Nicholas Wishek: Decision time in America

Harlem residents choose free groceries at the Food Bank For New York City on Dec. 11, in New York City. GETTY IMAGES


Americans' satisfaction with the future facing themselves and their families, as well as their present-day family or household income, has returned to levels seen 50 years ago. Sept 21-24 polling found that 63 percent of Americans are satisfied with the future facing them, "just one percentage point lower than Gallup found when it asked the same question for the first time, in July 1963."

Source: Gallup Politics

“The Ant and the Grasshopper,” one of Aesop's fables, has survived for thousands of years because it reflects human nature so well.

For those unfamiliar with the tale, Ant labored hard all summer preparing for winter while Grasshopper ignored Ant's warnings and didn't worry about tomorrow. Winter comes. Ant is safe and snug from the elements while Grasshopper suffers from hunger and cold. In general, there are two reactions to this story. Some conclude Grasshopper's problems were his own fault. He could have worked as hard as Ant. Others feel Ant was cold-hearted for not sharing what he had with foolish, unfortunate Grasshopper.

As a nation, the United States became great because we were a nation of ants more than most other societies. To be fair, that was partially because, in the beginning, we were a poor agrarian nation that didn't have enough surplus wealth to give to those who refused to work and very little to spare even those who couldn't. Back then we also had a social system that rewarded labor. People mostly kept what they earned.

This is now changing. Social progressives are dedicated to transforming us into a nation of grasshoppers. For the best of humanitarian reasons, liberals want a big government to protect people from their own mistakes and follies.

The problem, as long as we are dusting off hoary clichés, is that giving a man a fish feeds him for a day, but teaching a man to fish feeds him for a lifetime. Liberals don't seem to grasp this concept.

Traditional-minded Americans want a much smaller, less intrusive government that encourages people to behave more responsively. And they want a government that rewards those who work hard and make sound choices.

This basic disagreement should be debated in the court of public opinion as fairly and even-handedly as possible, but it isn't. As Charles Krauthammer wrote, “Liberals think conservatives are evil.” This makes honest discourse difficult at best. Consider the kinds of accusations progressive throw at conservatives, especially those identified as members of the Tea Party. Liberals have claimed that conservatives want the needy left to suffer or die, children to go hungry and allow unfettered capitalism to exploit the middle class. This is not a reasoned dialogue aimed to resolve differences.

Conservatives have no objection to a safety net for those in dire circumstances through no fault of their own. They just don't want that net to become a web trapping Americans in a lifetime of dependency. By using government to protect people from their own poor judgment or work ethic liberals have condemned some families to generational welfare. No conservative wants children to suffer. However, by rewarding parents' poor choices, children grow up expecting government largesse as a way of life.

Tax dollars collected at the expense of penalizing those who work hard and make responsible decisions is what pays for this largesse. That discourages effort. Liberals should ask what will happen to the grasshoppers when there aren't enough ants left to provide for them?

Another question liberals should ask is why they believe government is so much better than prvate enterprise and individuals at making decisions? What government program runs efficiently? Compare the UPS to the Post Office. Or, better yet, Amazon.com's web site to the Affordable Care Act's. A big part of the problem conservatives have with taxes is not just that they are so high, but that government wastes so much.

Some believe that America has already reached a tipping point from what we were to what social progressives wish us to become. If that is what Americans decide they want, then we are a democratic republic and that is what we will become. But it should be an informed decision, based on facts, logic and common sense. It should not be based on dishonest political rhetoric.



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