Three persons are each given an umbrella of the same size, make, and model. This is equality. It begins to rain. The first person opens up their umbrella but it is too small to cover them completely and they get wet. The second person opens up their umbrella but the wind blows it inside out and they get wet. The third person opens up their umbrella and they stay dry.
The other two persons shout: “Hey! You don’t need that umbrella all for yourself!” So, they take the umbrella from the dry person and use it to protect themselves, leaving little room underneath for the dry person who is now getting wet. This is equity.
Moral of the story: “From each according to their ability, to each according to their need.”
Epilogue: Wait a second! That’s what Karl Marx wrote in his 1875 treatise “Critique of the Gotha Programme” in which he explained the transitionary period from capitalism to communism. It’s time to turn the tide on this dark “transitionary period” our nation has entered before it’s too late.
John Brokopp, Brookfield
