For those who may not be aware, we are in the middle of an ideological war, and at the center of the battleground lies the one thing people have fought over for millennia — wealth. Before it was sticks and stones, swords, and shields. Today we battle with narratives and ideas, psychological attacks, and cancel culture (with victimhood and gaslighting thrown in for good measure).

And as President Joe Biden prepares to “tax the wealthiest” of Americans (despite them already paying nearly 80% of all taxes), it’s time to dispel some myths about what truly makes people poor and how rich people acquire so much.

The Tenth Commandment — found in the book of Exodus in the Bible — reads: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his male servant or female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”

My, how far we’ve come from our early biblical teachings. Today, the progressive Left has nothing but covetousness for the fortunate and the blessed. These lawmakers and political advocates spend a lot of time manufacturing narratives to make high-income earners feel lowly about their status and accomplishments, all while demanding a “redistribution of wealth” model to be the new law of the land.

Leftists — who are now this era’s socialists — label those with money and resources as wrongdoers while also begging for the very same resources that they claim to be the root of all evil. These activists and politicians believe that because one person has money, someone else had to do without. This is hardly the truth.

Let’s lay out how wealth and prosperity actually occur in what may be a crude, yet effective, explanation:

The wealthiest of our people have the power to do one very merciful thing: They have access to business and enterprise to the betterment of her fellow Americans. One rich housewife, for example, could suddenly decide to open up a bakery. But to run her boutique, she needs employees. So she puts out a job ad and soon enough she’ll have three new workers. Those three employees may have had to go without an income if it weren’t for the idea of the wealthy woman. And if her business is successful, she’ll need to hire more people to sustain it. While she is growing her income, she’s also lifting more people out of potential poverty. As they say, one great tide lifts many boats.

Additionally, a business can’t run without supplies and services to sustain it. The housewife-turned-entrepreneur must now call on vendors — usually other small businesses and individuals — to help her business be its best. The money she spends to improve her company is money used to put food on other’s tables.

This example is well known to those of us who have any real-world experience. Unfortunately, many leftists — who have never operated a business or are made to feel guilty about their earnings — will tell you that this free enterprise model is not enough. That capitalism is the bane of our existence and that the government (i.e., taxpayers) should step in and eradicate poverty instead. The problem is that our federal government has yet to create a viable solution for even the simplest concerns. So what makes it so capable of solving the wealth equation?

The best solution is found in the Tenth Commandment mentioned earlier. We are taught that projecting envy only feeds a bottomless pit. But through hard work and a willingness to invest in one’s community, many are able to climb above even the most dire situations and emerge on top. Only God — and not government — can do that.