, power and surveillance. Easy peasy, just pay more to get less, as the solution generates worse problems.
A venus fly trap looks like a treat, to a fly… as does any government “hand out,” to a chump. We have all heard of generational poverty. The welfare system is the venus flytrap that captures families in poverty generation after generation. It allows the elite to look upon the poor as less than human, a pet, to be cared for because we all know, it could never fend for itself! This mindset putrefies and mutates into three generations of punishment for a political infraction. The truth is, the more the people depend on government, the more oppressed, impoverished and discontent they will be. Only those who stand on their own two feet become wealthy, free and satisfied. The wise fly then stays away from the free treat and fends for himself. Government is far more voracious of chumps than any carnivorous plant.
Maybe we should try to reprogram ourselves, our kids and our neighbors to be more self sufficient and less dependent on government. Regaining control of education is the first step. The bureaucratic monopoly public school system is a progressive experiment, that has failed. It is time to move to the free enterprise model. This can be accomplished with a minimum of disruption with a voucher system. Once you see the bars of the cage, the cage becomes visible, and only then is it possible to escape it. Recognize the government for what it is, a trap, not only for you but your children as well. Self sufficiency built America, and dependence is tearing it down. Participate in building it, and indeed the world up… by practicing self sufficiency, in everything and everywhere.
Sincerely,
John Pepin
