We've all heard the story of Robin Hood. He's the guy who lived with his merry men in Sherwood Forest and generally made life miserable for the evil Sheriff of Nottingham. His credo was to 'steal from the rich and give to the poor.'
There is no question this is the political model for many of our representatives today. Every kind of tax policy and regulation they have enacted in recent months shows their contempt for our rich and the desire to make them poor; along with everyone else - except government employees.
But should this be the correct model? Is there a better one? Of course there is. Steal from no one. Let them keep their money and use it as they see fit. If they want to give some to the less fortunate, fine! This is a simplistic idea and to the left-leaning crowd does not deserve merit. They would say the free market capitalists are insensitive to the needs of others. I disagree. I am going to compare our present model with one that is more effective and has been around for more than 3,000 years.
We'll start with Robin Hood. The best illustration I have seen of his method is this: I and a friend are walking down the street. A guy comes up and asks my friend for some money. He reaches into his pocket and gives him a $10 bill. That is benevolence, or charity.
If we modify that scenario a little the error is seen. Suppose the same thing happens, except my friend reaches into my pocket, pulls out one of my $10 bills to give to the man. That is stealing. It would be even worse if I objected to my friend pawing at my wallet and he pulled out a gun and took my money by force. I may reconsider believing him to be a friend. But wait! Doesn't he have a good motive? It really doesn't matter, does it? His motive has become suspect because of his actions.
This is a case of 'the end justifies the means.' If that were true why should not everyone steal as much as possible? The end result is evil and anarchy. Let's take a closer look at Robin Hood. A good friend recently reminded me that he was not stealing in order to give to the poor. He was stealing. Period. Giving to the poor is a ruse he uses to make people think he is somehow on their side. It is a smoke screen for his criminal activity. Further, the ones he gives to become dependent on his false benevolence and he has to keep stealing in order to maintain the ruse. This encourages his merry men to do the same and so the environment for criminal activity permeates all. They will rationalize their wrong doing in several ways. For instance they might say, "Well, the rich are greedy!" "They have an abundance so what I take is small potatoes to them." "Their insurance will pay for it." and so on.
Solomon said this about such people in Proverbs 6:30-31: "Men do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy his hunger when he is starving. Yet if he is caught, he must pay sevenfold, though it costs him all the wealth of his house." While Robin Hood may cut a dashing figure in mythology and movies for our entertainment, at bottom he was not noble at all. He was a petty thief with delusions of grandeur.
Now let's take a look at a better model. Leviticus 19 says: "...When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very corners of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. Nor shall you glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard: you shall leave them for the needy and for the stranger...." (9,10) At first glance some would say this is the same thing as Robin Hood, isn't it? Not even. There are a couple of significant differences. Notice there is no penalty meted on non-participants. No one takes the fruit of their labor by force. This is a voluntary service performed on behalf of the poor. Also, the actual work is done by those in need. If they want to eat they go out into the fields in the same way the owners had to. Nothing is simply given to them. They do not necessarily become dependent. They do not have to commit a crime in order to eat. At the same time skills are being learned. A good view of the rich is maintained. With this model everybody wins. And who administrates this? No one. It is done at the personal level.
For many years our legislators have been stealing from us under the smoke screen of "Helping the ______(Insert designation here)". They are not actually interested in helping. The real purpose is to create dependency. On them. That way they can continue in power. The fact is this hinders our economic opportunities and serves to create tension between honest hard working individuals and a government with dubious intent. In order for the ruse to continue the government must steal more and more lest it run out of money and their dependents rebel.
The day of reckoning is here. The schemes they have proposed have done little to help and they have bankrupted our country. It's time for a big change. We have the opportunity to un-elect a number of delusional thieves and replace them with rational leaders who believe in the limited role of government and the rule of law. The time is now.
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