I ordinarily try to ignore the little social and political injustices that happen every day, because I live in Hawaii, and I am outnumbered, by at least 3-to-1. Fiscally conservative Libertarians are a mighty small, lonely contingent here. But sometimes, things are just impossible to ignore.
Today, at Safeway, there was a woman with her son in the checkout line ahead of us. First off, the boy was a little 5#!+, grabbing gum, mints, and candy, and trying to add them to the conveyor belt. His mother kept telling him, "No," but her tone must not have been very convincing. He continued his shenanigans while she continued her ineffective refusals. (Hey, come to think of it, maybe this is why some guys never learn to take "No" for an answer, ladies.) In the meantime, he was blocking our way, so we could not begin placing the contents of our basket onto the belt behind his mother's groceries. But Momma wasn't concerned about anyone else.
When he finally got out of the way, we began unloading our basket. After we had gotten too far to change our minds and change checkout lanes, we realized that there was a delay. The woman had wanted to get frozen apple juice that was on sale, but it was sold out. So, she brought another brand to the register and tried to get the sale price on it. The checker told her that she was not allowed to do that. So, the woman said she would take the frozen orange juice that was on sale, instead, and then she just stood there. The very nice checker took the hint and hurried off to take the woman's apple juice back to the freezer section and get the sale orange juice; while we, and the line that had now formed behind us, all stood there and waited. Maybe I am just too damned considerate for my own good, but I would never have tried to pull that stunt in the first place; and if I had, I would have either just bought the non-sale-priced apple juice, or gone and gotten the OJ, myself, when my stunt failed.
While the checker was away, I noticed that the woman had her items segregated into two batches on the belt. The first batch included a gallon of milk, a bag of Lima beans, two boxes of cereal, and (eventually) the two cans of frozen orange juice. Among the items in the second group were two nice bottles of wine (approximately $12 and $16), a twelve-pack of premium, micro-brew beer (which, in Hawaii, goes for about $16 a twelve-pack), and some sort of fancy chocolates.
Behind the next divider on the belt were our items, which included a small jug of on-sale Carlo Rossi Burgundy. (You can hear this coming, I am sure.) Well, of course, it turned out that the woman was buying the first batch of real food with a welfare voucher, because those were the items legally allowed. She paid cold, hard, untraceable (and most probably untaxed and unreported) cash for the second batch.
So, while we, taxpaying citizens, bought necessities and a jug of inexpensive (yet eminently drinkable) wine with our own money, Welfare Momma was buying premium micro-brew, premium wines, and fancy chocolates. This experience (pardon the expression) distills the problem of wealth redistribution down to a personal level.
Today, at Safeway, there was a woman with her son in the checkout line ahead of us. First off, the boy was a little 5#!+, grabbing gum, mints, and candy, and trying to add them to the conveyor belt. His mother kept telling him, "No," but her tone must not have been very convincing. He continued his shenanigans while she continued her ineffective refusals. (Hey, come to think of it, maybe this is why some guys never learn to take "No" for an answer, ladies.) In the meantime, he was blocking our way, so we could not begin placing the contents of our basket onto the belt behind his mother's groceries. But Momma wasn't concerned about anyone else.
When he finally got out of the way, we began unloading our basket. After we had gotten too far to change our minds and change checkout lanes, we realized that there was a delay. The woman had wanted to get frozen apple juice that was on sale, but it was sold out. So, she brought another brand to the register and tried to get the sale price on it. The checker told her that she was not allowed to do that. So, the woman said she would take the frozen orange juice that was on sale, instead, and then she just stood there. The very nice checker took the hint and hurried off to take the woman's apple juice back to the freezer section and get the sale orange juice; while we, and the line that had now formed behind us, all stood there and waited. Maybe I am just too damned considerate for my own good, but I would never have tried to pull that stunt in the first place; and if I had, I would have either just bought the non-sale-priced apple juice, or gone and gotten the OJ, myself, when my stunt failed.
While the checker was away, I noticed that the woman had her items segregated into two batches on the belt. The first batch included a gallon of milk, a bag of Lima beans, two boxes of cereal, and (eventually) the two cans of frozen orange juice. Among the items in the second group were two nice bottles of wine (approximately $12 and $16), a twelve-pack of premium, micro-brew beer (which, in Hawaii, goes for about $16 a twelve-pack), and some sort of fancy chocolates.
Behind the next divider on the belt were our items, which included a small jug of on-sale Carlo Rossi Burgundy. (You can hear this coming, I am sure.) Well, of course, it turned out that the woman was buying the first batch of real food with a welfare voucher, because those were the items legally allowed. She paid cold, hard, untraceable (and most probably untaxed and unreported) cash for the second batch.
So, while we, taxpaying citizens, bought necessities and a jug of inexpensive (yet eminently drinkable) wine with our own money, Welfare Momma was buying premium micro-brew, premium wines, and fancy chocolates. This experience (pardon the expression) distills the problem of wealth redistribution down to a personal level.
Now, before anyone gets their panties in a bunch, I am not blaming anyone who is having trouble and needs a hand up - a temporary hand up, if they are able-bodied. There are lots of honest, hardworking people who have had to seek assistance, I am sure. But to all of you who think that wealth redistribution is a good thing - even the answer to all of our country's woes - let me give you a little warning. The rest of us will not put up with this B.S. much longer.
When the incentive is to work less, pay fewer taxes, and have more, then that is the result more and more people will aim for. Eventually, the lazy cheaters will outnumber the working taxpayers, and then who will pay the bills? To quote Margaret Thatcher, “The trouble with Socialism is that you eventually run out of other people’s money.” That time is soon coming, leeches.
No comments:
Post a Comment