Roy Exum
As Christmas Week begins, it dawns on me that everybody is out of school so this would be a great time to learn a lesson in economics. Don’t roll your eyes because not long ago an enterprising college professor, who had never failed a student before, flunked an entire class. What’s worse, it was the students’ idea.
According to a delightful tale being circulated on the Internet, it seems the professor was a bit perplexed when his students were insistent President Obama’s socialistic plan was a good one.
By using such strategy, the students reasoned, no one would be poor and no one would be rich, thus, a great equalizer.
The professor then said, "OK, we will have an experiment in this class on Obama's plan". All grades will be averaged and everyone will receive the same grade so no one will fail and no one will receive an A … (substituting grades for dollars - something closer to home and more readily understood by all).
After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B. The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy. As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied little.
The second test average was a D! No one was happy. When the third test rolled around, the average was an F.
As the tests proceeded, the scores never increased as bickering, blame and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else.
To their great surprise, all of the students failed the class and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great, but when
government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed.
It could not be any simpler than that.
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FIVE MORE FACTS – Here are five simple truths the same email contained:
1. You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity.
2. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving.
3. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else.
4. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it.
5. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that is the beginning of the end of any nation.
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THE GREEK DIVORCE -- A man and his wife were getting a divorce at a local court in Greece, but the custody of their children posed a problem. The mother jumped to her feet and protested to the judge that since she had brought the children into this world, she should retain custody of them.
The man also wanted custody of his children, so the judge asked for his side of the story.
After a long moment of silence, the man rose from his chair and replied: "Your Honor, when I put a coin into a vending machine, and a Coca-Cola comes out ... does the Coke belong to me or to the machine?"
According to the tale, the man won! (C’mon, that’s funny.)
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A CHRISTMAS STORY -- A couple was in a busy shopping center just before Christmas. The husband wandered off as she was standing in line, saying something about being back in a little bit. After getting through the line, the husband wasn't back yet and, since they still had more shopping to do, the wife called him on the cell phone. "Where are you?"
He said, "Do you remember the jewelers we went into about 10 years ago, and you fell in love with that diamond necklace? I couldn't afford it at the time, and I said that one day I would get it for you."
Tears started to flow down her cheeks and she got all choked up. "Yes, I do remember that shop", she replied.
"I'm in the bar next to it."
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VIDEO BONUS – I am not sure what language is being spoken in this foreign ad that the Coca-Cola Company produced but it doesn’t matter – there are subtitles. Add sensational actors, tremendous music and several tales woven into one and “A Bridge For Santa” is in the Top Five Best Christmas Videos I have ever seen in my life. Share it with your friends this week. CLICK HERE
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