The Coconut Parable, Taxation, and Ron Paul

[woowoowoo22]

Please read this and send a link to everyone you know:

http://www.freecentury.com/2007/06/27/the-coconut-parable-taxation-and-ron-paul/

[Man from La Mancha]

There once was a desert island in the Pacific far far away. A boat carrying 10 passengers hit rough waters and capsized. All 10 passengers landed on the desert island.

The people there had to search for food and found the island was ripe with coconuts. They started to forage and found them good to eat. They lived for 6 months on those coconuts.

One of the passengers was none other than Hillary Clinton. After a while she noticed the average passenger found and collected 10 coconuts per day. She also noticed there was a very intelligent passenger who collected 50 coconuts per day. That passenger was Bill Gates.

Bill Gates used his intellect and skills to make calculations on the most effective way to locate and collect coconuts. Some of the other cast aways were jealous and Hillary Clinton took the opportunity to suggest that all of the stranded passengers should make Bill Gates give up 5 coconuts to every other person. She also suggested that if he does not that they will use force to make him give them up. She called this process “taxation”.

With torches and spears one night they all gathered to the makeshift shelter of Bill Gates and demanded that he pay up coconuts to the rest of them. Hillary said that everyone had voted, and since this was a democracy, everyone is entitled to the proceeds of Bill’s labor.

She noticed that one of the cast aways was not there just before they started to seize Bill’s coconuts. Out of the darkness came Ron Paul, who was stranded on the island as well. He started shouting and told them

[woowoowoo22]

erm......at least post it all for them =)


There once was a desert island in the Pacific far far away. A boat carrying 10 passengers hit rough waters and capsized. All 10 passengers landed on the desert island.

The people there had to search for food and found the island was ripe with coconuts. They started to forage and found them good to eat. They lived for 6 months on those coconuts.

One of the passengers was none other than Hillary Clinton. After a while she noticed the average passenger found and collected 10 coconuts per day. She also noticed there was a very intelligent passenger who collected 50 coconuts per day. That passenger was Bill Gates.

Bill Gates used his intellect and skills to make calculations on the most effective way to locate and collect coconuts. Some of the other cast aways were jealous and Hillary Clinton took the opportunity to suggest that all of the stranded passengers should make Bill Gates give up 5 coconuts to every other person. She also suggested that if he does not that they will use force to make him give them up. She called this process “taxation”.

With torches and spears one night they all gathered to the makeshift shelter of Bill Gates and demanded that he pay up coconuts to the rest of them. Hillary said that everyone had voted, and since this was a democracy, everyone is entitled to the proceeds of Bill’s labor.

She noticed that one of the cast aways was not there just before they started to seize Bill’s coconuts. Out of the darkness came Ron Paul, who was stranded on the island as well. He started shouting and told them “this is wrong - this is immoral”. Hillary argued with Ron and told him that this is the will of the people and that everyone had a “right” to 15 coconuts. Ron Paul told Hillary that this is crazy and it will never work. With the mob of hungry islanders, Hillary won the argument. Ron Paul would not take his 5 coconuts.

The “taxation” went on for a day or two before Bill decided that it was no longer worth his while to go about collecting 50 coconuts, if the “government” was just going to steal them from him and redistribute his wealth. By the end of the week, “taxation” failed. Everyone became lazy and was only collecting 5 coconuts along with the 5 they got from Bill. When Bill stopped producing enough coconuts for the others, they all were poorer than when they started.

The next day Ron Paul made a speech in front of the cast aways. He said that force and wealth redistribution just does not work. He suggested that they ask Bill how he is so efficient in collecting coconuts, so that they all will have more to eat. The people fed up with their socialistic system shouted “Go Ron Go” , and “Ron Paul Revolution”. Ron Paul told them that since they had been stealing from Bill for so long, he is not likely to give up his secrets to coconut collecting. He suggested that they go around the island and find items of value and shellfish. They all scoured the island and came back that night.

The first thing in the morning, Ron Paul and the other islanders went over to Bill and peacefully offered to trade items of value with Bill, and he agreed. In return for the items of value, Bill shared the secrets of coconut collecting. By the end of the week everyone on the island was much better off. Not everyone collected the same amount of coconuts. Some collected 20, and some collected 40, but either way they all benefited from the increase in prosperity through free trade.

THE END

[Man from La Mancha]

I wanted them to pick their own coconuts

[foofighter20x]

**** I've got a lov-e-ly bunch of co-co-nuts... Dee-de-lee-dee ****

[Dan Klaus]

Good parable...nice way to share the idea of free trade...