The Forgotten Man and Election 2008

America met Joe the Plumber last week. But a pro-market economist writing over a hundred years ago was already familiar with Joe Wurzelbacher and Americans like him -- and understood how they are used and exploited by politicians.

"They are always under the dominion of the superstition of government, and forgetting that a government produces nothing at all, they leave out of sight the first fact to be remembered in all social discussion -- that the state cannot get a cent for any man without taking it from some other man, and this latter must be a man who has produced and saved it. This latter is the Forgotten Man."

These are the words of William Graham Sumner, brilliantly analyzed and applied to 21st century America by Amity Schlaes in her recent book, The Forgotten Man. Sumner wrote of the Forgotten Man: "He works, he votes, generally he prays -- but he always pays -- yes, above all, he pays."

Joe the Plumber has struck a chord in the closing weeks of this election because he represents the Forgotten Man. When he confronted Sen. Barack Obama on the campaign trail with the question of what would happen to his taxes under an Obama Administration should he realize his dream of owning his own business, Joe cast the decision that faces us in this election in stark relief:

Which will be better for our economy: Politicians redistributing our wealth or growing more wealth?And Sen. Obama gave us an equally stark answer: Under his leadership, America will focus on "spreading around" the Forgotten Man's wealth, not encouraging him to create more of it.

In a One Party Washington, There Will be Nothing Standing In the Way of Redistributionist Policies

Joe the Plumber has struck a chord because he reminds us (and should remind politicians in Washington) that government, no matter how well intentioned, has to be paid for and that money comes from guys like Joe. Politicians can either bleed him dry to fund their programs, or they can encourage Americans to create more jobs and more wealth -- and keep government limited and effective.

But in a one-party Washington, completely controlled by Harry Reid with a veto-proof Democratic majority in the Senate, Nancy Pelosi with an expanded Democratic majority in the House, and Barack Obama in the White House, the liberal politicians' impulse to take your money and use it as they see fit will be unrestrained and unrestrainable.

In such a Washington there will be no one to remove (as House Republicans did) the ACORN slush fund inserted into the Paulson bailout plan that would have diverted 20 percent of the proceeds from the sale of government-bought securities to radical leftwing groups like ACORN.

In such a Washington, there will be no filibuster threat in the Senate to stop legislation passed in the House that will take away Americans workers' right to a secret ballot.

In such a Washington, there will be no one standing in between the American people and liberal plans for higher income, capital gains and dividend taxes, the "harsh measures" House Speaker Pelosi has promised, and confiscatory taxes imposed through regulation by the federal bureaucracy.

By 84% to 13%, Americans Prefer Wealth Creation Over Redistribution

If Washington politicians bothered to ask, they would know that the American people are overwhelmingly opposed to redistributionist policies that limit wealth creation.

Last June, as a matter of fact, the Gallup Organization did ask the American people. Here's how they reported the results:

"When given a choice about how government should address the numerous economic difficulties facing today's consumer, Americans overwhelmingly -- by 84% to 13% -- prefer that the government focus on improving overall economic conditions and the jobs situation in the United States as opposed to taking steps to distribute wealth more evenly among Americans."

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