FREE is a popular word in politics these days. Not so much that it’s a unique concept, but that it’s seemingly a universal application to every program being put forth by certain elected representatives of We the People. FREE medical care. FREE college tuition. FREE food. FREE money. On the surface, all examples sound wonderful. Especially that last one. If someone wants to give me money for nothing, just point me in the right direction to get in line.

The word FREE is probably the most powerful adjective available to the advertisers of the world. As a copywriter who has created my share of come-ons for products designed to separate consumers from their money, I’m well aware of how persuasive that four-letter word can be. BOGO is a sure-fire winner in every case. Buy One Get One FREE will help sell everything from cans of Early June peas to concert tickets and Happy Hour margaritas to non-stick saucepans.

You just can’t beat FREE. In the U.S., the American flag comes close, but is definitely in second place in the advertising nomenclature and icon Hall of Fame. (Animated characters rank highly as well. The Jolly Green Giant and the Pillsbury Doughboy have sold a lot of green beans and dinner rolls respectively over the years. And those Keebler Elves have cranked out millions of fudge cookies in their hollow tree for decades.) Attach the stars and stripes to a product or service and you’ll definitely garner attention. But make the waiting public think they’re getting something for nothing and sales will go up exponentially.

Note I said “sales” in that last sentence. You don’t really think you’re getting something for nothing when it’s FREE, do you? That Buy One Get One really just means you’re probably paying w-a-y too much for the first item. After all, how long would stores survive in business if they gave everything away?

Which brings us back to the politicians seeking to make everything FREE. Somebody somewhere along the line has to pay for products and services rendered, or the purveyor of same will soon be closing up shop. Contrary to what some who propose a multitude of FREE things must think, the government doesn’t actually produce anything to sell. It simply spends whatever the taxpayers send in (and, obviously, with a $22 trillion debt, a whole lot more).

Paying for all the FREE stuff being proposed can be a bit of a sticky wicket. Taxing the rich is a popular idea. But even confiscating the entire portfolios of the wealthiest top 10% of Americans would probably only last a few months at best. That source of money will run out sooner rather than later, especially since the federal government spends approximately $8.3 million per minute.

There IS another way to ensure that healthcare is FREE and college is FREE. Simply have the doctors and college professors work for – you guessed it – FREE. Problem solved. Well, except for the fact nobody will want to go into the fields of medicine or higher education.

Hmmm. Maybe we’d better re-think that solution. A friend of mind had a thought: Why don’t we concoct an economic system that’s based on working hard and people being paid commensurate with the service or product they provide? Once workers have earned some money, then they can decide how to spend it. Maybe they’ll want to buy some food to eat. Or a house to live in. They could even decide to give a trained professional some of that money to check and see if they’re healthy or fix something that’s painful. Heck they could even pay someone to teach them things they don’t know.

It’s a novel concept, to be sure. But apparently there’s ample evidence to suggest that, while not perfect, it’s an economic model with a lot of upside. Alas, though, it’s not FREE. There is a bit of effort required to make it work.

Fortunately, there’s also ample evidence to suggest that the “everything FREE” model hasn’t been overly successful. Not for lack of trying, though. Seldom, however, do you see caravans of pilgrims traveling hundreds of miles demanding to get into Venezuela or North Korea, nor boatloads of refugees storming the beaches of Cuba. The former Soviet Union had to build walls to keep people IN. From each according to his abilities to each according to his needs really looks great on paper. But then people get involved and mess up the whole concept.

A FREE lunch may actually taste good going down. But the bill always comes due, one way or another.

 

©MMXIX. William J. Lewis, III – Freelance Writer