Mr. Worker and Mr. Nasty

     Mr. Worker is capable and ambitious.  He goes to work
every day.  Because Mr. Worker produces so much for his
employer, his employer pays him substantial wages.

     Mr. Nasty, Mr. Worker's neighbor, doesn't have a job. 
He produces nothing.  On payday Mr. Nasty follows Mr. Worker
to the bank.  Nasty demands 40 percent of Worker's pay.  Nasty
threatens to hurt Worker if he doesn't pay up.

     Mr. Nasty has another bad habit.  Every morning he
locks Worker in the basement for three hours.  Worker is always
late for work.  Worker would produce and earn more if he didn't
spend those hours locked in the basement.

     Why doesn't Nasty let Worker go to work?  Nasty could
take more pay from Worker if Nasty let Worker produce more. 
Is Nasty just plain dumb?

     Nasty is trying to increase his own satisfaction.  He does
it at the expense of Worker.  What does Nasty find satisfying? 
Nasty gains great satisfaction from dominating and controlling
Worker.  Mr. Nasty gains more satisfaction from dominating
Worker than he would from taking more money from him. 
Also, Nasty mistakenly believes that those hours spent locked in
the basement will make Worker more productive.

     Why does Worker put up with the abuse by Nasty? 
Worker actually believes Nasty's claim that the time locked in
the basement makes Worker more productive.  Worker doesn't
like being locked in the basement.  He puts up with it because
he believes the clever Mr. Nasty is doing it for Worker's good.

     Also, Worker never had the things he didn't produce
while locked in the basement.  A starving individual will greatly
miss a sandwich snatched from his mouth.  If the sandwich
never existed, he won't miss it as much.  He will still be just as
hungry.  He won't blame the person who denied him the
sandwich when he doesn't even realize that person was
responsible.

     It never occurred to Worker that there was anything
wrong about Nasty taking part of Worker's pay.  After all, Nasty
had always taken it.  Besides that, Nasty takes 40 percent from
everyone else in the neighborhood.  Mr. Worker grew up
watching Mr. Nasty's father take earnings from Worker's father. 
Thus, it always has been.  Thus, it must ever be.

     Mr. Worker never found the magic word --Why?  "Why"
is the beginning of all change.  For people who never ask
"Why?" nothing changes other than by accident.  Why must we
get by with light from candles?  Why must we travel by
horseback?  Why aren't there better ways?  Why must we do
seemingly pointless things that we have always done?

     Of course, Mr. Worker represents the hard working,
productive taxpayers of our nation.  Mr. Nasty is government. 
Some people may not recall being locked in their basement for
three hours a day.   Others do recall being locked up some place
for much longer.

     Government laws, and regulations interfere with
productivity just as much as would locking workers in the
basement for a few hours every day.  Those who don't see what
is happening don't mind.  They even buy the government claims
that they are better off because they are locked in the basement.

     Those hours in the basement grow longer with every
session of Congress and the state legislatures.  How much longer
will the Mr. Workers of our nation be able to sustain us with
their productivity during the shrinking hours they are allowed
out of the basement?

     Of course, those hours in the basement that reduce
production also reduce tax revenue.  Like Mr. Nasty, some in
government actually believe they are making people better off. 
Others in government, also like Mr. Nasty, simply enjoy
dominating and ruling others.

     When will more people start asking, "Why should
workers have to tolerate long hours locked in the government
basement?"

                                 * * * * *
                                  * * * *
                                   * * *
                                    * *
                                     *
Copyright 2012
Albert D. McCallum
18440 29-1/2 Mile Road
Springport, Michigan 49284