Monday, March 9, 2009

Adam Smith, Chris Gardner and the Rest of Us...


Monday, March 9, 2009


On March 9, 1776 the first of two earth-shaking documents on liberty were published. Of course we all know (with the exception of some of you who spent your youth in government schools) which document was published on July 4th of that year. Not as well known was the book by a Scottish professor of moral philosophy entitled, "An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations". This book by Adam Smith laid the groundwork for economic liberty all over the world. If you have ever eaten food, enjoyed shelter from inclimate weather or been able to avoid being naked in public you are the direct beneficiary of the infrastructure that was put in place by Mr. Smith when he argued that self-interested behavior, when pursued within the context of our "natural liberties" leads to society gaining goods and services far more quickly and effectively than when government planners set out to do the same thing.

Which brings me to my favorite economics movie - and a modern day hero in the world Adam Smith envisioned.A couple of years ago I had the opportunity to watch The Pursuit of Happyness with my teenage daughter. If you have not yet seen this film it is ostensibly about a man who attempts – over and over again – to overcome economic obstacles as he pursues his version of happiness. The lead character in the movie (played brilliantly by Will Smith), even mentions Thomas Jefferson and our constitutional right to pursue happiness.About half way through the film my daughter leaned over and whispered, “So daddy, do you still think the government shouldn’t help people like him?”

This was an extremely profound question inasmuch as my daughter has heard me in and out of the classroom discussing the economics, morality and Constitutionality of using tax dollars in the name of benevolence.John F. Kennedy once said, “I do not believe that Washington should do for the people what they can do for themselves through local and private effort.” As it turns out, JFK’s opinion is actually an important Constitutional fact, as well. If one takes a look at Article One, Section Eight, Clause One of our nations’ rulebook we can see that the Founders allow Congress to spend tax dollars on national defense, debts incurred in the protection of our rights and on expenditures for the ‘general welfare’ of our nation. Clauses 2-18 then enunciate what general welfare means. Any reading of the works of Messrs. Madison, Jefferson, etc. clearly indicates that the use of tax dollars to financially prop up any individual member of our society is prohibited.

The Founders felt that private initiative, family and charity – both secular and religious – were better tools to drive people out of poverty and into more productive, and ultimately more profitable pursuits.But what about people who are really trying to follow Adam Smith's lead but continue to bump up against the random walk of life that often knocks them down over and over again? Would it hurt anything if the arm of government, financed with the tax dollars of others, reached out just to those people with temporary aid?

This question came to my mind over and over again during this movie and I found myself slightly bending towards the more socialistic conclusion that a proper function of government is to help those who are really trying to help themselves. After all, even JFK yielded to the movement to create a social welfare state.Yet, by the time the movie had ended and I was walking in the parking lot with my daughter I was able to tell her that not only were the Founders still correct, but that the man depicted in that film had proven that without any government assistance people can triumph over enumerable odds. In fact, the astute observer cannot miss the fact that government turned out to be his largest enemy. The big issue to consider is this:If government could identify those who are trying (a monumental task), would those people keep trying once taxpayer aid arrived? Franklin Roosevelt once called welfare the “subtle destroyer of the human spirit.”

Not only has he been proven to be correct (and he was the first to sign off on welfare), but we are now faced with a growing perception by the elderly, the baby boomers, people facing foreclosure, GM, the banks and virtually every supporter of our new president that government should always assist us first before we dig down and find the fortitude to assist ourselves.As it turns out, Adam Smith, Thomas Jefferson and Chris Gardner had the right idea. If we can just get our fellow Americans to realize that the more government assumes our responsibilities the more power government gains to take away our liberty and private property, then we will be one day closer to turning the corner on this current walk towards socialism.

7 comments:

  1. Accepting financial assistance (even temporarily) from the government immediately puts a person into a totally exposed and dependent position in which the person has absolutely no ability to improve their circumstances without the risk of losing that financial assistance. A downward spiral of loss of personal property to the govt ensues through obligations to fulfill requirements for the assistance and through taxes. Freedom and Liberty are gone when a person accepts that first penny from the govt..

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  2. "Government big enough to supply everything you need is big enough to take everything you have ... The course of history shows that as a government grows, liberty decreases."

    Thomas Jefferson

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  3. I agree w/Rhonda. Think of all these baby boomers who plan to depend on social security. By depending on it, they have given up the responsibility to save more of their own money. What do you think they'll do if there is ever a shortage of money to hand out? Nothing. They will simply wait for the gov't to magically find more money to compensate them for their negligence. So be prepared to work till you're 90 years old generation X, Y, Millenials..

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  4. Adam Smith, and Thomas Jefferson believed in the capacity of the human spirit. History shows that government has a self preservation tick that will naturally cause government to grow.

    Chris Gardner is the apex of what our government was created to allow: the ability to pursue happiness. As we know happiness is not a guarantee in life, as to the reason of the wording "pursuit" of happiness not "equal results" of happiness.
    The founding fathers made a government that was supposed be scared of the people not the other way around. Because of the government teet in the mouths of many people (close to 50% of the american people now do not pay a penny in taxes), the masses have been made dependent on government. Essentially, the government is stealing the spirit of man by telling you that government is the answer.

    Let Chris Gardner be an example to everyone, that if you choose to believe in yourself and not in the government, you can accomplish eveything you want in life.

    FYI: I have seen Chris Gardner speak and he mentioned a key difference between the movie and what he went through. His son was actually a baby, around 12 months. Imagine going through what he did, with a 12 month child. Very inspiring.

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  5. Adam Smith, and Thomas Jefferson believed in the capacity of the human spirit. History shows that government has a self preservation tick that will naturally cause government to grow.

    Chris Gardner is the apex of what our government was created to allow: the ability to pursue happiness. As we know happiness is not a guarantee in life, as to the reason of the wording "pursuit" of happiness not "equal results" of happiness.
    The founding fathers made a government that was supposed be scared of the people not the other way around. Because of the government teet in the mouths of many people (close to 50% of the american people now do not pay a penny in taxes), the masses have been made dependent on government. Essentially, the government is stealing the spirit of man by telling you that government is the answer.

    Let Chris Gardner be an example to everyone, that if you choose to believe in yourself and not in the government, you can accomplish eveything you want in life.

    FYI: I have seen Chris Gardner speak and he mentioned a key difference between the movie and what he went through. His son was actually a baby, around 12 months. Imagine going through what he did, with a 12 month child. Very inspiring.

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  6. I think Henry Ford said it best,

    "Let them fail; let everybody fail! I made my fortune when I had nothing to start with, by myself and my own ideas. Let other people do the same thing. If I lose everything in the collapse of our financial structure, I will start in at the beginning and build it up again."
    --Henry Ford (February 11, 1934)

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  7. In a story from the Associated Press...

    "Meanwhile, President Barack Obama said Wednesday he wants legislation to give the federal government vast new powers over financial institutions like AIG to protect the public"

    Further we slide away from Freedom and closer Obama's plan for a socialist government.

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