Free Candy Sounds Good!

The burden of being a political junkie and a Millennial is that you will, undoubtedly, have at least one friend who believes Bernie Sanders is everything right for America. But you will find that these same people cannot stand Donald Trump (who can blame them?). This is interesting because, in many ways, Trump and Sanders are trying the exact same tactic to get voters, they just present it in a different package. Admittedly, the Sanders package is a hell of a lot more enticing.

As with nearly every election cycle since the beginning of Democracy, Candidates are essentially running on the idea of who can give out the most free candy. Republicans, who often pride themselves on being small government and anti-entitlement are just as guilty of this as the Democrats who have no shame about buying votes with free shit. But, this election cycle the big 'stories' seem to be Trump and Sanders appeal. Most Trump Supporters, I find, to think he's going to stop 'business as usual' and overhaul the 'crony capitalist' system because he knows how it works. That is, of course, ridiculous, but it parrots exactly the same mentality that leads people to Bernie Sanders. Granted, Sanders motives are very likely more pure than Trump's, neither of them has a cogent or reasonable plan to actually stop the Government from getting into bed with Corporations. In fact, both of them would probably make the problem exceedingly worse with more Big Government regulation.

In a proposed election cycle where we were faced with the very real possibility of another 'Bush v Clinton', same old tired politics, I expected a rebellious vote. I had hoped, though, that people would focus their attention on candidates that want to maximize freedom and minimize Government's intrusive hand into our lives. They have chosen the opposite. More of the same, just on steroids. It really does make one wonder what the actual fuck is wrong with the American voter. When polled, most Americans hate the direction of the country. They hate the tax rates, the size and scope of the government, the wars, the over extension of funds to other countries, the fact that more and more people are underemployed, and that there seems to be no way to get out from under the broad shadow of government influence. And their reaction is to support candidates that want MORE government intervention, regulation, taxation, influence and international hostility.

The same people who cannot stand the inefficiency of the DMV, Post Office, VA, Medicaid, etc are running to candidates who support SOCIALIZED Healthcare.

The same people who hate Crony Capitalism are supporting candidates who want to extend regulations what will be overseen by the very people who created Crony Capitalism.

The same people who hate paying taxes are voting for candidates who's spending plans include increasing taxes, but those tax increases cannot possibly be limited to the rich because: math.

The same people who don't want war are supporting candidates who would likely escalate tensions over the next four years.

The same people who are sick of government overreach, still want candidates who tell them they will fix all of their personal problems as if it is the role of the government to help you though your life, and by extension, the role of the tax payer.

And then you have even more audacious plans. Bernie Sanders supports all manner of FEDERALLY SUPPORTED freebies and entitlement expansions (apparently he doesn't understand how money or the constitution works) and people are lapping it up.

Why? The key is in the word Free. Regardless of any meager studies of economics, the voters of the United States of America still don't  to understand that there is no such thing as a 'free lunch'. They are myopic. They look at socialized medicine by their own personal experience rather than the bigger picture. They see: I can go to the hospital and not have to pay. But you do pay. You pay in taxes. You pay in less innovation, older technology, longer wait time, sitting on lists, and being at the mercy of a bureaucrat rather than simply your doctor. And with something as important as your health, is that really where you want to pay? The reason single payer healthcare keeps popping up is because the best way to fix the system is complicated, complex, and takes many moving parts. It allows us to keep our SUPERIOR private system AND allow for access to those who struggle to get insurance. And that takes time. It takes thought. It takes reading through pages of boring legalese. Doesn't it feel so much better to just say, "I want free healthcare!"

Because Free Candy sounds good. It's why basically every Candidate from Trump to Bush to Cruz to Clinton to Sanders are all campaigning on Free Candy. Either it's: 'We will build a border to keep those dirty Mexicans out!' thereby 'protecting' people's 'entitled' jobs, or 'We will pay down the debt by taxes on production never by taxing the middle class', or 'we can have paid maternity leave without any disruption to women's employment or increase in tax (except the evil rich)', or 'Americans are entitled to be taken care of from birth to death'...it's all free candy to the voter. And if the voter really believes the 'free' candy is sustainable by taxing only the top 1%, what should they care how horribly it infringes on property rights, liberty, or basic common sense?

But what happens when that 1%, taxed to its limit stops producing? What happens when they stop hiring? The entitlements become even more overreaching and who do you think pays? Do you think it's the wealthy who can afford to flee for more hospitable economic situations? Or do you think maybe, just maybe, it could be YOU paying for those entitlements as YOU struggle to make ends meet yourself? Free candy isn't free. And it is temporary. It's a populist calling card for campaigns, no different than the Student Council candidate telling the school he will provide cheese pizza every day in the Cafeteria when all he really wants is something to pad his College Application.