Tilting at Giants

Just like a modern-day Don Quixote, President Barack Obama is traversing his presidency tilting his lance at imaginary foes – the successful, corporations, private property and liberty. Unfortunately, his efforts are much more dangerous than Quixote’s ineffective attacks on windmills.

Don Quixote: Dost not see? A monstrous giant of infamous repute whom I intend to encounter.
Sancho Panza: It’s a windmill.
Don Quixote: A giant. Canst thou not see the four great arms whirling at his back?
Sancho Panza: A giant?
Don Quixote: Exactly.

Just as Quixote tried to convince his faithful companion of the imaginary monster, Obama has spent the entirety of his Presidency trying to convince Americans that successful business-owners and corporations are the monstrous giants of infamous repute that must be felled at the earliest opportunity and by any means necessary. Notions that would have been thought crazy, un-American and oppressive are now courses of action from the Administration and the Democrat party.

While the roughly 50% of us that pay any appreciable taxes at all are being asked to pay an increasing amount of money for a broken public education system, unsustainable entitlement programs, planned parenthood’s activities and more almost half of Americans pay no or near zero income taxes to support these failing progressive dreams. The administration is focused on making those who pay the most the monster, in hopes of getting voters to tilt their lances at the evil successful people although they are no more harmful and even more productive than the windmills they actually represent.

The Obama administration has taken fairness into the realm of class warfare. Where fair isn’t actually about equal, but instead, an almost religious obsession with a false equality – a Marxist kind of equality.

The Constitution does not promise equality of condition. Americans are not guaranteed success – only the right to pursue it at their own risk. Great risk for great reward, ultimate reward for ultimate risk and the possibility that the risks don’t pay off at all. Those willing to take the greatest risk cannot continue to also bear the brunt of the costs for the progressive Utopia. Too much more “fairness” out of the government and no one will be willing to take the risks necessary to start new companies if the rewards are distributed to those that take no risk at all.

Obama’s FY2013 budget is the latest salvo against real equality. It asks the 10% that already pay 70% of all income taxes to pay more, while allowing those that pay nothing to continue freeloading. Will it be when the top 10% are paying 80% of all income taxes and 60% are paying none that the successful give in, give up and join the 60%? Who will then create the jobs?

There is no monster here. Business owners do not have a civic responsibility to feed the masses, provide a retirement or healthcare. They should be allowed to make products and perform services that will in-turn employ people who can then make those things happen. There is nothing evil about creating a business, making a profit and deciding how to spend the wealth gained.

Then again, in “The Man from La Mancha” this interchange leads me to believe that perhaps the Governor is more of Obama’s ilk:

The Governor: We generally fine a prisoner all his possessions.
Miguel de Cervantes: All of them?
The Governor: It’s not practical to take more.