Redneck Review!
No. 146 - 2/5/2018
Two thoughts come to mind this evening as a topic for this next RNR. The first is the old saying that, "Those who do not learn from the mistakes of the past are doomed to repeat them."  And the second, simply that good old common sense can give valuable insights into the news of the day and situations that arise in our daily lives.
Back in review 133, a brief summary of the claims made by Frederik Bastiat in this book THE LAW, was that the taxing and giving away of tax dollars mounted to theft, called  by him LEGAL PLUNDER because government was doing it. And also reviewed briefly was Alexander Tyler's claim that all democracies were doomed to fail because of demands put on it by voters.  Finally also mentioned was Davy Crockett's argument NOT YOURSTO GIVE claiming that government had no legal authority to give away tax payer money!
In review 134, it was stated  that a closer look at each of these claims would be made inthe future, and that common sense forces one to accept the logic, and the predictions that were made at the time.  This review will take a closer look at Bastiat's THE LAW!
Just what did Bastian claim in his book?  In language simple and compelling, he argued that personal ownership was essential to freedom.  Simply put,  if any individual has to depend on another for anything, then that person becomes obligated, and gives up some freedom to act on his own! This claim seems simple, and will not be argued here!
So what then of violations of ownership?  Bastiat argues that anytime one person walks up to another and demands something owned by that person, that a violation has occurred! If the demand is backed up by force or stealth, then theft is involved.  It matters not if the thing taken is food, a child, or any other valuable thing.  He argues that this is the basic conviction of all people and all civilizations, from the oldest down to the most modern. Simply put, at all times in history, it has been recognized that certain things associated with individuals or families cannot just be taken on a whim.  
But is the taking okay if done by government?  In other words, is it okay for a government to take by force income or property from someone, then simply give it to another? Can it be legal because done by government?  Thus is LEGAL PLUNDER okay, using Bastiat's word plunder for theft.? And does the taking by government justify it because it is the law and thus LEGAL?  Bastiat argues convincingly that if party A can not simply demand that party B turnover something A wants but B does not want to give, then it is not okay in any situation, and if force or stealth is involved, then it is theft, or  in Bastiat's word, PLUNDER. Then he asks, if party A wants something that B has, but does not want to give up, then how can it be okay if party C, in this case government, comes along and uses its power to force B to give to A?
Bastiat says NO!  If careful thought is given to this matter, does it not make sense?
Bastiat goes on to say that any government which starts doing  this takes such a tiny bit from the many in the beginning, that it will hardly be noticed..This is given to a few that government chooses to help.  Then, predictably, more and more people will demand to be on the receiving
end, until objections from the forced givers causes a breakdown in the system. At this point, government will start borrowing on the future and runs up debt in doing so!  Bastiat predicts that some policies of our early government tells him this will  happen!  A prediction that was made about the time the book was written around 1850 A.D.  Does his claim and his prediction make sense?    What do you think?  Has it happened in our country today?
Jake Wren

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