Burlington High
School
Burlington, Kansas
Teacher: Devra Parker
Thinking of Others
before Myself
By Tawny
Decker
12th grade
Selfless acts of kindness are far too rare. I am a high school student and I see people that need my help all the time. Rather than going to their aid I think of what I might need to do first, if I have time, I’ll get to them. The only problem with this is that I’m not the only person who feels this way. The world is full of people that are waiting for that opportune moment when they have no other obligations so that they can help someone else. However some people aren’t willing to drop any task to assist another person. Their own lives are too important for giving a helping hand, especially when it comes to losing money. Any hard working American will tell you that there are certain times when they just don’t want to do something because of what it costs. Movie stars and television personalities shell out millions of dollars every year giving the image that they help the needy. The only problem with this is, the people that need the assistance will never see any of that money. At least not here in the United States. Why is it that we are always providing for the starving children in Africa, or the victims of rape or abandoned children in other countries? There are starving kids right here in our country. We are so quick to help sufferers everywhere but in our own back yard. To most people it gives a sense of reward to say that they gave money to the ABC fund for abandoned babies in Africa. Does anyone stop to think that we have plenty of deserted children that could be helped here in America? I am not saying that we shouldn’t help other countries, but we are helping them so much that we forget about the people that are right here at home that also need help.
We are a country full of people that live on welfare. Citizens expect others to take care of their existence. I know a good amount of people that depend on state money to create a life for themselves. The mindset of “It’s not my problem” prompts some Americans to do absolutely nothing. I never thought this was true until I became old enough that my parents made me buy things for myself. I, like many other teenagers, was a compulsive buyer. I saw something and I wanted it, so I would buy it. This became harder as I got older because I couldn’t depend on my parents anymore to buy me the trinkets and food that my heart so longed for. Tibor Machan says that “We steal our way into being provided with all sorts of things we desire, never mind thinking about paying for them or long range budgeting.”
The people of our country who work to support these welfare states are like some sort of a backwards Robin Hood tale. The rich are becoming poor by running themselves ragged with work, as the poor get rich doing nothing. Machan was correct in my mind because people in the American society do “steal” from others. Like a shadow in the night, livelihood that some have worked their entire lifetime for was pulled right out from underneath them. I never understood the commercials about old people not being able to retire, and some having to go back to work because their “golden years” had been stolen. Machan also says “That which is common to the greatest number had the least care bestowed upon it.’’
Many people in our country have the philosophy that if something is not broken do not waste time and money to fix it. My school is extremely beautiful. Not many schools around our county look as good. One part of it that receives an immense amount of use is the auditorium. The seats and light systems are in various states of disrepair. There are no restrooms back stage so if you are an actor or actress in the play, you must go to the bathroom before the play begins or run out into the hallway and through the cafeteria to the nearest bathroom and risk missing a cue to be on stage. Nevertheless, last year our track, that is only used about two seasons out of the year, was completely resurfaced. It was 330,000 dollars! The track didn’t need to be fixed, it was in fact one of the best looking in the county. Instead of repairing and maybe even renovating the theatre, the school paid more money to fix something that was definitely not broken.
It makes me understand now that I’m not the only one in the world who hasn’t taken time to stop and care about someone else. I have touched a couple lives, but not near as many as I should. The world is full of people in need and as a individual who values the freedoms that I have, I am now more inclined to think of others before myself.
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."?
He uses the word “steal” not to mean taking something that doesn’t belong to us, but steal as in to stalk. Machan portrays the American people as dark shadows that find the things they want by trickery. There is no limit to the extravagance of the people in America. They want our problems to be solved and money seems to be the only answer.
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.
My school is very nice. But one part of it that receives the most use is the theater. Last year, instead of fixing up the theater that is used year round, they put in a brand new track, which is only used during two seasons.
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.
Yes. In every group of people there is always someone who expects another to do their work. This brings into question the selfishness of that person. Their rights and concerns are before anything else. Rather than bring themselves into problems they can always find someone else to blame for their problems.
Are
We Going the Way of Rome?
(Lawrence Reed)
Q4- State Kershner's
First Law. Do you agree or disagree and why?
When a self governing people confer upon their government the power to take from some and give to others, the process will not stop until the last bone of the last taxpayer is picked bare.
I do agree. The whole thing is like Robin Hood, taking from the rich and giving to the poor. However the Roman government was taking so much from the rich that they soon became the poor people of the society.
Q5- What industry was the first to be taken over by government in both ancient Rome and the USA?
The country started out as a basically agricultural society and was made up of small farmers and shepherds. Large scale businesses took over and Italy soon became urbanized. People began immigrating, due to the prosperity and great opportunities Rome offered.
Q6- Is cheapened money the cause or the outcome of inflation? Explain.
It is the cause of inflation because there is more money being produced than being spent. It would be like if we made enough money to pay off the national debt. Inflation would be so high that something like a loaf of bread would cost one hundred dollars.
Q7- How did the Edict of 301 affect Rome's economy?
The Edict of 301 affected Rome’s economy because it was a system of comprehensive wage and price controls, to be enforced by a penalty of death. Many people died of stupid small accounts of money.
Liberty and Individual Responsibility
(Dwight R. Lee)
Q8- Lee claims that
individuals could be "entirely independent of others" except for what? Explain.
We could be entirely independent except for scarcity. Scarcity is what makes the United States what it is – a land full of opportunities if you work hard and compete for it. It also has to do with interacting with individuals involved in your life.
Q9- Describe the dilemma concerning rules as discussed by Lee.
It deals with the rule of force. The rule is not likely to help due to the fact that people don’t conduct themselves very well when forced to do anything. The brute strength and there would be no freedom. Only because there are people that are stronger than others, they would be leaders, the less stronger would never be free.
Q10- Why is the concept of private property crucial to freedom?
A person’s right to own property is one of their constitutional rights. The concept of private property is important because, having your own property you are free to do what you like with it. You are an individual and something that is your own gives you individual freedom.
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.
Lawrence Reed was advocating compassion and aid for the poor when he discussed principle one. He made the point that not every person should earn the same amount of money for the jobs they do. However this is what creates the poor because the people that do the job and get paid less, some never try to excel and earn more.
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.
Reed says that by forcing everyone to have the same opportunities you can take away a person’s ability to make their own decisions. Trying to make everybody equal takes away uniqueness and individuality. He is also saying that by making the opportunity the same for all, you will get the same result. People will not try to excel above what another person is doing, so that everyone will remain equal.