Sunday, April 15, 2012

The Myth Of Income Inequality

There's a myth stalking America. It's the myth of income inequality, and it's dangerous. This myth is being used by progressives to divide Americans, stoke the fires of envy and class warfare, and promote anti-liberty, socialistic policies totally contrary to the principles of our Founding Fathers.

It's time to debunk this myth.

There is no income inequality in America. How can I say that, some might ask, in light of the blatant fact that Americans earn differing sums of money? I don't deny income differences. Of course they exist, and that's ok. It's ok for people to earn different levels of income. What's not ok is labeling those income differences an "inequality".

It's not an inequity for one person to make more money than another. Saying that it is implies that differing income levels are the result of some deliberate institutional injustice which government must intervene to correct. Wrong. Disparities in income result primarily from the choices of individuals, that is, from freedom.

People are different. They have different personalities, abilities, values, goals, and life experiences. Consequently, people make vastly divergent life decisions. These decisions then impact the financial success, or lack there of, people will have in their lives. A college graduate will be richer than a high school graduate who, in turn, will be richer than a high school dropout. And that's as it should be. Freedom, and the life choices it allows individuals to make, matters. Progressive believers in the income inequality myth hate that.

Progressives' concept of "social justice" rejects equality of opportunity in favor of equality of outcome. For now, the progressive utopians can't engineer society so that everyone earns the same amount of money regardless of their job. Instead, they seek to impose economic "equality" through wealth redistribution, i.e., government taking from the "rich" and distributing the booty to the "poor" via government programs. It's pretty obvious how the myth of income inequality facilitates the progressives' redistribution scheme. Arguing for economic and individual freedom over redistribution can be denounced as "anti-equality". By lambasting "income inequality", progressives can claim the moral high ground while pursuing a policy that will bankrupt the nation.

Income inequality is an ideologically motivated hoax. It doesn't exist. What exists in American society are income differences determined by the life choices of individuals, choices made possible by the blessing of freedom. I want to keep that freedom, even if it means I don't earn as much money as Bill Gates. Freedom means much more to me than money, which is why I totally reject the myth of income inequality. How about you?

3 comments:

Wise Conservatism said...

This is a great post, though one thing that it seems you left out in something that would cause a difference in income is a person's talent. That plays a big part in this too. But you are right. This nation is embroiled in a lie to make everyone think that if someone is paid more than someone else, it is just wrong and exploitive. It isn't. All the things you mentioned plus their talents contribute to how much they get paid. Humans are different...so they're pay will be too.

This post is great and should have ended up on Brietbart.com or something.

Tom's Place said...

Our freedoms include the chance to fail, not the obligation to support everyone else. The pointy heads in charge do not seem to understand that.

Skunkfeathers said...

In this country, a person is free to be and achieve anything they wish. Some choose to achieve the status as 'net tax receivers', aka welfare recipients. If they had drive and ambition (along with some pride and work ethic), they'd be taxpayers, and find a better quality of life comes from working and striving to achieve.

But you'll always have the 'net tax receivers', who've been led to believe they are 'owed', and that the chips are stacked against them if they try to better themselves.

The Occutards are replete with that mentality. "Gimme", instead of "I've finished that task...next challenge?".