Let's Look at the Peters and Pauls

I never expected to write about the candidates for the presidential race. It's not exactly local news, but after hearing the Democratic candidates' debate on CNN two weeks ago, I've been annoyed by how out of touch they are with reality.

Listening to the Democratic presidential candidates, you would think the U.S. economy is in the tank, people are dying in the streets from lack of health care, we have no middle class — just haves and have-nots — and only the government can fix the inequities of society.

Of course, the only way the Democrats know how to fix these inequities is to take from Peter and give to Paul. Peter won't like it, but you will always get Paul's vote, and there are a lot more Pauls than Peters. They always try to put Peter in the worst light by making him or her a sleazy executive from some Enron-type company that gets rich stealing money from poor widows.

The reality is that the Peters (or Patricias) are the most productive citizens. I am sure there are some Peters who are lazy rich kids living off of grandpa's hard work, but for the most part, the ones I know are not. The vast majority are self-made, very hardworking and honest to a fault. They work a lot more hours than most Pauls, and they are very disciplined. They understand the concept of delayed gratification and are willing to wait for things if it will help them in the long run.

At the risk of sounding politically incorrect, let's talk about Paul (or Paula). Before I go any further, let's take off the table the Pauls who have real physical or mental disabilities and children who through no fault of their own are being raised by Paul. In that case, Peter has been more then generous in giving to Paul. In fact, Americans give the disadvantaged around the world more money per capita than any other country on earth — and, by the way, "red" county Peters give more than "blue" county Peters.

Statistically speaking, Paul has children earlier in life than Peter and is more likely to raise those children alone without a spouse. In fact, the vast majority of poverty in this country plagues children born without a father in the home. But just like Europe before us, the left wants to make fathers unnecessary and have the government fill that role. I just don't know how the government can discipline a 13-year-old boy without a father around. Sure it's been done, but I wouldn't want those odds in Vegas. The only way government knows how to discipline is with juvenile hall — not exactly the most compassionate way to raise a child.

If the left took all the money they wanted from Peter, they could never solve Paul's problems. Paul can only change his situation by becoming Peter.

What we should be teaching in this country is how to be a Peter and not a Paul, how to get ahead in life by working hard and being honest.

I never heard any of the candidates talk about relying on self-sufficiency or self-discipline to get ahead, only how the government could solve their plight.

These ideas may not sound compassionate. But whether people like it or not, the truth is the truth no matter how you spin it.

The ideas may sound old-fashioned, but they come from a time when we had more Peters than Pauls.