The Root of All Evil

I was listening to Dinesh D’Souza responding to someone when he broke down that the left’s main binding force is economics. Their belief always comes down to money. They love the stuff. They believe if you spread it around you will solve problems. On the surface this seems plausible. With things money is a magical panacea. You lose a car. Money can get you a new car. You need to build a bridge. Money will get that bridge built. Unfortunately people are not cars or bridges.

With people it takes more than money. In fact with certain people money can be like leprosy. Leprosy as I understand it causes such problems because it takes the pain away that keeps us out of trouble. People injure themselves without knowing it. In the same way having enough money can destroy people because they don’t have to face the immediate consequences of dumb mistakes so continuing making them.

I like some of the thinking from Arthur Brooks at AEI that people need earned happiness. Just getting things without earning them disconnects the virtuous circle of sacrifice and reward. It is this circle that brings success. I define sacrifice as something someone does freely. Extortion is not sacrifice. Philanthropy is good where “forced philanthropy” is not.

As a thought exercise, help me figure out where the left makes decisions not based on money. Is D’Souza right or wrong?

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25 Responses to The Root of All Evil

  1. 10 Cents10 Cents says:

    What are the main issues that the left gets stuck on? Isn’t identity politics about getting certain groups more money?

  2. AvatarEThompson says:

    “Just getting things without earning them disconnects the virtuous circle of sacrifice and reward.”

    Right on, Centime! The worth in striving for wealth is that it usually requires sacrifice and hard work. This improves the individual’s personal life in that it creates a satisfying sense of accomplishment and allows him/her the freedom to make choices, but it has a rippling effect upon society as well. Where would we be without museums, symphonies, or the best example of all- Eric Trump’s foundation for St. Jude’s Hospital that depends heavily on the $30 plus million dollars he raises among a ring of wealthy donors.

    Let’s not confuse inheriting wealth with using it as a stepping stone to make even more and to do good things with it. The Hilton kids are my favorite example; they’ll blow through their parents’ money in legal fees alone.

  3. 10 Cents10 Cents says:

    I get a sense with Trump that he believes in consequences. He has failed. I think he has been honest with his children and has not told them he was right.

    • AvatarEThompson says:

      I think he’s told them that if you take on risk, every big hitter gets into trouble at one time another and the key to success is how to scramble oneself out of a potential disaster.

      That is the most important life lesson of all. I respect him for surviving dire circumstances and coming out ahead. That’s the kind of stuff true businesspeople are made of that in turns makes him uniquely qualified for turning this country around.

  4. AvatarEThompson says:

    On a level that doesn’t remotely relate to Trump, I have experienced failure and survived (even made some money from the situation). The lesson remains the same whatever the stakes:

    You should understand and recognize your opportunities and go for them, but you better have a “fail safe” program in place in case you don’t. This brings back the carelessness of that unfortunate bakery in the NW that lost everything because they refused to provide a cake for a SSM. I wish they’d have had a game plan beforehand because I feel for them.

  5. BrentB67BrentB67 says:

    Money secures our liberty. If we have more money we have more choices.

    That is why the left seeks redistributive policies to avoid the concentration of property outside of their hands.

    This is why I am so adamant that every dollar confiscated or borrowed by the federal government reduces our liberty.

    • 10 Cents10 Cents says:

      Brent, I will push back a little. I disagree that “Money secures our liberty.” Money usually is not what does it but the things that people can buy with it. Money doesn’t help but things and services do.

      My point that is a fine one is best summed up in “All the money in the world won’t help a fool.” If one does not have wisdom to use it well the money is soon gone. The opposite is also true wise people fiscally usually have the freedom to do things.

      Warren Buffett had an interesting quote concerning his children, “I will give you enough money so that you can do anything but not so much where you will do nothing.” Too much money can make us lose it in two ways.

      • AvatarEThompson says:

        Dime; if I may, I’ll speak for Brent because I think he and I agree. Earned income is the key to longstanding success because we who have sweated out the ups and downs of private equity are loath to waste it!

