Non-workers, unite!

A libertarian syndicated op-ed humorist, award-winning author and TV/radio commentator

"As individuals, people are inherently good. I have a somewhat more pessimistic view of people in groups. And I remain extremely concerned when I see what's happening to our country ..." – Steven Jobs, founder and CEO of Apple As the socialists gather in New York under the "Occupy Wall Street" banner, using iPhones, Facebook and Google to accomplish indiscernible goals, one thing is clear: all of the goods and services used by these ungrateful numbskulls to make their leech-like, lethargic lives easier are the products of "millionaires."

People who marched from a City Hall encampment protest outside a Wells Fargo bank Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2011, in Philadelphia. The demonstration at City Hall is one of many being held across the country recently in support of the ongoing Occupy Wall Street demonstration in New York.

MATT ROURKE, ASSOCIATED PRESS

ADVERTISEMENT As protestors order pizza with their dads' credit cards while spouting unenlightened gibberish about "greed," "fair share," and "equality," capitalism marches proudly on as the greatest provider of quality of daily life for billions of people. The usual suspects were protesting: college professors, dopey kids, unions and Hollywood libs. It must have been "Bring Your Child to Anarchy Day" because Susan Sarandon had her son, Tim Robbins, with her. The protestors' initial premise is flawed. Money is not made at the expense of others. It is made by delivering a product or service that others want and are willing to pay for (by their own choice) which enhances their lives. Did Steve Jobs at Apple create the iPhone, iPod, et. al. at the expense of those bearded protestors who didn't? Lost on the class-warfare crowd, which believes in an envy-based economy, is that you usually get what you pay for. It was money well spent by Apple to have Steven Jobs run the company. He created great wealth for others and increased the U.S.A.'s standing in the world. When he resigned, Apple's stock lost $15 billion in value. In less business-oriented terms, think of the value Coach Nick Saban created at the University of Alabama versus his $4 million salary (called "misplaced priorities" by many). Athletic program revenues have doubled and the Crimson Tide won the national championship. Even more economical was the national title Auburn got by spending only $100,000 on Cam Newton. Socialists want to take the money from the top 1 percent of earners, who already pay 39 percent of all income taxes. What, indeed, is their "fair share"? The 39 percent figure does not include the taxes these job creators pay at a corporate level with the companies they own. They also happen to pay for the police protection and garbage cleanup of the "Occupy Wall Street" mooching bums. If they want to protest, they should not occupy Wall Street; they should go torment "K" Street. The lobbyists and Washington are the problem, not the true free market. Which is more noble – a person like Steve Jobs, who makes a fortune while creating jobs, opportunity and standing for the United States, or the people who would, with pitchforks and the confiscatory power of government, take from the most productive part of society and give to the least productive? Should we reward the productive in society or the looters who want to take more from the creative, innovative, and visionary who make the United States of America the richest country in the world? What successful society or country is the example the protesters point to as the way they want the United States to be? Even our poor have iPhones – because capitalism made them affordable. What the "Occupy Wall Street" crowd wants is free food, healthcare and housing, which were once provided in the name of slavery and are now called prison. Steve Jobs was adopted; his parents could not afford to pay for college, so he dropped out. He took the opportunity that is/was America and made something great of which we can be proud. In looking at and listening to the protestors "occupying" New York, I see nothing that I am proud of except that simple-minded parasites like them still have the Constitutional right to prove to us all that they are idiots. I strongly protect their right to protest; it makes obvious to even the most casual observer how misplaced their values are and how they want to take from others' productivity to augment their own lack thereof. The protests, if properly covered by the media, are good to see. They represent the stark contrast between the unproductive leeches squatting in self-created squalor and the other 49 percent of hard-working Americans who pay the taxes so they can do so. Ron Hart, a libertarian syndicated op-ed humorist, award-winning author and TV/radio commentator can be reached at Ron@RonaldHart.com or visit www.RonaldHart.com