Capitalism

Nearly 4,000 books have been written about Abraham Lincoln, without a doubt the most popular President of the United States. He said, “all I am, or ever hope to be, I owe to my mother.” When I was young, my mother, dismayed her entire life from her lack of formal education, so anxious for her children to have the best education. The county book-mobile had come into the community. Once a week, the book-mobile filled with luscious books and a real nice librarian and driver anxious to assist the children of the farm community with reading would stop at my cousin's country store at the country crossroads. My mother would take my sister and I to the book-mobile where we would select books to read during the week.

Many books had a great effect on my life, perhaps the one that affected my young mind the most was called T-model Tommy, a book written by Stephen Meader in 1938. The book told the story of a 17-year old boy, born in poverty in New Jersey who fixed up an old model-T truck and began a hauling business which through hard-work prospered into a transport business of many trucks. The writer, the author, Stephen Meader wrote many stories about young men developing independent businesses in the face of adversity.

The greatest failure of this democratic republic, a nation built on capitalism, it's failure to properly teach young people about capitalism. I have found in my life that very few young people, particularly young men, know anything about capitalism, investing, mortgages, business debt, etc. This makes the liberal sociologists happy because they want this country to become communist anyways, everyone depending on the government. I truly believe the answer to the drop out rate, now approaching 1/3 in the 21st century, would be cured if young men were more challenged in accomplishment through capitalism.

Many come from single family homes, know nothing except welfare, the stagnation of sitting around doing nothing. In the trash can of a democratic republic, many have not learned yet that liberalism keeps you poor and that poor people are easy to control. Among my many blessings, life, liberty, Christian ancestry, parents who knew the honor of work, accomplishment. They knew that in order to have money, the pride of doing something themselves, you sell your services or a product. Time is dollars, and you invest dollars, you make money with money, you have that blessed assurance of responsibility, the honor, pride and dignity of work. My father farmed during the week, crops which he sold for cash. On weekends, he worked as a barber, money which mostly took care of the family needs, during the winter he worked construction, building houses. Along with this, he raised and sold livestock, my mother sold milk, butter, and eggs, garden products. There was no money to waste on frivolous things, but we were able to go to the doctor, were better dressed, had a better home, well-furnished, better car, better money for college. This happened because of the Christian desire to live and give, living productive lives, giving every place possible.

So, having worked my way through eight years of university educations, commissioned as an army medical officer, I returned almost totally blind. Many things influenced my thinking during those crucial times, one was that book I read as a child, T-model Tommy. I was fortunate enough to practice for a while with limited vision, has an assistant standing over me to make sure I did everything correctly. But, the time came that I had to give it all up.

I started out upstairs, over a shoe store, the space had been used by a doctor at least 50 years previously. The owner of the shoe store, Mr. Parrot, said, “doctor, I will give you a five year lease on that space for $25 a month if you are willing to fix it up for your use. I had some construction work done, but wallpaper, painting etc. friends helped me do it all.” I had saved enough money from the military to buy my essential equipment. It was from this meager strategic start that I built a very large private practice. After the initial office I move into a much better location, more appropriate for my use. Because so much of my practice was built strictly on my personality, my knowledge, it was an excellent opportunity for a younger man to practice with me. The truth is that most young doctors want everything at once, did not want to go through the hard-planned program, the heart-ache of work. Most think they are too important, too great for anything.

The time came, just as in driving, just as in everything else involving eye sight, I had to quit, knowing full well, for a very long time, that the day would come. I started with the first dollar, over and above frugal living expenses, taxes and necessities, investing one-half of what was left in real estate, the other half in the stock market. Like T-model Tommy, I started with one duplex residence, I lived on one side, rented the other side, letting that side pay for the building, then I bought a second duplex, one side making payment on the building. Then, I bought another duplex, and before long, I owned 12 buildings.

Then, I started buying commercial property, office buildings, retail space, even night-club buildings. Then, I bought beach property, five duplexes on the beach, furnished, which I rented by the week to vacationers, and rented monthly to students and teachers. Any residence on the beach which came up for sale I would have someone go with me and describe it to me. You should see me measure a room with my white cane, then later, tell helpers how I want it refurbished and decorated. I found that if I decorated and furnished a house, I could sell it at a much greater profit.

Through my military contacts, I knew the owner of a furniture store very well. He could still tell you how this man would come in and buy furniture from him, walking around the store, bargaining, most of the time I could visualize what I had purchased. At public auctions, second-hand stores, thrift-shops I bought pictures and prints, draperies and carpets, over and over, someone would say, “who decorated this house?” Evidently I did a decent job, because they always sold, or rented well. I bought commercial property, depending on two strategic convictions: geography, and if the surrounding property would make mine worth more. It is like a doctor's office, a store, even friends, people want to go to a place which will flatter them, make them look better. The harder I worked, the more I prospered, whether cleaning behind dirty people who had rented my property, or books about investing in the stock market.

I have given instruction to at least 1,000 people, if you ever find a business, free of aggravation, free of hard-work, free of risk, please let me know what it is, I want to get into that business. In other commentaries, I have given the Morris rules for business, for lifestyle, for depending on the Christian promise, it is a matter of mindset. I hear about conservation, political conservatives, most politicians, including some very good republicans, know nothing about conservation, conservatives. God, and God alone gives you the blessing, even when physically blind. Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them. (Psalm 84:5)