An illustration of macro-economics

Picture a small, round swimming pool. The ware is about 4 feet high and the people in it range in height from 5 foot to well over 6 feet. Someone complains that it’s not fair that the water level is different for different people. It’s suggested that the short people find a big brick to stand on, but that precludes them from moving around much, and would also pose a safety risk as others may stumble on the bricks as well as the damage it may do to the bottom of the pool.

Finally a scheme is devised where the taller people move in unison around the outer edge which swirls the water, making it deeper on the edges and shallow in the middle. The short people can stand in the middle in chest deep water, while the tall people are on the outside, also in chest deep water.

But while the short people can now enjoy the water in the middle, the tall people must continue to work to maintain the momentum of the swirling water. One by one the tall people abandon the project, squat down and join the short people in the middle until there’s one lone tall person on the edge, whose efforts fail to make generate enough currant to maintain the proper water levels. He eventually gives up and joins the rest in the middle.

That is a very good illustration of the socialist's attempt to bring about economic “equality”.

Some problems with this illustration is that while the people cannot change their height, in an economy, most individuals can change their income. The rich are almost always rich because they worked hard at it. Then they are treated as villains because others have less.

Posted by Danny Carlton at October 20, 2009 7:15 AM