Heart to Heart Between A Dad and his Daughter

A young woman was about to finish her first year of college. Like so many others her age, she considered herself to be very liberal, and among other liberal ideals, was very much in favor of higher taxes to support more government programs, in other words redistribution of wealth to the needy.


She was ashamed of her father, a staunch Constitutionalist, a feeling she openly expressed. Based on the lectures that she had participated in, and the occasional chat with an enlightened professor, she felt that her father had for years harbored a selfish desire to keep what he thought should be his.


One day she was challenging her father on his opposition to higher taxes on the rich and the need for more government programs. The self-professed objectivity and fairness often proclaimed by her professors had to be the truth and she indicated so to her father.


He responded by asking how she was doing in school. Taken aback, she answered rather haughtily that she had a 4.0 GPA, and let him know that it was tough to maintain, insisting that she was taking a very difficult course load and was constantly studying, which left her no time to go out and party like other people she knew. She didn't even have time for a boyfriend, and didn't really have many college friends because she spent all her time studying.


Her father listened intently and then asked, 'How is your friend Audrey doing?'


She replied, 'Audrey is barely getting by. All she takes are easy classes, she never studies, and she barely has a 2 .0 GPA. She is so popular on campus; college for her is a blast. She's always invited to all the parties and lots of times she doesn't even show up for classes because she's too hung over.'


Her father then asked his daughter, 'Why don't you go to the Dean's office and ask him to deduct 1.0 off your GPA and give it to your friend who only has a 2.0. That way you will both have a 3.0 GPA and certainly that would be a fair and equal distribution of GPA.' And find a job somewhere in that busy schedule of yours… It would be much fairer if I sent half your tuition and living expense money to someone else, perhaps who has no money or whose father just isn’t a hard worker, and can’t seem to hold a job to earn it for them.


The daughter, visibly shocked by her father's suggestions, angrily fired back, 'That's a crazy idea, how would that be fair! I've worked really hard for my grades! I've invested a lot of time, and a lot of hard work! Audrey has done next to nothing toward her degree. She played while I worked my tail off!' I can’t keep my GPA up if I have to work a job and I’ll lose my scholarship if I give Grade Points away! And why would you give my tuition money to someone you don’t even know?


The father slowly smiled, winked and said gently, 'Welcome to the Constitutionalist perspective

H/T - Freedom Project