Free Stuff vs. Freedom

I wrote this back when Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren were climbing in the polls. They lost steam and COVID hit, so this went on the back burner. But I think the message is still relevant and always will be, because “free stuff vs freedom” is a fundamental human dichotomy.

To tackle it we have to deal in both reality and ideology. The reality is that people need help, and regardless of how they got into the circumstance of needing help, it’s our duty to help if we can. We should also continuously teach the value of work and the principles of self-sufficiency. Government dependence is a last resort to be avoided if at all possible. The drain it puts on the human spirit is far worse than the drain it puts on taxpayers. So much more meaning and growth await us through our endeavors of effort, independence, and responsibility.

it’s that time again
when politicians are admonishing us
with all the promises of free stuff
“relieving” us of our burdens
meanwhile burdening us with the belief
that our debts are theirs to levy
as if the purchasing of votes with the assurance of unearned benefits hasn’t collapsed enough empires already
as if it hasn’t robbed countless millions of their earnings
and countless millions more of their dignity
as if it hasn’t continuously crushed what was once honorable independence
into despondent pieces of groveling acquiescence
history can’t even count the abuses
perhaps it’s counterintuitive
that when you relieve someone of responsibility
you’re really just relieving them of self-respect
keeping them reliant on checks
from a government that just wants to keep them in check

it’s how the handouts on the clockwork
the saddest day of a person’s life is when he or she sits down to
figure out how to not work
how to turn potential into procrastination
how to turn ambition into ambivalence
it’s a principle that’s as old as time, or at least as old as fish
and those who fish for them
what’s better than granting free fish of course
is fashioning a fisherman
what’s better than welfare
is well-being
what’s better than well-meaning
is empowering by the ethos of self-achieving
and self-care

we don’t start equal in assets or advantages
but work is where the great equalizer of circumstances is
therein lies the therapy for our troubles
the antidote for our anguish
the fortitude that forges our families

only in the crucibles of pursuit can we cook up character
and the sweat of our brow is the sweetest ingredient
never let them lead you into believing that
pandering under the pretense of philanthropy
isn’t actually advocating for the eradication of your freedom
don’t ever settle for mediocrity
no champion of sport or business or science or humanities has ever made it
by languishing in the belly of bureaucracy
no dormancy has ever bolstered performance, see
no idleness has ever triumphed
no stupor of soul has ever won a super bowl
no slothfulness has ever begotten thoughtfulness
I could go on but just
let me say this to close

what we earn is so much more valuable than what we think we are owed
those politicians
they’ll be long gone by the time entitlement takes its toll
don’t let them take your mind, your muscle, your spirit
don’t let them curtail your capacity
don’t let them demean you
never let them deceive you into believing that anything is free
what they’re taking will always be greater than what they’re giving
yeah you better believe – the government owes you life and liberty
but it does not owe you a living

thank goodness