Full Black - Brad Thor [75]
“Wouldn’t it be better, not to mention easier, to simply rebalance the scales? The sooner you can get that family who is in default back into a job and working, the better it is for everyone. The prosperity effect, as I like to call it, inures to everyone’s benefit. This is about recognizing people’s dignity.”
“And in no place on earth,” she said, “have the freedom and dignity of the individual been more available and assured than in America.”
“Human dignity is a global concern,” replied Standing. “There can’t be social cohesion as long as there is such a vast chasm between rich and poor in the world.”
“And you see dismantling capitalism as the answer?” she asked.
“I see unfettered capitalism as the reason the chasm exists. Human dignity cannot be realized without equitable income distribution. Because human dignity and social cohesion matter to all of us, this is an issue that transcends national sovereignty.”
“Therefore it should be dealt with by international law and international governing bodies,” she replied, repeating his earlier statement.
“Exactly,” said Standing. “This is why a global reset would be so good for so many nations, including the United States. As with the homeowners’ association, everyone would benefit. It would give every nation the chance to be rid of its debts and to start fresh.”
“But what you fail to realize is that one person’s debt is another person’s asset. I look at my mortgage much differently than my bank does. To me it’s a debt, one that I took on willingly, by the way, and one that I’m morally obligated to pay back. To the bank it’s a business transaction, which it took on willingly, and from which it rightly expects to profit, thereby serving the interests of its shareholders. No one put a gun to either of our heads.”
“So the housing bubble all happened by accident?” asked Standing.
“No,” Julia replied. “The housing bubble happened for a multitude of reasons. One of the biggest was the government strong-arming banks into providing mortgages to people who didn’t qualify.”
“People have a right to a place to live.”
“You’ll forgive me, Mr. Standing, but I think you and I have a very different view of what rights are.”
“Rights should be what an enlightened government decides is best for everyone.”
The reporter shook her head. “As Americans, we hold that we have been endowed by our creator with our rights. These rights cannot be taken away or limited by any government. We have the right to—”
“Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” Standing said with a wave of his hand. “I know, but tell me how anyone can be happy without a place to live?”
“There’s nothing in the founding documents that says the government owes you a house. There’s also nothing in there that says the government owes you a job, an education, or medical care.”
“Those documents you love so much were written over two hundred years ago,” he replied. “There is no possible way America’s founding fathers could have seen how complex society would become.”
“And if they had been able to see into the future, you think they would have felt it best for people to be ruled over by an elite group?”
“Government should provide opportunity.”
“I agree, but government isn’t the solution to our problems,” Julia stated. “Government is the problem.”
“I wouldn’t have figured you for a radical, Ms. Winston.”
“I’m not.”
“Really? It sounds to me as if you’d like to do away with government.”
“I don’t want to do away with government,” she replied. “I want to make it work.”
“So do I,” said Standing. “And if we all started over together, the global economy would instantly rebound.”
“But once we start over, how would you prevent disparities from growing again? It’s a fact of life that some people will work harder than others. Some people even will choose not to work.