It still makes sense today
Published Mon, Feb 23 2009 12:44 PM
Today's Monday Brief from the Patriot Post has a wonderful quotation. Would that our representatives heeded these words of wisdom.
“You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot help small men by tearing down big men. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot lift the wage-earner by pulling down the wage-payer. You cannot help the poor man by destroying the rich. You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than your income. You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred. You cannot establish security on borrowed money. You cannot build character and courage by taking away men's initiative and independence. You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves.”
— Presbyterian minister William J.H. Boetcker (1873-1962)
You bring about prosperity by encouraging thrift, diligence and hard work. It doesn't hurt to help people to recognize opportunity either.
You help small men by giving them a hand up and encouraging them to work for themselves. Encouraging them to seek opportunity rather than hand-outs while accepting help where it's offered helps them grow.
You strengthen the weak by assisting them through their troubles and encouraging them to stand on their own. Tear down the strong and there's no defense left for anyone.
You lift the wage-earner by reducing the burden of the wage-payer so that the wage-payer has more with which to pay wages. I've never know a poor man to provide jobs for anyone.
You help the poor man by teaching him how to save and how to better himself. A bit of charity may be needed to get the process moving. “Give a man a fish and he has a meal for the. Teach him to fish and he can eat for life.”
If you don't spend more than you earn, the creditors will never come calling. There won't be any dunning notices or annoying phone calls from the collection agencies either.
Recognizing how we are alike does more to bring about unity and harmony than emphasizing how we are different. In any case, none of us are quite the same, so if we emphasize our differences we'll all hate each other.
Borrowing money may be necessary for some things, but it doesn't bring about security. If you borrow based on your income and lose your income, you'll lose the things you purchased with those borrowed funds.
Character and courage are developed by taking risks and assuming the responsibility for them. Take away the people's independence and initiative and no one will take risks or assume personal responsibility. Give people the freedom to take risks and encourage them to strike out on their own and you give them the opportunity to grow.
Nothing we (or government) can do will eliminate all risk. Nor can government afford to do all things for all people. Somebody has to pay for everything that government does. If we're all dependent on government, then there's nobody to cover the government's costs. Nobody that is, except those outside our borders. And remember, you cannot establish security on borrowed money. Foreign States will demand concessions if we can't pay.
Isn't it time we re-learned some common sense in government? Just say no to more big-government style Keynesian economics. NO MORE BAILOUTS OR “STIMULI.”
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ablur responded with:
 | Growing government isn't going to save the economy it only increases the size of the problem.
The stimulus package is a lot like a payday loan. The government can take money out of payers that are not even born yet to pay the bills. This just isn't right and millions of Americans are buying into this.
The government needs to reduce to save us but the power hungry greedy politicians in DC will not give up any. |
Machiavelli responded with:
 | After today's bipolar episode of spend like crazy, but wait, we must cut the deficit, I truly believe Obama will go down as the worst president in our history. |
David responded with: 10 Kinds of people
 | "There are 10 kinds of people... "
Those who recognize the truths you state above and those who do not. Of the group that does not admit those truths, the class is divided into liars (who do know those principles to be true but lie for their own short-sighted, greedy ends) and idiots. Yes, that's harsh. The truth often is. |
Stanford Matthews responded with:
 | It has long been my belief that certain items which provided a receptive audience for the founding father's principles and other words of wisdom such as those in this post have eroded with the decline of the nuclear family, the two income family and all the other family matters that have been abandoned.
I long for a return to the traditional family arrangement, the one I grew up with, the one I believe strengthened the idea of doing the right thing and fostered the kind of personal growth that promoted same for generations.
Each parent had their role. Discipline and the family working as a group also anchored in community and a strong sense of country, etc., were prominent.
The evolution to a nation of individuals and scattered relationships have not improved life as we know it. |
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