The State of the State Knowing Best

Like I always do, no matter who’s in office, I tuned to the President’s State of the Union address last night. I love the event and look forward to it. The SOTU is one of the President’s most important speeches, and I listen carefully to what he says because his words aren’t chosen lightly. The speech is written, re-written, scrutinized and re-written again until it has the right effect — and when President Obama told the story of Florida businessman Leonard Abess who retired after making millions and then proceeded to hand out most of a $60 million bonus to co-workers, even those long since retired — I knew this was unlike any SOTU that had come before and that President Obama and his team are likely to be looking for work in 4 years.

Here’s the exact quote:

I think about Leonard Abess, the bank president from Miami who reportedly cashed out of his company, took a $60 million bonus, and gave it out to all 399 people who worked for him, plus another 72 who used to work for him. He didn’t tell anyone, but when the local newspaper found out, he simply said, ”I knew some of these people since I was 7 years old. I didn’t feel right getting the money myself.”

Never mind that Mr. Abess didn’t need government prodding to initiate his generosity or the fact that he was able to make all that money over a career dominated by conservative economic policies, what the President was really saying is that the government wants to emulate this generosity with your tax dollars. A clear call to socialism that shouldn’t be taken lightly. So far this administration has repeatedly made political passive-aggressive statements against capitalism like this, and it’s not going unnoticed by the silent majority.

Another part of the speech that stuck out was the President telling those American’s who annually make $250K or less, that they will not see a tax increase. I envisioned millions of couples turning to one another, “It’s a good thing you didn’t get that big promotion hon.” “Don’t worry babe I’ll make just enough to keep us under the magic number.” The way President Obama said “quarter of a million dollars” sure made it sound like a lot of money, but in reality it’s not and this is an incentive is to not make money.

The message is clear: The State knows how much money is enough and is better at giving it away than you are. And this is the difference between American Socialists and the center-right. We are the most generous people on the planet and give more to charities worldwide than any other country. We have never needed government intervention in the charity department before, so why start now?

Here’s what I think is really going on, all summed up in a brilliant quote from Gilbert Keith Chesterton: “Once abolish the God, and the government becomes the God.”

Indeed.