Broker-Dealer Recruiter Jon Henschen Writes, "Why the U.S. Must Become an 'Aspirational' Society Once Again"

MARINE ON ST. CROIX, Minn., Oct. 23, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- In his October 19, 2018 Intellectual Takeout article, "Why the U.S. Must Become an 'Aspirational' Society Once Again," independent broker-dealer recruiter Jon Henschen explores how The United States could be classified by this term once upon a time, but in more recent years it has morphed into an envious society instead.

In his Intellectual Takeout article, Henschen defines an aspirational society as one that feels that the solution for poverty is for the poor to have the opportunity to become rich through hard work and self-improvement.

He identifies Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, and Chile as current aspirational societies. By contrast, Henschen asserts that France is a society consumed by envy, citing several examples, noting it is all too common for neighbors to call authorities out of envy claiming their neighbor isn't paying taxes because they installed a swimming pool or bought an expensive car.

According to Henschen, this envy stems from a mentality that the economy is a finite pie and inequality results if someone gets a bigger slice of the economic pie. He continues that by stating that what many miss is that the economy is not a finite pie, but thousands of pies, with inventors and entrepreneurs making new pies as they innovate, while obsolete pies fade away.

Henschen continues that, "Unfortunately, envy saps happiness and satisfaction, robbing the individual of the ability to enjoy and be grateful for good fortune. This state of mind not only harms the envier, but those toward whom the envy is directed."

Further, according to Henschen, "…envy has been made into a virtue by politicians, who recognize it as a way of gaining power and control over unsuspecting populations. Rather than focusing on improving themselves, the envious believe their path to happiness is tied to the fate of those they envy. In essence, their happiness will be increased if they can pull others down, an attitude which runs counter to a prosperous society and hinders social progress."

In support, Henschen offers this quote on the subject, by scholar Tony Esolen, "Now if we set aside our politically correct egalitarianism—that anti-politics of universal envy—we may see why the hatred of another's good not only hurts the community, but destroys the very foundation upon which a community must be built. That is because we are plainly not endowed with the same fortune, talents, health, and industry. And we should give thanks to God for that inequality, since He it is who has willed it."

Continuing, Henschen notes that aspirational societies realize that having equal opportunity for everyone to succeed through hard work, thus enabling the poor to get rich, is encouraged when governments provide a supporting legal, structural, and institutional framework. Common threads in current, upwardly mobile societies are small government, low taxes, few government regulations, rule of law, sound money, business efficiency, and free trade. Aspirational societies respond to inequality by working toward remedying that which is lacking in the individual rather than attempting to seize from others or through destructive revolution.

That the U.S. has some semblance of an aspirational society can be seen in an article, "The Vice of Envy," by author Rod Dreher. In it, Dreher shares how a Parisian friend immigrated to the U.S. out of frustration. He explained that the culture of envy was terribly destructive in France. He was labeled as a tax cheat because he drove a nice car. France so destroyed his incentive to work, that he came to America and built a successful business, consequently providing employment to many.

But while his business was thriving in America, France was experiencing riots over retirement age and the length of the work week. Given that French workers get 24 paid vacation days versus 10 in the U.S., it's not hard to see why Dreher's Parisian friend jumped ship and headed to the U.S. to start a business.

Such an action was not necessarily fair or unjust, either. There is a false assumption that justice requires equality in all things. But as Dreher points out, egalitarianism can offend greatly against justice and become a disaster for all. A just society is one in which there is unavoidably some measure of inequality. Thus, true "social justice" should consist not in egalitarianism, but in working to see people justly rewarded for their labors, the very thing which aspirational societies do well.

Henschen concludes by asking, "If America drifted back toward such an aspirational society, would we see less bickering and more prosperity amongst its citizens?"

Jon Henschen is president of Henschen & Associates, a Twin Cities-based firm that matches financial advisors to independent broker dealers.

He has more than 25 years of experience in the financial services industry and has worked as a registered financial advisor in both the independent and wirehouse channels.

Jon has been featured in numerous financial publications, including the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg News, Reuters, and the New York Post.

SOURCE Henschen And Associates, Inc.

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