Burlington High School
Burlington, Kansas
Teacher: Devra Parker
We All Want What We Cannot Have:
An Expansion to Question Number Two
By Synthia Somerhalder
12th Grade
It seems that dreams that are out of reach are the only dreams worth reaching for. In society, the populace strives for perfection and, in doing so, rituals which have become a long practice of manner and habit become mundane. These common customs may be just as important as more rare ones, but they are not held in such high regard.
How many citizens show up for the local county fair every summer? My guess would be around fifty percent. How many Americans show up at the polls on Election Day? Not as many as there should be. Very few people show up at parades any more. These seem like average occurrences, but the uproar that would follow if any of these events were to be cancelled would demonstrate how important they are. Sometimes, people don’t value items until they are taken away.
Perhaps the only way to get the community involved in improving society is by taking away the privileges that are endowed to them for a short period of time. I am not proposing to actually do this, but by threatening freedom, more passion will be thrown into mundane acts that are done.
Does anyone actually relish whenever he or she takes the trash out every morning? No, because this is a common activity. Who cares about something he or she does every day? No one does. However, when it comes to retrieving a special package from the mailbox, kids from all over spring joyously at the opportunity. If taking out the trash was a rare event that included getting a surprise from the dumpster, I’m sure it would not be a chore.
Sometimes, it’s not just the rare events that entice the general public. Sometimes, it’s the perks that commonly come with the events. Take Independence Day, for example. If fireworks were not involved, this annual celebration would probably end up like Flag Day, a good day to take off of work, but not actually be celebrating. With the addition of fireworks, however, this holiday has become a humongous party, encompassing the entire country.
I will go back to my Flag Day example from before. Perhaps this day is celebrated too often, so it has lost its edge. If Flag Day were acknowledged only once in ever five years, it might become a more exciting event, like Leap Year. Maybe Flag Day just needs something that will make it an unforgettable day. In 1976, to mark the Bicentennial of our great country, the government issued quarters to commemorate that great year. The U.S. Mint should consider putting out quarters glorying Flag Day. I can see it now. Good old stars and stripes flying in the wind on the back of a 25 cent piece with the almost poetic date of January 22 emblazoned in sharp relief.
It makes my heart flutter. I never would have believed Flag Day would ever excite me, but by making it seem more special than it is, I am suddenly driven to research the origin of this celebration of flags.
I believe that the approach I have just taken to venerate a bland old holiday like Flag Day could easily be transferred to getting the communities around the country excited about average events. County fairs could be preceded by a week of spirit within the community. Businesses could have freebies, which would encourage everyone to get out and visit local shops and commercial workplaces. With all of these people getting out and seeing their friends, they are bound to make plans that involve meeting up at the demolition derby, the livestock shows, the 4-H booths, and the like.
All it takes sometimes is a small change for a large result. It would be difficult to actually get the community involved and excited in mundane activities. Perhaps, like I said before, the only way to get people to appreciate all that they have around them is by taking it away. If the garbage collector stopped coming and there was nowhere to take your trash, today’s youths would recall to their grandchildren in fifty years how exciting it was to be able to take their trash out and set it on the curb.
It’s true that what is wanted is not always what is gotten, and, generally, what is wanted is what cannot be gotten. If Flag Day or taking out the trash were treated more like a privilege than something commonplace, I believe that the general public would be more enthused to participate in these activities.
Answers To Questions Prompted By The Required
Reading
Welfare State on the Street Where You Live
(Tibor Machan)
Q1- Why does Machan
use "steal" in his statement: "Private property solves this problem, but was
abandoned a long time ago when taxes reached the point where we can steal our
way to being provided with all sorts of things we desire, never mind thinking
about paying for them or long-range budgeting."?
A1- Machan uses steal in his statement because, rather than working for what we want, we just take it.
Q2- Machan said: "For that which is common to the greatest number has the least care bestowed upon it." Give two examples of this from your personal experience.
A2- I am lucky to see all my friends every day. Because of this, I don’t value our everyday conversations. My boyfriend, on the other hand, lives in another town. Whenever I am able to see him, I try to make the best of the time I spend with him. I value and remember our conversations much more than those of my friends. Another example of valuing something because it’s rare is from my friends’ lives. They are given curfews, because their parents care about them and want them to be safe. Whenever they are allowed to stay out later, they are joyous and spend their time wisely. I, on the other hand, have no curfew. I can stay out as late as I like and, because of this, I don’t think it’s that big of a deal.
Q3- Do you agree with Machan that "...everybody is more inclined to neglect the duty which he expects another to fulfill; as in families many attendants are often less useful than a few."? Give an objective example of this.
A3- When I work with my classmates on a group project and we assign different roles, I depend on my teammates to do their jobs. I don’t worry about what they are supposed to do; I focus on myself.
Are We Going the Way of Rome? (Lawrence Reed)
Q4- State Kershner's First Law. Do you agree or disagree and why?
A4- Kershner’s First Law explains that any self-governing people who are given the ability to take from people and give to others will inevitably continue to take until there is nothing more to take. I do not agree with this, because I believe that those who govern for themselves would know when to stop.
Q5- What industry was the first to be taken over by government in both ancient Rome and the USA?
A5- The first industry to be taken over was transportation-shipping.
Q6- Is cheapened money the cause or the outcome of inflation? Explain.
A6- According to the article, the more cheaply made money has caused inflation. Because money was made with less or no silver, the government was able to produce more. Because there was more money in circulation, the value of it decreased.
Q7- How did the Edict of 301 affect Rome's economy?
A7- Diocletian imposed rules that regulated prices and wages, and if someone disobeyed the edict, they were punished by death. At market places, people began to stop bringing items to sell, because they knew that they would not get a good price for them. This slowed the economy, obviously, and the law was put aside.
Liberty and Individual Responsibility (Dwight R. Lee)
Q8- Lee claims that individuals could be "entirely independent of others" except for what? Explain.
A8- It’s very difficult for a society to survive if everyone were separated. Competition and cooperation are needed for goods to get to everyone. Scarcity is something that individuals cannot survive with. A society is made of different people with different responsibilities. The society, as a whole, needs these people to take on the different jobs for it to survive.
Q9- Describe the dilemma concerning rules as discussed by Lee.
A9- Rules are needed in a society. Without rule, chaos would reign.
Q10- Why is the concept of private property crucial to freedom?
A10- Private property enables everyday people to have a hand in their lives and the lives of the society by making decisions for themselves. It’s very liberating and freedom-possessing to be able to sell and buy objects because two parties agree to it.
Lawrence Reed's testimony before the U.S. Senate Budget Commtitee.
Q11- Argue both pro and con that in his testimony Lawrence Reed was advocating compassion and aid for the poor.
A11- Some people don’t have the capabilities to be as successful as others. It’s our duty to help the less fortunate until they are able to take care of themselves. However, if we show compassion, the poor may take advantage of it. Some of them are poor because of decisions they have made and they are the ones at fault. In this case, they should be left on their own to revel in their misgivings.
Q12- "If people are free, they will not earn equal incomes; conversely, show me a people who have equal incomes and I will show you a people who are not free." Explain in your own words Mr. Reed's meaning.
A12- This is basically explaining why it is that Communism does not work. Some people deserve more pay for what they do than others. If everyone got paid the same, then no one would want to be a doctor or a lawyer. Everyone would want to do a very easy job. Freedom involves fairness and it would be unfair for a surgeon to get paid the same as a ticket-taker at a movie theater.