The Grand Imposition

I started to call this entire blog The Grand Imposition, but decided it left little room for fun. So instead, I've decided to write a post describing why liberal thinkers are confused, controlling, and incorrect; and why it's dangerous. Now, why would I start out like that by drawing a line in the sand? First of all, this commentary is not a line designed to divide two people, but rather two types of thinking. I'm doing this because I disagree, and because I disagree, my nature is to write it out and think it through. What good is a philosophy that goes unquestioned and untested?

So why are liberals confused, you might ask? First, liberals are confused because they think they care about others. They'd like you to pay more taxes if it would help those less fortunate. Simply put, you should be obligated to give because you have more than someone else. However, the real question has never been whether tis right to give. It is not the obligation to give that is in question but rather the power to take that is questionable; to take from some to give to others. Giving is good; there is joy in it. Not many people appreciate it, however, when you take something from them, no matter how generous they might be. Taxes don't upset you all the time because you don't really notice them when they are automatically deducted. You're just happy to get some back around tax time. However, I doubt you see many liberals donating their return back to Uncle Sam on tax day no matter how caring they are. Maybe they'd rather give it to a cause they believe strongly in, or pay their own bills, or even put some away if they're really selfish.

To tie in with that last point, liberal thinkers are myopic in the sense that they support their own programs and "helpfulness" to such an extent that they are willing to impose upon everyone else because it's the "right thing to do". They'd like you to support all those who oppose your point of view; to be so tolerant as to be tolerant of the intolerant, to paraphrase a smart man. They are willing to put their trust in a political body in order to spread the wealth around as it sees fit. Surely, there is a flaw in this line of thinking, for it leaves less room for each individual to pursue his/her own cause or spread the wealth where it would do the most good or be more efficiently used. Sure people can still give more and more, but there is less incentive to do so now that we believe our taxes are doing it for us. It creates what is called a diffusion of responsibility. Everyone is responsible for everyone, therefore, no one is responsible for anyone in particular. The liberal might even think Marxism more Biblical in a way than capitalism or conservatism, and yet I find it interesting that their mindset fosters a false sense of security that rests on government (i.e. on man) rather than on God.

Liberals might argue that government must control poverty by taking wealth from some and giving to others because individuals by themselves are not generous enough. Would it not logically follow then, that a political body made up of representatives of these same individuals be just as selfish, possibly more so? And might their constituencies not influence them to spread the wealth differently than what it was originally intended? Might the funds that are so generously being stripped away from each according to his ability and distributed to each according to his need be wasted in the overhead created by a massive internal revenue system and employees required to oversee its workings?

Liberals might also argue that tolerance is bliss while imposing their views upon you intolerantly. You will support gay marriage, abortion, and a slew of other ideals in the name of fairness. Don't like the idea of killing babies? Well, that's not fair. Don't like the idea that you have to fight for your freedom? Not fair! Profiling at airports? That's a big no no, even if there is no racism behind it. Condi's a war criminal, right? No, probably not.

A liberal will accuse you of being contradictory because you support our troops but not abortion. Aren't you supporting the act of killing either way? Never mind that there aren't a lot of babies running around with AK-47's in Sudan or bringing down the World Trade Centers on 9/11 that we brush off as a one time event. Never mind that it wasn't little children throwing human bodies in the ovens of Dachau. If only we'd had more peaceful talks with Hitler without preconditions. But I digress.

So in summary, why are liberals incorrect? Because they impose their intolerant and illogical views on others while claiming that truth is really just an individual's set of emotions open to interpretation. Then they suffer from narcissism enough to file their ideas under F for "Fairness". At least the hard left is consistent in treating babies and the wealthy as if they had no rights. Not surprisingly, they retain their own rights to act like both; only when acting like they have wealth, it is because they are able to pick the unlimited wealth out of the pockets of the American people. It's reminiscent of Veruca Salt throwing a fit in Willy Wonka's chocolate factory: "I want an Oompa Loompa nowwwww!" I don't think that liberal people necessarily intend to scam you or be dangerous, but so much of the time, whether intended or not, their policies simply turn into a grand imposition.

Click here to read another excellent and brief article by Thomas Sowell.