My parents taught me to work for the things I wanted. Getting something for nothing was not good. When I was designing and selling computer systems to run state lotteries, a mentor of mine, Bill Tuck, told me “The trouble with the lottery is it promotes the idea of getting something for nothing.” I got out of the lottery business. I did not want to promote getting something for nothing.

Getting something for nothing is tempting to us all. It is the basis for all cons.

I have long understood that the Social Security system is a Ponzi scheme where the initial participants receive enticing benefits but those joining later are ripped off. If we had to pay for the actual cost of Social Security we would purchase an annuity instead. But recipients like the idea of getting something for nothing and our younger generation feels they are helpless to change it. So Social Security persists.

Sadly, our current leaders have no interest in fixing the Social Security system, in spite of the fact the cost of delaying the fix is estimated at $600 billion a year. More sadly, we don’t want our leaders to fix the problem (We vote them out of office when they try).

Our government is currently seeking to administer health care because we want the most expensive health care available without having to pay for it. The government has already demonstrated its expertise in creating the false impression that we can get something for nothing with its administration of Medicare and Medicaid. Recipients like these programs but their unfunded liabilities cannot be met by our economy.

When we want something for nothing we turn to government. Our politicians delight in creating the impression of giving us what we want in order to be reelected. This process is destroying our country.

My parents were right.

Ed Arnos
Grand Junction

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 28th, 2009 at 5:06 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.