photo #9306580

Every generation gets the same sales pitch. Socialism shows up with bright lights and a friendly slogan, and it always starts the same way. The rich will pay for it. Everything will be free. Just put your money in and watch the miracles come out.This cartoon captures the moment reality hits.The young man is confused because he was told everything was free. The older man has been feeding the machine for years, and all it ever dispenses is a receipt full of promises. Free healthcare, coming soon. Free college, any day now. Free housing, just one more election away.Here is the part the salesmen never mention. The rich do not pay for it. Everybody pays for it. The waitress pays. The truck driver pays. The small business owner pays twice. The money goes in from every wallet in the country, and the promises come out on a paper ribbon that is not worth the ink.The Founders understood this. They built a system around earned success, property rights, and limited government because they knew human nature does not change. When politicians control the vending machine, the politicians eat first. That has been true in every country that tried it, without a single exception.Free markets are not perfect, but they run on a simple honest deal. You give something of value, you get something of value. Socialism runs on a different deal. You give something of value, and you get a promise that the next guy will be the one who finally collects.Nobody ever collects.The good news is that Americans have seen this machine before, and we know where the real prosperity comes from. It comes from free people making free choices, keeping what they earn, and building something that lasts.That is a machine that actually works.