I enjoyed reading professor emeritus Steve Haycox’s editorial, “The problem of getting something for nothing,” which he said was inspired by a sermon he remembered, on the “evil” of getting something for nothing. (Perhaps the sermon referred to St. Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonians, in which he warned, “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.”)Prof. Haycox reminded us of the proper uses of money our government receives by imposing taxes on us, and called for personal responsibility of the individual citizen. It would appear that Prof. Haycox also believes that our government has the responsibility to use its tax income wisely, and can be trusted to do so.
I am looking forward to a Part 2 of his essay, which surely will speak to another “problem,” the Permanent Fund dividend, a program whereby people can move to Alaska and, after a short waiting period, literally “get something for nothing.” Surely, Prof. Haycox is not proposing that hardworking Alaskans must agree to have their money collected through taxes and redistributed by their government, while that government, at the same time, administers a program which gives everyone – including those who do not work — “something for nothing.” We’ll find out in Part 2.
— Bill Dennie Cook
Eagle River
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