I heard a friend re-tell this story and I thought this was an interesting tale so I’m passing it on. Consider it food for thought and not an endorsement.
Yesterday on my way to lunch, I passed one of the homeless guys in that area, with a sign that read “Vote Obama, I need the money.”
Once in the restaurant my waiter had on a “Obama 08” t-shirt.
When the bill came, I decided not to tip my waiter and explained to him while he had given me exceptional service, that his t-shirt made me feel he obviously believes in Senator Obama’s plan to redistribute the wealth. I told him I was going to redistribute his tip to someone that I deemed more in need–the homeless guy outside. He stood there in disbelief and angrily stormed away.
I went outside, gave the homeless guy $3 and told him to thank the waiter inside, as I had decided he could use the money more. The homeless guy looked at me in disbelief but seemed grateful.
As I got in my truck, I realized this rather unscientific redistribution experiment had left the homeless guy quite happy for the money he did not earn, but the waiter was pretty angry that I gave away the money he did earn.
I guess this redistribution of wealth is going to take a while to catch on, with those doing the work.