Robin Hood would be glad! And there is nothing wrong with it either. This post is just a spout of a whale, with lots of air inside.
There aren’t so many types of the economy as we have been led to believe. No, we are not in a Capitalistic economy, and no, Communism isn’t dead. And even a kid knows that there is nothing called Socialism anyway — never has been, never will be. Just a creation of our grey-area lovers who are paid to create something for the world to fight about.
Coming back to the topic, it has always been a mix of what we today call Capitalistic endeavours, and Communistic ideas. The world has always been taking from the haves and giving it to the have-nots. In doubt? Who pays the taxes? Yes, our business people find loopholes to avoid paying their due, but they do pay some part of it. And VAT, Luxury Tax, Sales Tax, Customs, Excise, and Entertainment Tax can’t be avoided anyway! And whether it is Jayalalitha giving out Televisions and Refrigerators, or Nitish Kumar (and more recently Mayawati) pleasing a massive vote bank by distributing lakhs of bicycles to school-going girls, who is bearing that cost? Obviously the government’s coffers need to be filled through some legal means — a.k.a. tax. This has been in place since time immemorial, and like I mentioned earlier, there is nothing wrong with it. Just a way to keep the equality in the society going. Else, which guy from Juhu Beach will gift a million televisions so the masses in Dharavi can watch soaps in the afternoon?
When Robin Hood did the same thing back then, he was banished to the forests of Sherwood, and though he still remains a hero to many, was called an Outlaw. When communists did this (albeit with a little more gusto than needed), they were shunned, and even shot! When the Church did the same, they were called names, and when America does that to fight wars in Afghanistan, they are saving the world!! Wow, talk about hypocrisy :)
Free health, Free education, Free ration, and yes, free electronic gadgets (including laptops now!) are being funded by the people who pay their taxes. That is the truth, and will remain so for eternity. And there really is no widening of the gulf between the rich and the poor — as more and more people get rich, the inflow into the government increases, and naturally the lifestyle of the so-called poor changes — it is all an equation, that’s all. No concept of rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. Of course, with Montek’s now-infamous 32/- a day concept, there are anyway no ‘poor’ people left in India. We’ve eradicated poverty with a single number — 32!
For Communism to survive, there need to be Capitalists. They are inter-dependant, and every economy in the world thrives in that grey area between the two. It is just word play to create more ‘intellectuals’ who wear spectacles and carry large bound folders. If an economy is in shambles, it is just because of the people who facilitate this exchange — who move the money through the respective channels. And the government (of every country in the world) is always the biggest money-launderer, and they are legal :) How else can the tax money of an employee be converted as a poll sop to Prabhavathi?
The only tragedy is that when we do it, it becomes illegal. Poor Robin Hood knows. And so do all the money launderers in the country — Julian Assange will give us that list soon. When they do it, it is called good governance!
Long live Democracy (yes, that’s a farce too!) :)
