Note! – If you haven’t read Part 1, then you should go here and read that first.
So, were you able to guess the small inaccuracy? Before I reveal it, though, what did you think of the story? Pretty predictable, wasn’t it? I mean, what country would ever let the number of people who pay no taxes swell to the point where they outnumber, and can therefore outvote, those who do pay taxes? The inevitable result would be, to risk redundancy, pretty predictable, wouldn’t it? In case you haven’t been counting, that’s five questions in a row and quite enough, don’t you think? Oops! That makes six. Anyway, the time has come to reveal my little deception.
Are you ready? Here goes:
This very true story is about the country in which you are now living, assuming, of course, that you are now living in the United States of America, but that’s not the deception. Remember, I told you that the name had been changed. You should now, however, be able to recognize the deception, which is that the story has not yet ended, although I fear that we may be very close.
The part of the story relating how the settlers nearly starved to death and how they recognized and fixed the problem is from William Bradford’s history of the Plymouth Bay Colony, or, as Bradford called it, the Plimoth Plantation. It actually happened. That’s what true means. Here’s a passage that shows how the colony was originally set up in a socialistic manner:
When the Plymouth Colony was established, we have this account of how they were organized:
“Their government is after the English form. The Governor has his Council, which is chosen every year by the entire community, by election or prolongation of term… The maize seed which they do not require for their own use is delivered over to the Governor, at three guilders the bushel, who in his turn send it in sloops to the north for the trade in skins among the savages; they reckon one bushel of maize against one pound of beaver’s skins; the profits are divided according to what each has contributed, and they are credited for the amount in the account of what each has to contribute yearly towards the reduction of his obligation. Then with the remainder they purchase what next they require, and which the Governor takes care to provide every year.” – Sidney V. James, Jr., editor, Three Visitors to Early Plymouth (Plymouth, Mass. : Plimoth Plantation, 1963), p. 76-78.
(above from http://sillielizziesrock.blogspot.com/2009/09/socialism-is-attack-on-protestant-work.html
And here is a passage in Bradford’s own words about how they fixed the problem:
“And so assigned to every family a parcel of land, according to the proportion of their number, for that end, only for present use (but made no division for inheritance) and ranged all boys and youth under some family. This had very good success, for it made all hands very industrious, so as much more corn was planted than otherwise would have been by any means the Governor or any other could use, and saved him a great deal of trouble, and gave far better content. The women now went willingly into the field, and took their little ones with them to set corn; which before would allege weakness and inability; whom to have compelled would have been thought great tyranny and oppression.” — William Bradford, Of Plymouth Plantation 1620-1647, ed. Samuel Eliot Morison (New York : Knopf, 1991), p. 120.
(above from http://sillielizziesrock.blogspot.com/2009/09/socialism-is-attack-on-protestant-work.html)
Now, what about the part where the tax-getters begin to outnumber the tax-payers? That couldn’t happen in America, could it? I mean, we have a few freeloaders but not nearly that many, right? There aren’t nearly enough of them to alter the course of history, are there? Are there?
Jere Moore has been blogging about political matters since 2008. His posts include commentary about current news items, conservative opinion pieces, satirical articles, stories that illustrate conservative principles, and posts about history, rights, and economics.