Let's All be Equal? 

   Imagine that global warming destroys civilization within a decade, as the alarmists insist. In March 2031, you and I meet up in the empty town square, realizing we are the last two people on earth. One of us had better be gifted in hunting and fishing. 

   The U.S. House in February passed an Equality Act for the second time. Well, in America, "all men are created equal," aren't we? That is equal opportunity, not equal outcome. Even this attempt at equality falls short, for the Act denies people of faith equal opportunity to live by sincerely held beliefs. 

   Equity is the new golden rule for those now in power and their constituents. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 addresses equality. Affirmative Action is meant to achieve equity. 

   Easier said than done. Working in human resources in the 1980s, every year we provided the government with our office's Affirmative Action Plan. We were obligated to employ X percent of black electrical engineers, based on the racial makeup of the greater Pittsburgh area. Trouble was, blacks almost never chose electrical engineering as a career. It paid well, but it wasn't cool, or whatever the young generation valued at that time.

   There are people who take equity to the extreme, agitating for reparations - taking money from those who never owned slaves and giving it to those who never were slaves. 

   We assume, for that to happen, within a year or two the wealth gap would be back where it is today. Economics is complicated, but lawyer politicians don't understand even the basics. As we saw last year, there were attempts even to dispossess homeowners for the benefit of those who contribute nothing, and probably could not have afforded the upkeep. 

                            Tomorrow: What do gifts have to do with it?

      Jimmy