NoSmoke wrote:Northern Maine wrote:So...ALL government workers are parasites?
In a word...YES! The problem is, the word parasite has a negative aspect to it that is not always accurate.
Yes all government workers are parasites, because a parasite gets its sustenance from another host by definition.
A great example of this is an engine. It has several parasitic loads placed upon it, the primary being the water pump. In order for the engine to work, it must have a water pump to push water through the block and radiator in order to cool it. It gets its power from the engine, but the engine would not run long if it was allowed to get too hot and seize up. The same thing applies with governor controls and alternators...they are needed to keep the engine running, or get it running. But then again, air conditioners, and power steering pumps are not really needed; they are their for the convenience of the operator...to keep the occupant of the car comfortable, and the car easier to control.
It is the exact same way with a governmental employee...they are parasitic loads on society, but that does not mean they are unneeded. There are things I just cannot do for economically for myself, and that is where government comes into play. For instance, it is uneconomical for me, a single commuter, to have a pickup and plow the snow the 87 miles one way from my house to my job so that I can be safe on the roads; it is much more economical for me to have the Maine Dept of Transportation do so for me and all my neighbors. It is economy of scale kind of thing, not a feasibility kind of thing.
So in that example the MDOT Plow Operator is a parasite still...because he feeds off Maine Taxpayers, but it is easy to see that he (or a contracted company) does the work for society to increase the efficiency of scale. The problem is, today there are many more parasitic loads on society then are what is really needed. I believe...a strong conservative...is that many of things a liberal and social society feels are NEEDS are actually wants. I have a 6 year old daughter who has learned to form all her Christmas Present Wish Lists as NEEDS. She is acting like a spoiled child, and compared to much of the world who gets their subsistence on less than $2 per day, we American's are spoiled and we are increasingly calling wants...needs.
An example is the giving of cell phones to welfare recipients calling it a NEED. I am a welder/farmer and while I commute 87 miles one way to work and have all kinds of reasons to justify having a cell phone, I do NOT have one and get by just fine. (big shock I know).
As Americans' we need to prioritize in a big way!As for me; I am a parasite in two ways. The first is that I build US Navy Ships which makes me a parasite on society because all my income is derived from federal taxpayers, just as yours comes from Maine Taxpayers.
The real question is: are the services we provide as parasites to society worthwhile or not? That is the true question. As for the other aspect of being a parasite; it is because I am a Christian and almost daily...despite knowing otherwise...I do what I want and not do what God commands me to do, and for that I am a huge parasite, just saved by God's Mercy and Grace. In my opinion, that makes me the biggest parasite of all...clinging to God for rescue.
In fact, so much so, that I now see that we are all parasites!
