Artist Statement: Many
Americans have a skewed view of the government’s role in the economy. The only two people who commented on my poster were my roommate and brother, and they both agreed with me. Here are my views.
I took a course on the
culture and history of Spanish America. It was fascinating to me to learn
about a number of different countries that all seemed to cycle through the same
history. Almost every country has implemented either in the past or at
the present time, socialistic or communistic policies in government and
finances. Those policies have failed time and time again. Even in
Cuba during the dictatorship of Fidel Castro, who was very particular in
remaining a Marxist, was reduced to bringing capitalism back in for short
periods of time to bring money back into their economy. In spite of this clear pattern, we are
heading down the path to repeat history yet again.
Evita Perón was born
into a lower class and rose to an upper class though her marriage to socialist Juan
Perón, who became the president of Argentina.
Evita did many good and great things for the lower class and women’s suffrage,
and some of those actions have had lasting effects. Many of the free things she gave to the lower
class and institutions she started failed because they were taking money from
the upper class to fund them and, contrary to common belief, the upper class does
not have an unlimited supply of funds.
In a youtube video, Lies, Propagand and the Election of 2012
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lzol3Vx2Io),
the narrator makes a valid point: Since
when is it the government’s job to provide jobs?
In Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations, he refers to “the
invisible hand”, that is the relationship between consumer and producer, that
would for the most part ensure that the economy is stable. He did mention that there would be times for
the government to step in and protect against unfair business dealings, but
those government actions were supposed to be the exception, not the norm.
Our current president
has promised to provide many things, essentially “free”. In the president’s very own American Jobs Act, it states:
5. FULLY PAID FOR AS PART OF THE PRESIDENT’S
LONG-TERM DEFICIT REDUCTION PLAN.
To ensure that the American Jobs Act is fully
paid for, the President will call on the Joint Committee to come up with
additional deficit reduction necessary to pay for the Act and still meet its
deficit target. The President will, in the coming days, release a detailed plan
that will show how we can do that while achieving the additional deficit
reduction necessary to meet the President’s broader goal of stabilizing our debt
as a share of the economy.”
When have I heard that
story before? People don’t like losing
funding, yet the money needs to come from somewhere. Do I smell a fire burning though America’s
wallet?
Robert Kiyosaki, author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad made an important observation. The public school system does a good job of
creating good employees. It does not do
a good job of creating good bosses or teaching how to create wealth and
creating profitable circumstances instead of being dependent to the financial
environment. If the government does have
a responsibility in the workforce, it is teaching us how to become financially
indipendant.
I am surprised when I talk to people
about wanting to obtain sources of residual or passive income and I get asked, “What
is that?” We have some work to do.
In the TED talk that we viewed,
Chimamanda Adichie said, “The problem with stereotypes is not that they are
untrue, they are incomplete. A single story creates stereotypes.” I am sharing a single story. Maybe if I were impoverished I would be
telling the evils of capitalism.
Is capitalism a perfect system? Of course not. It is the system that promotes the most
individual growth, freedom of choice and possibility to those who are willing
and able to learn the system we live in.
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