Elizabeth Warren, Democratic candidate for Senate in Massachusetts, recently lobbed a few class warfare grenades in the direction of the productive class:
No. There is nobody in this country who got rich on his own—nobody.She conveniently ignores the existence of marauding bands of regulators and tax collectors, but that, of course, is a plus in her worldview. Somebody on Facebook has done the appropriate editing. Additional pertinent comments from Rich Lowry can be found here.
You built a factory out there? Good for you. But I want to be clear. You moved your goods to market on the roads the rest of us paid for. You hired workers the rest of us paid to educate. You were safe in your factory because of police forces and fire forces [sic] that the rest of us paid for. You didn’t have to worry that marauding bands would come and seize everything at your factory—and hire someone to protect against this—because of the work the rest of us did.
Elizabeth Warren is a Harvard law professor who's spent lots of time in and around government.
ReplyDeleteIn her little world, if taxes go down or the government agencies that dole it out are cut, her cozy life of grants, subsidized colleges and free research money dies.
She's never cut the umbilical or given up the nipple.
Uh-oh she has the eyes of a fanatic! Beware.
ReplyDelete'The rest of us paid for'
ReplyDeleteWith what? Taxes.
The bulk of which is paid by the rich. And money is created by entrepreneurs innovating, not by government who merely print paper representing the work of private innovators.
Umm, guess what lady, the 'rest of us' pay YOUR salary. That's why you're called a Civil Servant!
People work less than they used to, yet we are richer than ever.
ReplyDeleteTherefore work does not 'pay' for it. Innovation and creativity does: - Discovering ways to do more with less and create value where none existed before. The entrepreneur is the prime mover of that.
When America gets over this phase and back to entrepreneurism, prosperity will surely return, and jobs for all.
"Finally: a national ninny who actually looks the part"
ReplyDeleteOh wait, that's..well you know.
Thanks, Liz, we appreciate knowing what the enemy is really thinking.
ReplyDeletebruce, I've heard the assertion that we work less than before, but it doesn't seem plausible. The workforce is more connected more of the time than at any time in history, because of cell phones, laptops, etc.
ReplyDeleteInnovation and creativity is work and the results of it are the "pay".
I shudder at the notion of "Discovering ways to do more with less..." given its origin. The phrase was very popular in the '70s by Lefties. One part of Americanism is earning everything you would like. The opportunities are there for everyone. What Elizabeth Warren doesn't understand is the earned part. She hates successful people, yet didn't she have to earn her credentials and professorship?
Deborah Leigh
Deborah, I'm arguing against Marx's Labor Theory of Value, which Warren seems to be implying:
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Labor_theory_of_value
The 1970's lefties I know of were not as bad as the current bunch of unhinged dreamers, for example Chris Hitchens is a 1970's leftist. Those outside the US such as in the UK, recognised the importance of market reforms and some became the 'neocons'.