I see this a lot at Treehugger. Heck, I’ve seen American Elites say this as well. “Well, you’d ENJOY it more if you had to pay more for it!” At least with the Eco-Socialists, they want you to eat LESS food (like Oezdemir) so you hurt GAIA (the planet) less – you selfish nothing of a person!
Too much power and too much Hubris in this one. More from Bloomberg:
Germany’s new agriculture minister, Cem Oezdemir, took to the country’s biggest tabloid over the weekend to call for higher prices for food and agricultural goods, telling Bild am Sonntag that “junk prices” drive “farms into ruin, prevent more animal welfare, promote the extinction of species and pollute the climate.”
While that push is in line with his Green party’s standard repertoire, it comes at a time when inflation is at a three-decade high. Compared with European Union peers Germans already paid more than the bloc’s average, according to Eurostat data for 2020.
Ozdemir’s proposal has been widely criticized, with the Christian Democratic Union MP and Member of the European Parliament Dennis Radtke saying on Twitter: “Anyone who simply increases taxes and drives prices up does not change the conditions. Farmers don’t profit, little people are punished. You have to be able to afford green.”
And Bloomberg reports that Germany’s food costs are already 30% more than the EU’s average.
Frankly, I’d be going after him and his “policy”. Why is it that those in Government, either here or anywhere else, can arbitrarily decided that THEY should be raising the cost of anything (or everything) simply because “it’s good for you in the long run!”. In this case, you’ll be healthier, you’ll be more fit, you’ll have a better life – and you’ll thank me in the end for making you do this.”.
Yeah, I’ll give you something “in the end” alright. With these words of his, he shows what he thinks of his German subjects: you are just collateral damage that must be endured along the way to our Greenness. The “show words” are mere mollification – YOU aren’t his concern – you’re seen as a problem (just like American Parents who are “problems” that School Boards and Superintendents have to deal with to implement “what is best for you children in OUR eyes).
Your wants, your means to afford what he wants, is of really no concern to him. His ideological goals are what concern him.
This is how Totalitarianism works. Every time I see this, either here or elsewhere, it just pushes me towards absorbing more small “L” libertarianism as I see more and more decisions taken out of my hands by people that believe either they are entitled to do so or that I’m incapable of making good decisions for myself.
And be sure – this attitude is all over the US as well in all kinds of ways. When people get a wee bit of Power, they get all hopped up about it (see Democrat / Socialist Parties – and not a small handful of Republican Party members as well) and say “hey, I HAVE to use it before it is taken away from me!”.
And that’s an even worse affront to the rest of us.
So what’s the answer? I think you ‘Grok readers know what it is – go help good candidates run that will legislate to leave you alone (or at least stop these selfish ones from doing bad things to us all).
(H/T: Instapundit)