I can’t remember who had the first link to this, but it doesn’t matter -B. Daniel Blatt takes on both Gays and Occupiers on their demands for equality. He’s right – if you listen to anyone one outside of the TEA Party, their remedy to their (or any problem) seems to be "there ought to be a law". Always, always, always, the instinctual urge is to turn to Government. Not that they would step forward and solve it themselves (and just agitating for Government to step in is not solving it yourselves) (emphasis mine).
The Founder and the Framers wanted to limit government’s power in order to protect individual freedom. And now, equality activists want to expand federal — and state — power to achieve “equality.” This should help elucidate why conservatives should not rush to embrace this ambiguous abstraction. And should call into question the motives of those who bury their commitment to an ever larger state under a noble-sounding ideal.
RELATED: Over at Powerline quoting Steven den Beste, Scott Johnson offers a unified theory of left-wing causes:
Isn’t it interesting that no matter what the current global crisis is, according to leftists, the solution is always the same: a benevolent world dictatorship of the enlightened elite, and mass transfer of wealth from rich nations to poor nations.
*ADDENDUM: Nine of the ten amendments which constitute the Bill of Rights use the words “no”, “nor”, and/or “not”, all preventing the government from depriving individuals of their life, liberty and property.
FROM THE COMMENTS: Lori Heine nails it:
There is only one way that a powerful, external force can make everybody equal — and that is by making them slaves.
In slavery, everyone is equal to everyone else. That’s because they are given no choice. As soon as freedom and free choice become involved, some people will “rise above” others — at least in the material sense. And often, this has to be with their ability to better serve their fellow human beings in non-coerced ways.
In fostering equality, government has the ability to do only one thing. It can treat all people equally under the law. In any other sense, equality is an existential term. Or perhaps a theological one. Government can do nothing in either case.
Well said, very well said. Equality is just an existential term.
I have been over at the Occupy NH forum to observe and (of COURSE) commenting from a Conservative / TEA Party perspective. Not a small number of the suppositions I read entail the above exactly.
Equality – it’s like Mom, apple pie, and babies: who can be against them (except the last on a crowded plane)? But that’s the problem: is equality really equal when it is coerced? Or just a Political Correctness farce or veneer? Sure, a law can be written, but will that change human nature?
