Rickshaw - A Children's Tale

Ribbon Falls, Grand Canyon - photo by JoAnn Sturman

Scott Sturman
fliesinyoureyes.com

Although the rickshaw is not a uniquely American mode of transportation, it serves as an apt metaphor for the nation’s philosophical transition from its founding until the present. This unique rickshaw (USA) is large enough for a driver (President), navigators (Congress), and citizens who legitimately need assistance; it is propelled by taxpayers who pull the vehicle by long poles connected to the front of the passenger compartment.

For most of the country’s history nearly all Americans lifted and tugged on these poles which provided a rapid but often reckless journey. Sometimes the rickshaw took a corner too fast and toppled, but there were plenty of helpers to right the cart and send it along the way. If someone decided not pull, that was a personal choice, but he was not welcome to jump on the rickshaw for a free ride.

Immigrants clawed and scraped for the opportunity to grab a spot on the pole. They faced years of sacrifice, disappointments, and back breaking toil, but millions succeeded and made a life for them and their families that they only could of dreamed of in their traditional homelands; here they had opportunity. Assimilation rather than cultural diversity and one unifying language allowed a hodgepodge of cultures to form a functional, vibrant society. In contrast to the jingoism and ethnic strife of the Old World, E pluribus unum embodied the ethos that made America the most powerful and wealthy country in the world’s history.

Americans are a generous people and in contrast to many other cultures are willing to help others who are not members of their family. Private charity provides the benefactor a personal relationship with the recipient and insures assistance is used for the intended purpose. In the aftermath of the Great Depression progressive political forces determined the state was better equipped than the individual to assume responsibility for the welfare of their fellow citizens. Charity took on an entirely new meaning where every economic class, age, and special interest group became eligible for government subsidizes.

Early on, relatively few were allowed to release their grip on the pole and ride the rickshaw. The additional weight was minor, so progress was little effected. Yet as the years progressed, restrictions to the passenger compartment eased, and public assistance became a right rather than an act of individual choice and generosity. To keep their friends happy the driver and navigators forced the pullers to give them money, so it in turn could be redistributed to the ever expanding group of riders. The passengers loved the navigators in particular and made sure they were navigators-for-life.

Just like the rickshaws of southern Asia, more and more people with their goats and chickens piled on until the vehicle slowed to a crawl. About half of the country continued to pull, but the other half including some very wealthy people who used tax loop holes and political connections joined the party. It was not necessary to be a citizen to take part in the feeding frenzy, as illegal immigrants were welcomed aboard.

Nearly three years ago Barrack, a new and popular rickshaw driver, decided to spend trillions of dollars foolishly and invited more of his friends to take a seat with him. Axles bent and floorboards buckled as the crushing weight caused the inevitable result. As hard as we pulled, no amount of effort could keep the wheels rolling forward. The rickshaw slowed, stopped, began to roll backwards then collapsed. Barrack became angry, yelled at us to pull harder, and blamed us for not doing our share to keep his friends happy.

Blistered hands, burning lungs, and tired legs are no match for a wheelless load that is too heavy to drag across the ground. At some point most of the driver’s and navigators’ friends who really don’t need help should get off, help repair, and push or pull the rickshaw to get it moving again. There is a lesson my children learned at an early age: the drivers and navigators must burn their credit cards and stop spending more than their weekly allowance.