“It is the sufferings of the many which pay for the luxuries of the few.”
That line hits harder the older I get, because it’s true not just today but across thousands of years. Human beings have tried every imaginable system to balance wealth, power, and fairness. From ancient kingdoms to modern democracies, from frontier capitalism to rigid state control — we never stop trying to get it right.

Extreme communism promises perfect equality, but in real life it ends up flattening human ambition and concentrating power in the hands of a tiny ruling class. The dream looks good on paper, but the execution becomes harsh, restrictive, and ultimately unsustainable.

On the opposite end, unfettered “wild west” capitalism lets wealth pile up in a way that leaves a lot of hard-working people struggling. It creates opportunity, yes — but without guardrails, it also creates imbalance.

So we swing back and forth through history, looking for the sweet spot.

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My Personal Journey — From Hard-Nosed Conservative to Something More Nuanced

For most of my life, I proudly called myself a conservative, a free-enterprise guy, a capitalist through and through. That’s still in my DNA. Everything I built came from hard work, sacrifice, and a willingness to do what others wouldn’t. I didn’t grow up privileged. I never had a college degree or a family safety net. I had sweat, grit, and long days.

But time changes how you see the world.

Not everyone starts at the same line.
Not everyone is blessed with the same upbringing, skills, chances, personality, or support — and that includes health, education, morals, and even basic IQ. Some people fight battles no one sees. Some never get the guidance they need. Some grow up in environments that hold them back. And others simply weren’t handed the mental or physical tools that make success easier.

Seeing that more clearly softened my views, not out of politics, but out of simple human observation.

And I’ve watched enormous wealth create lifestyles that are almost surreal — while the people working under those same roofs live near poverty. I’ve seen workers from a company get fired a few years before retirement while the CEO walks away with a golden umbrella. All in the name of profits and stock price. So what do we say? Do we just shrug our shoulders and say they should have figured it out? Do we accept streets filled with drug-addicted homeless people? Do we accept kids going to school worried about being shot? That contrast gets harder to ignore as you age.

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Where Good Intentions Once Shaped Society

Throughout the last century, the government has repeatedly tried to encourage positive behavior through policy. Families with children were supported through dependent exemptions. Charitable donations were made deductible to strengthen churches and community groups. Mortgage interest deductions helped push the country toward homeownership. Even early food stamp programs in 1939 nudged families toward healthier diets by limiting certain purchases. Later on, marriage incentives appeared through joint filing in 1948, and education benefits followed. Beyond that, programs like Social Security promoted financial stability, the GI Bill rewarded service and expanded education for millions of veterans, and child labor laws pushed kids into classrooms instead of factories. Whether it was encouraging marriage, homeownership, savings, religious involvement, or better nutrition, many laws were created with the intention of building a stronger, more responsible society.

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And Then There’s Libertarianism… Great in Theory, Tough in Reality

Somewhere along my journey, I also ran into what people call libertarianism. On the surface, it sounds incredible: maximum freedom, minimal government, everyone left alone to run their own life.

It’s a beautiful idea — but ideas aren’t reality.

In the real world, libertarianism tends to attract a lot of idealists who assume everyone plays by the same rules or starts with the same abilities. They imagine a society where people just “work it out” on their own without any structure, oversight, or shared sense of responsibility.

But life isn’t a classroom thought experiment.

Without rules, the strong dominate the weak.
Without basic protections, people get exploited.
Without some common framework, society splinters into chaos, not harmony.

Libertarianism reminds me of those childhood games where kids say, “Let’s pretend there are no parents, no rules, we all just do our own thing!” Sounds fun… until someone gets hurt and nobody knows what to do.

Great idea. Hardly ever works in the real world.

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Authoritarianism — The Opposite Extreme

Throughout history, many leaders have claimed that authoritarian rule is the only way to maintain stability. Ask the king of Saudi Arabia — he’d say exactly that. The argument is that large nations can’t survive long-term without a strong central authority enforcing order from the top down.

And on paper, a dictatorship can work…
but only if the leader is pure of heart, like a strict but loving parent who genuinely wants the best for his children.

The problem?
History shows that pure-hearted dictators are almost nonexistent.

Once someone has total control:

• corruption creeps in
• self-interest replaces service
• dissenters are silenced
• freedom disappears

What begins as “strong leadership” usually ends in fear, censorship, and oppression. The idea sounds good to the people in charge — it rarely works for the people living under it.

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Evolving Isn’t Weakness — It’s Wisdom

As I get older, I’m learning to lean less on ideology and more on common sense. Life has taught me that the answers aren’t at the extremes. A good society encourages ambition and protects human dignity. It rewards success and remembers those who fall behind.

Not socialist.
Not communist.
Not authoritarian.
Not “everyone for themselves.”

Just balanced.
Just decent.
Just human.

But even that balance isn’t enough on its own.

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The Deeper Answer — Morals, God, and the Golden Rule

When you strip away all the politics, all the theories, all the systems people argue about, it always comes back to one simple truth: human nature. And human nature is complicated. Some believe we’re all born with intrinsic morals. It sounds wonderful — but in practice, it doesn’t always hold up. We’ve all seen what happens when people grow up without guidance, purpose, structure, or accountability. Instinct alone keeps animals alive. It doesn’t create compassion, sacrifice, or justice.

There’s a quote I once heard that always stayed with me:
“People do things for one of two reasons — a good reason, or the real reason.”
And the truth is, without something higher to answer to, most of us default to the real reason.

That’s why I’ve come to believe that without God, without a moral framework, without the golden rule, we drift toward selfishness and survival at all costs. Humans need a reason behind the action — something that tells us why doing what’s right matters even when no one is watching.

In the end, no system — not capitalism, not communism, not libertarianism, not authoritarianism — can save a society that has lost its moral foundation. Laws can guide behavior, but only faith, values, and a sense of purpose can transform the heart. If we want a stronger, more compassionate country, it won’t come from more programs or more punishments. It will come from raising children with character, teaching the golden rule again, and remembering that life has a purpose higher than ourselves.

That, to me, is the real answer.
Not bigger government, not smaller government — but better people, guided by something greater.