When debating the virtues of wealth distribution, Frederic Bastiat's thesis on legal plunder contained in The Law can be very helpful. But even a 50 page book can be lost on some people.Luckily there is a man today who can explain these ideas so clearly that none can refute their silliness. His name is Dennis Moore, played by John Cleese.
Moore is a Robin Hood figure who simply isn't very good at what he does. He hails from a Monty Python sketch sporting his name. Here we see it on YouTube:
Firstly, he stops a coach at gun point and demands all of their lupines, and promptly delivers them to the poor. Quite proud of himself, Dennis is, he next raids the quarters of the rich, and again steals all of their lupines- in a bunch! The poor then have too many lupines and demand that their delegated force, Dennis, steal something useful like gold or silver.
This is quite telling. We can draw a lot out of this scene. The lupines, which are valued by the rich for reasons no one knows, have no practical use (though the poor certainly have tried). What mister Moore has been doing is equivocal to giving DVDs to the homeless, rather than sandwiches. The gold and silver are recognized as legitimate commodities. After all they were asking for food, medicine, and the like, but they must know that with hard commodities like gold, silver, diamonds, and jewels they can barter for all these things that they need.
Well, he returns to the quarters of the rich demanding that they hand over a long list of everything. As expected Dennis drags the huge bag of swag to the poor, appearing to have done justice.
Lo and behold when Dennis returns the rich haven't got anything but the silver spoons he missed last time that they are eating gruel with. Like a good Robin Hood, he delivers them to poor. But alas, Dennis discovers that the "poor" have become stuck up and prissy.
"Who do you think you are? Giving us poor this rubbish. Bloody silver!"
This is a reflection of the attitude of entitlement. Once you start "soaking the rich", the receivers of welfare will come to expect to have nearly everything paid for at other people's expense.
So he rides of again but this time the theme goes,
"Dennis Moore, Dennis Moore, ... steals from the poor and gives to the rich!"
Dennis is surprised by the narration! He realizes that he has in fact made the rich poor and the poor rich, thus accomplishing nothing.
Perhaps he had learned his lesson:
"Blimey, this wealth redistribution business is trickier than I thought!"
No, instead he takes to doing what the state does: micromanaging wealth.
At his next coach stop, Moore demands that each rider get out and reveal all of their belongings, and once they all have the same amount of things they are free to go. The sheer silliness of this scene is an obvious jab at the idea of using force to ensure that everyone has the same amount of wealth, a.k.a. communism. Notice that Dennis Moore gets to keep his guns, cape, and horse because he is the one redistributing the wealth!
Whether it is the Soviet system or our very own Internal Revenue Service, wealth redistributors are usually beyond reproach. This is generally not due to any adoration of the great and loving force "sharing the wealth", but rather because they, like Dennis Moore, are the ones with the guns. I would argue that few people would voluntarily submit to the level of taxation that we currently live under, and so the only way to keep government's coffers lined is highway robbery.But moreover, the redistribution of wealth that Moore undertakes in the final scene is funny because it makes no sense. Why should one man give another his rightfully earned tiara? Who is really to say who should have how many gold coins? Dennis Moore, the I.R.S., or the Kremlin? No, nobody has that right because all people have the same rights and powers, whether as individuals or grouped together in fancy outfits with dark glasses.
In conclusion, it's always refreshing to see welfare and legal plunder prodded so hilariously.
The members of Monty Python did an excellent job of highlighting the nonsensitude of legal plunder, very likely making an underhanded jab at the English establishment where the "rich" really are taxed at such a high ratio as to nearly make them poor.
I would like to thank Galadriel Robinson, my wonderful fiancé, for giving me this idea.
Eric Sharp,
Regular Columnist, THL
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