Motherbrain V: Free Lunch and Free Will
I was talking to my five-year-old daughter the other day, chiding her for making a mess on the floor with the bathwater. She insisted it was her duck that made the mess. I told her, "well, you're the momma, so you're responsible when Plucky makes a mess. You need to tell him not to do that." "But he WANT to." "But you can't let him." "Okay." This was said in a very resigned tone. "You're responsible for Plucky, and when he does something naughty, you're the one to get in trouble." "But HE do it." "Well, it's kind of like when you do something. Sometimes I get in trouble for it. It's really awesome to be grownup, but sometimes it's really hard."
Between that conversation and watching a current episode of "Trifecta" on PJTV about public labor unions and nanny state mentality, I got to thinking. My train of thought can be summarized in one small phrase. "If someone buys you a free lunch, you don't get to pick the menu." Even if someone takes you somewhere and offers you a list of food, he or she has still given you a limited number of choices. He took you to McDonald's instead of Bennigan's. They don't have Monte Cristo on the menu here. (For example). That's the trade-off, folks. If you decide you want someone else to pay for something, or do something for you, you do not get to choose the conditions of that situation, nor do you get to decide how long it's going to last. In fact, a lot of the decisions are taken out of your hands.
I think that's part of what makes America great. We believe in the idea that the common man has the choice and the ability to live on his own without interference. However, if we decide we want Momma Government to take care of everything, she'll decide where we go to eat, she'll decide when we can go to the potty, she'll decide our bedtimes. She'll take care of us, yes, but she'll do it in her way. That's the nature of the beast. The only problem with that scenario is that this Momma gets her resources from her kids. She takes food from the mouths of one set of kids to feed another set. And yes. Sometimes it's necessary. But with limits. With clear reasons. With the children keeping the most control of as much of their food as they possibly can. Because Momma may love you, but she isn't very efficient, and she's got notoriously bad eyesight. She notices the poor, the noisy and the naughty. If you're quiet and hard-working, she has a tendency to take advantage of you. I prefer a parent who wants me to grow, to mature, and to make my own decisions, thank you very much. I work very hard to instill these values in my children, and I want to be able to keep doing that.
Our family of four just skirts the edge of the poverty line, sometimes dipping below it when the numbers fluctuate. However, I really don't care. We eat well, we live decently, my children don't lack for a lot, and we're happy. It's not about getting ahead; it's about living the way we decide to without the interference of the fingers of an impersonal machine. We've had very rough times. I will admit that. However, I'd rather have rough times financially and depend on our strong arms and the even stronger arms of our Maker than depend on an entity that takes what little food I do have and decides to give it to my neighbor. I'm all for charity. But "charity" is a freely offered gift from the heart. It isn't a requirement or a long list of forms.
I love America, but I worry about where it's headed. To phrase a Victorian saying, "I want to continue to live in the manner to which I am accustomed." I want to be able to pray at church on Sunday morning, go to a restaurant on Sunday afternoon, maybe, and then wear my crazy gamer t-shirts on Monday morning without reprisal for either thing. I want to be able to teach my children to be smart, responsible, loving, respectful little people without having to say, "Well, this rule applies, except when dealing with those in governmental authority. Then, this other rule applies, because we really don't want to go to jail."
That, ladies and gentlemen, is why I am a Conservative.