Plunder

In reading Frederic Bastiat's "The Law" There is a section about "plunder" or as we would call it, theft. There are two kinds of "plunder;" legal and illegal.

Illegal plunder is just what it sounds like; the use of force or threat of force by a private person or group to take what is yours, whether money or property.

Legal plunder is a little more tricky. Legal plunder is when the government uses force or the threat of force to take money from you to give to someone else. The tricky part comes in what the money is used for. Before I read what "legal plunder" entailed, I only thought of welfare, food stamps, WIC, and any other entitlement program which gives money to those who did not earn it. While those are types of legal plunder, they are only the tip of the iceberg. Subsidies, public schools, progressive taxation (this means that if there must be a tax, everyone should pay the same percentage no matter how much they make), protective tariffs, minimum wages, etc. In addition to those examples that Bastiat gave we can include Pell Grant's, subsidized student loans, guaranteed home loans (Fannie and Freddie), medicaid, paying farmers not to grow anything on their farms, etc.

Why am I bringing this subject up at this time?

Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI-1) has recently introduced his budget plan which has been called, "The Path to Prosperity: Restoring America's Promise." In his plan, Ryan has budget projections all the way to 2051 which eventually will balance the federal budget and start paying down the national debt. While I applaud what his apparent goals are; cut federal spending and paying down the debt, it is unrealistic and cements into law legal plunder in the "social safety net." When the health care bill was introduced with its budget projections of 10 years out, many who opposed it called BS when the cost projections were released because the government can't reliably predict budgets or spending on government entitlement programs unless they restrict services by rationing. So when Rep. Ryan introduces a budget plan that plans out 40 years, why should we all of a sudden think that this is reliable. Not only can the government not guarantee revenue into its coffers, but one Congress cannot dictate the actions of another. Therefore, Rep. Ryan's budget plan can be passed by the House and Senate and then signed by the President, and a future Congress can shoot the mainline and double the spending if they want.

This means that the only thing that Rep. Ryan's budget would do is admit to the parasites that the establishment GOP has given up on getting rid of any of the entitlement programs that are in place. If this is the best that the GOP can do, we are doomed.