When government politicians buy votes with taxpayer money via wealth redistribution, they incentivize people to become dependent on the government (and thus these same politicians) for their daily alms. Unfortunately, this also has the effect of dis-incentivizing productivity.
We are products of nature, which tends towards efficiency. What animal works to be more productive than is necessary to meet their desires or needs, and why should people be any different? What do you think will happen when people are rewarded without concern for their relative productivity? Do you really think that they’ll become more productive members of society, or less? And what will be the impact on you when hard work becomes a blank check written against your life for the benefit of others?
I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again: The only way we’ll all have more is if we produce more. It does not matter how much money you redistribute to those willing to spend it on their own needs – if we increase the available money supply (by taking it from investors and giving it to spenders) without producing more then the price of what is already produced will simply increase. If we instead increase production without increasing the money supply (i.e. increase our productivity) then more will be available at a lower cost. We must reward productivity, not idleness, if we all want to have a better life and more “things”.
My fear is that under a government-mandated wealth redistribution scheme people will not work hard to be productive (or at least as productive as required to meet their desires/needs) , but will instead fight to become the least productive with the highest total (government “benefits” + salary) earnings. The goal will be, simply put, to get more out of the system than one puts into it. Those foolish enough to be overly productive will simply have their “excess” productivity looted for the benefit of those less productive.
How will this end? The productive will give up; the lazy will give in. They will each chant a new mantra, one attributable to a long-time friend of mine: “I will become a burden upon society, because society has become a burden upon me.” (copyright BDawg 1991)
Hallelujah!