A Simple Story...Would You Keep Studying for The "A"

I was emailed a simple story in light of the "class warfare" speeches and rhetoric that have replaced any real consensus building in Washington these days. By the way, our great country was set up to be divisive so don't tell me that today our country is more polarized than ever. A clear example is The Civil War....Lincoln was assassinated! Bill Clinton worked with Newt Gingrich to balance the budget....and Ronald Reagan and "Tip" O'Neill worked together to end the "Cold War" with the Soviet Union in the 80's and spurred the biggest economic Boom since the Industrial Revolution. There are no historic speeches these days. The dominant theme again and again in every speech is to take more from the "millionaires and billionaires". This theme is disingenuous...it is diabolical. If we tax the "millionaires and billionaires" 100% of their earnings it barely puts a dent in our $15 Trillion debt. Read my last sentence again. I have yet to hear anyone dispute that. So for the last year we have heard speech after speech after speech calling for the "millionaires and billionaires" to "pay their fair share". If that is clearly not solution....even if it was possible to take all the rich people's earnings.....how can any responsible leader keep beating that same drum? Where is the leadership? Of course we have to raise taxes on everyone because WE SPENT TOO MUCH! But we also have to CUT spending across the board....everything...yes even defense! 

Anyway, the simple story involves a college Economics professor who had never failed a student before but recently failed an entire class. That class had insisted that if president Obama had his way and "the rich" paid their fair share then no one would be rich and no one would be poor. He challenged the class to an experiment to which most of the class happily agreed.....everyone would get the grade which would be the average of the class....the theory being that there would be no A+'s nor F's. This would substitute grades for dollars...something closer to home for the students and easily understood. After the first test everybody got a "B". The students who studied very hard were upset...but the students who studied little were thrilled. The second test average was a "D". No one was happy. The third test everyone received an "F". As more tests came along the grades did not rise higher than an "F" but there was bickering and name calling and blame going on because no one would study hard for the benefit of the other. To the students great surprise, everyone FAILED. When there is great reward, many people work hard. If the reward is taken away, it is only human nature to slack off. It could not be any simpler than that! Read history and look what happened to the Romans....although it took 900 years. Look at what is going on in Greece, Italy, and the rest of Europe. That's the United States by 2020 unless we elect a President who will show some LEADERSHIP. You cannot legislate citizens into prosperity by taking away prosperity from the rich. What one group receives without working for, another group works for without receiving. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it. It's all about human nature and if you have lived for about 40 years or so you should "get it".