UP ONE SIDE, DOWN THE OTHER

How much of the differences in philosophy between left and right can be defined on the standard bell shaped curve. I am a firm believer in the fact that both left and right want the same things, we want the same results, it's in how to get those results that we differ. It's in where we stand on the Bell Curve.

Let's take a look at some of the major issues of the day:

Taxes. The left is much more willing to pay higher taxes for perceived government benefits. The right would just as soon primarily care for themselves and get the government out, or at least to the background, of the picture.

Enter the Laffer Curve. This classic economic model Bell Curve suggests that, as taxes increase from low levels, tax revenue collected by the government also increases (rising slope of the curve)-- up to a point. At that point (the top of the curve) additional taxes bring in less money to the government. Taxes at a certain higher rate would cause people not to work as hard, or not at all, thereby reducing tax revenue (descending slope of the curve). Eventually, if tax rates reached 100% (the far right of the curve), then all people would choose not to work because everything they earned would go to the government. This is the argument against forced economic distribution. So, politically we find the right on the left side of the curve, and the left on the right side (Still with me?).

Minimum wage. The more a thing costs, the less of it is bought is an economic fact . So the more labor costs, the less of it is bought. On the upside of the curve we have the low skilled, entry worker who is providing a service commensurate with his/her pay. There are jobs available on this side of the curve where the work provided equals the wages paid. (win/win for both worker and employer). As we top the curve the worker now begins receiving more money than he/she is worth to the organization. (win for worker, loss for employer). Since the more a thing costs the less is bought, less low skilled, entry worker labor is bought because the work is not worth the pay to the employer.

Immigration. The US brings in low/no skilled workers to do the jobs Americas will not do. For awhile the country can provide jobs and absorb benefits. (upside of the curve). When too many people come over the border, we begin our slide down the far side of the curve. We now have too many people looking for work in a country with unusually high unemployment and requiring financial outlay in a country with a $17 T debt.

Welfare. There is point on the curve where we are providing help to those who really need it, then we reach a point where we are providing help to those who just want it. A truly moral country will commit itself to caring for those of its citizens who truly cannot care for themselves. This financial assistance will provide the needy with what they need to get back on their feet, enhance their self-esteem and begin caring for themselves. Random across the board “help” brings us down the back slope of the curve, and we are providing the grease for entire generations of families to live forever on the backside of the curve.

I'm going to give our government the benefit of the doubt in believing they are trying to do the right thing, but there is a line where, when crossed, the right thing become the wrong thing. The left and right in this country are engaged in a monster tug-o-war, each side trying to pull the other over the line. What we should be doing is working together to find the “line,” the crest of the Bell Curve, that will maximize the benefits for us all, not just those with the money and/or votes.

We can only wish.....