        • 10 Cents10 Cents says:

          Liz, I would phrase it the reason you loath to waste it is because of wisdom. Your experience also gives you a good idea how to use it.

          I am trying to get at why lottery winners, athletes, and actors lose what they have. Case in point is Johnny Depp. It seems having a lot of money is a good way to go into debt. ;-)

        • BrentB67BrentB67 says:

          ***.

          At the end of the day the choices we have available for when/where, what to eat, healthcare, education, legal representation, etc. are directly proportional to our ability to pay for them.

          I am not saying this is morally correct, but it is consistent with free market price discovery and productivity therein.

    • AvatarEThompson says:

      “If we have more money we have more choices.”

      Bingo. Freedom to choose and to have options are everything.

      • 10 Cents10 Cents says:

        “Bingo. Freedom to choose and to have options are everything.”

        I don’t think it is everything. I think having the wisdom to make the right decisions is more important. The analogy is having a powerful car and gas gives you a lot of freedom but it will kill the person if they don’t drive it safely. It is driving safely that gives us the freedom and cannot be taken for granted.

  6. AvatarEThompson says:

    “I think having the wisdom to make the right decisions is more important.”

    It is a necessary element to achieving financial security, not a goal in and of itself. It is a tool.

  7. TKC1101TKC1101 says:

    It used to be land, as that was the tangible , enduring asset. Then it became assets , like tools and skills. Then it became trade. All assets were built with sweat or captured with blood. Risk was assumed.

    The heart of Progressivism is “Other Peoples Money”. They strive to achieve control over the results of sweat and blood of other people. Progressives are always the parasites, never building anything, just striving for control of what exists now.

    Their worst adversary is the game changing individual who alters the rules, the process and the flow of wealth.

    See industrialists versus slave based agriculture, see frackers versus green con men.

    America is the prize, as it still offers rewards for game changers. If they take America, they win their static world of controlling other people’s wealth.

    • 10 Cents10 Cents says:

      I don’t know enough history about the Progressives. It is interesting to compare them to the Marxists.

      There is also a thread of “We know better than you do so we will protect you.” “The People” are loved but not the individual.

      • BrentB67BrentB67 says:

        Progressives are marxists in different clothing. Historically progressives have sought to infiltrate soft institutions such as media and education where marxists were more of the jack booted force variety.

        In either case the end is the same: control.

  8. PencilvaniaPencilvania says:

    Not sure if this is what you mean, Dime, but: I don’t think the Left has necessarily taken up their Open Borders policy as a result of money. It seems to me they want open borders in order to inflict chaos on our system. I guess I would say, the Left wants power more than anything – and they think a chaotic US with immigrants flooding in would make it more likely that they would be elected into power.

    • 10 Cents10 Cents says:

      I stated it not clearly I see. The left see taking the money from the rich to help the poor. Immigration is a good example. “We must help these people.”

      Pencil, as you state this is not a good money expanding scheme.

      I don’t know if hunger for power and love of money can be separated. Power is controlling things and people which is close to the idea of money. People may not personally enrich themselves but that seems the rare case, don’t you think? The poor politician doesn’t remain poor for long.

  9. PencilvaniaPencilvania says:

    in addition, the Root of all Evil is socks.

  10. AvatarEThompson says:

    “Their worst adversary is the game changing individual who alters the rules, the process and the flow of wealth.”

    Super comment!

  11. MLHMLH says:

    Doesn’t seem that the progs want to break up google or amazon. Bezos = good guy; Sam Walton = bad guy. I don’t get it.

    • 10 Cents10 Cents says:

      MLH, drink this Kool-Aid and it will all make sense.

      A lot of times people judge people by speech patterns and a limit amount of litmus tests. Sam Walton failed the tests.

    • AvatarEThompson says:

      I admire them both because they’re not that different. Know why?

      They’re the best at what at they do/did.

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