T.A.N.S.T.A.A.F.L. Part 2

For those of you who did not read my first installment on this topic, T.A.N.S.T.A.A.F.L. translates as: There Ain’t No Such Thing As A Free Lunch. Science fiction author Robert Heinlein used this device quite effectively in a novel titled “The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress.” I do not know the author’s political party affiliation, but I believe that he would find today’s American government, from top to bottom, to be radically out of whack. Why?

As I wrote previously, for more than 50 years there has been a strident push to empower government as the be-all and end-all of our national economy and society. LBJ managed to pick up where Franklin Roosevelt left off by promoting his Great Society agenda. Prior to his time as president the government listing of economic and social programs that were available to “those in need” consumed less than 20 printed pages. By the end of LBJ’s time as President the listing was well over 100 pages. Today it takes a forklift to pick up the stack of paper that lists all these “welfare” and social equalization programs.

Now, add thousands of high paid bureaucrats and their staff to the mix and you should quickly come to realize why our national and state governments are so expensive and why our national debt has climbed so high as fast as it has. Yeah, I know “inflation” is touted as the base cause, but the biggest cause of inflation is government taxation and spending. The welfare state as it exists today is (and is being rapidly expanded by the current national government) has resulted in an almost net zero reduction in the number of poor citizens in major cities and in our most populated states. Why?

I believe the major reason is two fold. First, why should I get a job when all of my basic needs are supplied free by the wonderful, gracious nanny state? The second reason I believe is that breaking the chains that bind those who are in this condition is very difficult to accomplish. But, we can discuss that some other time.

So what is needed to live a T.A.N.S.T.A.A.F.L. life style?

First and foremost, in my estimation, is take responsibility for your self. If you want to buy a car, house, groceries, take round-the-world vacation, or whatever, then figure out how you (not the government) can pay for it. This, of course, should be evident for those of us that are not living in poverty. What about them?

Allow me to use my own family as the life lesson that was taught to me. My parents grew up in poor families during the pre-WWII depression and dust bowl era in the mid-west, with barely enough food to eat and little in the way of aroof over their heads (and I’ve got the photos, etc. to prove it.) They lived in places the poor today would not. My early years (first 12 of them) were spent in run-down shacks with little heat, hardly any running water, etc. But mom and dad refused to take a handout. They both worked and worked hard. Dad often worked 48 and 72-hour shifts just to make enough to put food on the table. I write this so you know I’m not speaking from a position of ignorance. I lived that life.

But, even in the midst of their hardship they never complained, AND they were always generous to others with what little they had. They never asked for, much less demanded, a hand out or a hand up from anyone.

Granted, not everyone can lift themselves up and out of poverty as my folks finally managed to do. Again, my parents taught me to be kind and generous to one and all. Even when they had little they shared it with those who had even less. As they slowly (it took over 40 years) lifted themselves out of poverty they continued to share what they had with others. They taught me to not only be responsible for myself and my future family but they also taught me to be kind and generous with what I had, regardless of how little or how much. Even when Dorothy and I became bankrupt and lost our business and our home, we did not run to the government for a handout. Instead, we worked at whatever job we could find and slowly pulled ourselves out of the hole.

Now, not everyone is able to do that. What about those individuals and families that, for what ever reason are unable to get their heads above water?

I am a firm believer that the best assistance for them is the same that was extended (but not always accepted, I’m a stubborn bullheaded dude) to my family – and that is for you and I and the rest of the local community to do what we can to assist them. And, in doing so, we can also help them to gain employment, education, etc., so they can eventually stand on their own two feet.

At the same time, we also need to realize that there are those who will not be willing to work for a living and are only interested in getting a free ride. In that case, I believe that they should be left to their own devices. Period. Harsh? Yes, but some people only learn the hard way, and some never learn at all.

If we the people took responsibility for our own to the best of our ability, I firmly believe there would be little or no need for federal government welfare. Yes, this can be a difficult problem to deal with, but you and I, our neighbors, and our various local and church organizations can do an awful lot to take care of the poor in our town, county and state. And I believe that we can do it better, cheaper and faster than the federal government-run nanny state. We could sure do it with a lot less paperwork!

Remember T.A.N.S.T.A.A.F.L.