I'm reading Peter Freuchen's "Book of the Eskimos." It's filled with one story after another of how people lived without any government at all, and where the largest political unit is a family.
Think Joe the Plumber here, and how he challenged Obama and Obama said it was fine for people to make money but it would be great to spread the wealth around a little:
It was common in the Eskimo culture for hunters to share their take with everyone in the camp. An honorable hunter shared equally, because he knew the next time he might not be successful and his neighbor might have food he needed.
A hunter brought in a big seal, and the hunter's wife cut it up, adding most of it to her own meat stores. She took a miserable bony chunk of ribs over to Freuchen's hut and insisted that Freuchen's wife take the insulting gift. Freuchen's wife took it graciously and said "Oh, I couldn't possibly accept such a generous gift without saying thank you with a gift of my own." Whereupon she raided her own meager stores and thrust her only two cans of milk on the woman, adding to it all the meat she had, all the auk eggs, a pack of cigarettes--in short, everything she had. As the woman backed out the door humiliated, Freuchen's wife thrust some precious sewing needles on her.
The woman was shamed beyond redemption and her husband was so furious at her that he beat her mercilessly, took two fresh seals over and left them at Freuchen's door, and left the camp forever.
Put Obama in this scenario and imagine what would have happened. The government would take half the seals and give a miserable chunk of ribs to each household. That's fair. |
