What is “#IncomeInequality” and why are the Democrats “pushing it”?

Election 2014

The following was written by me on behalf of a candidate for Congress who sadly failed in his bid to represent his party. 

You know it's true: You and I aren't equally wealthy. We don't have the same income. We never have and never will. You probably earn more than me, or less. That's called “income inequality”. I'm not losing any sleep over it, are you? Not to put too fine a point on it, but there are people in America who earn more than you and I combined. You could probably combine the incomes of everyone in your community and still not equal their income. Does this upset you or do you wish you were that person? It seems to have upset the Democrats, or has it? Although they produce a myriad of propaganda pieces decrying income inequality, most of it has grown during their administration of government and implementation of progressive programs to redistribute wealth.

The fact is that the ability to succeed beyond our wildest imaginings has always stood as an incentive for Americans to strive to better themselves. People have come to America from all over the world to achieve the same dream. Unless you are an American Native, your ancestors were among them. The success of their casinos tells me that some of their incomes also are a lot more equal than mine.

Why didn't everyone just stay where they were? Well, here's another truism: Even the poorest of Americans earn more than almost everyone else in the world, certainly more than all but a few in undeveloped nations. However, let's talk about a well-developed nation, France. Today, France's citizens are fleeing their homeland. According to a recent survey, more than half of that nation's youth would leave if they could. Why? Because that nation's government is attempting to impose “income equality” on its citizens. The people have seen the results and they're voting with their feet and nations with significant French-speaking populations are wooing them. Canada's Quebec Province is among the leaders of this effort.

The fact is that income equality doesn't work and we don't have to go very far to see the proof. Look back in our own history to the arrival of the Pilgrims. Before setting foot ashore at Plymouth, Massachusetts, they signed a contract, the Mayflower Compact, establishing rules for their new community. Central to this agreement was a plan for common ownership of all property and the fruits of all labor. All crops and goods were stored in a common warehouse to be doled out equally to everyone. It was, in effect, absolute income equality, and the community failed.

You probably were taught that the Pilgrims were saved by the Native Americans whose land they stole. Sadly, I was taught the same. The truth is that a significant majority of the native peoples died of disease long before the Pilgrims arrived and the Pilgrims saved themselves by abandoning income equality. Once individuals were allowed to seek their own fortunes, they produced surpluses that they could trade with their neighbors for the things they needed. In other words, capitalism saved the Pilgrims.

In much the same manner we see populations all over the world enjoying the fruits of their own labors. Healthy populations of middle class citizens are growing in India and China, albeit in limited enclaves in those countries where capitalism is allowed. Meanwhile, the middle class is shrinking in developed nations where it once thrived, such as England and France with the advent of social democracy, and now in the United States under the aegis of progressivism. 

So, why are the Democrats pursuing a crusade against income inequality? It seems likely that it is nothing more than a smokescreen to obscure the failures of their most progressive programs such as Obamacare. Don't be fooled by it.