Tag: Individualism

Notable Quote – Only Capitalism Puts the Individual Foremost. Everything Else Puts the State First

March 16, 2022

by Skip

As Hayek frequently repeated, many intelligent and informed people of his day had been taken in by the claim that National Socialism was the next logical and historical phase of a collapsing capitalism. His point, one that most would accept today as evident, was that fascism and communism both represent totalitarian systems that have much more in … Read more

“It’s not about what the day brings, it’s what you bring to the day.”

December 27, 2021December 26, 2021

by Steve MacDonald

An ad on one of the streaming services featured a woman who won (I think it was) the Boston Marathon twice*. She’s up in years but still pushing herself every day. She has a great quote in the ad that I wanted to share, and I’m paraphrasing.

I Think Our Elites Are Missing the Message: “…See Explosion of Fake Vaccination Cards…”

August 14, 2021August 14, 2021

by Skip

I really did have to chuckle at the actual headline: “Restrictions on Unvaccinated People See Explosion of Fake Vaccination Cards: Researchers.” Reformatted, emphasis mine:

ALL Socialists are Totalitarians…

June 2, 2021

by Skip

Treehugger has been a fountain of Leftist Collective thought for years, hidden under the guise of “Sustainability” and “Environmentalism.” It’s been fun (and rather easy) to throw pointed rhetorical sticks at said denizens. Why?

Ben Shapiro: Justice is good. Social Justice is bad. Here’s why

May 30, 2021May 30, 2021

by Skip

Justice is about the individual. Social Justice is only about Group Justice where YOU are held responsible for anyone else that the Left believes to be in “your group.” Ben Shapiro nails this, and a LOT of things tied to it, in this short 3-minute video.

We Must Resist the Politicization of Business and of Capital Markets

April 20, 2021

by Skip

Our Founders clearly delineated their vision for us – a limited Government constrained by the Constitution. A large, vibrant, and robust Civil Society that was to be the place for self-governance in action. And that large expanse to be the buffer between that limited government and the third faction, Individuals.

Renny Cushing: Anti-Maskers Have No Right to Infect. Skip: Progressives Have No Right to Trash the Bill of Rights

December 13, 2020

by Skip

And the Left wonders and complains that masks should never have been politicized – Democrat NH House Minority Leader Renny Cushing goes ahead and does so. WMUR had yet another political hit piece in furthering that politicization of mask / no mask debate. And if you watched it (and you would have had to watch … Read more

Jean Stimmell asks the right question but slants it the wrong way

June 26, 2020June 26, 2020

by Skip

There is no doubt that the Concord Monitor swings Left- even more so since it decided that it would eliminate comments “from the Conservative rabble” who would often make that Progressive Narrative twist rapidly in the wind. Without such competition, the Left has gone Lefter. This example of that, penned by Jean Stimmell, has been … Read more

Bernie and AOC keep saying “Democrat Socialism” is different than plain Socialism. It isn’t

February 21, 2020

by Skip

It comes down to “Who Chooses”? With Socialism, in that everything is owned by “all” and the majority ALWAYS overrules the minority (and the smallest minority is YOU), the Government chooses (whether you like it or not). You are only a cog in a collective. With Capitalism and our Representative / Constitutional Republic, that adheres … Read more

Sometimes a Cartoon is just a Kids Cartoon and not “Capitalist – Individualistic Propaganda”

February 14, 2020

by Skip

I swear some “academicians” just have way too much time on their hands and too little horsepower to figure out what is real and what isn’t. Sure, messages can be sent to kids (think govt schools) but this is just too far.

Notable Quote – F.A. Hayek

October 1, 2019

by Skip

This is the fundamental fact on which the whole philosophy of individualism is based. It does not assume, as is often asserted, that man is egoistic or selfish or ought to be. It merely starts from the indisputable fact that the limits of our powers of imagination make it impossible to include in our scale … Read more

No. Collectivism of the Obama brand cannot preserve Individual Liberty

September 26, 2018January 22, 2013

by Skip

Over at Townhall was a piece on a phrase from Obama’s 2nd Inaugural Address (a paeon to Progressivism – once again “repurposing language” to sound as if he agree with the Founding Fathers but absolutely up ending the original intent):

“Preserving our individual liberties,” the President said, “ultimately requires collective action.”

A phrase worthy of the Hobbesian philosophy that Rights are determined solely by Government; that is to say, by the Collective and allocated solely by politics and power. The piece goes through the speech and comments on how “collectivism on steroids” Obama spoke on a number of points in his speech. I did not listen to the speech live nor have I yet read the speech in its entirety but from what I have gathered in reading other commentary, the Founders are not rolling over in their graves but were exhumed by Obama and handled as dissenters in the finest tyrannical fashion (“see that wall?”).

I had my own thoughts on this phrase and how it violated our native political philosophy and instead, is trying to “fundamentally transform” what has been our heritage into something more Marxist / Socialistic. While it is true that the Founders agreed on the notion of “we must all hang together or we will all hang separately”, they were fighting to standalone and apart from a tyrannical Government that made decisions for all apart from their input. After all, that is the history of Mankind – evil people wishing to either hang on to or gather power into themselves. For politicians, in most cases (and certainly almost all on the Left) crave power and control far more than the “capitalists” they disdain and castigate for being greedy for mere money.

My thoughts (such as they are):

No, my Individual Freedom does not depend on collective action. It does, however, require a belief in something bigger than self, and bigger than mere govt. It requires that our Rights come from God, and proceeding with that premise in all that is done politically. It requires that there is an accountability that goes beyond the Laws of the land, and the regulations they promulgate. It requires an internally based governor that says “Thou shalt not cross this line”; something that Progressives fail to observe.

Decisions – which will you choose?

September 26, 2018April 6, 2012

by Skip

Make no mistake – there is a political battle going on simply because it is a Presidential election year. But also make no mistake – there is a philosophical battle going on for the soul of what this country can and should be; what should the Land of the Free have as its guiding principle? This battle is between two diametrically opposed visions – the first is that now being pushed by the radical vision of Obama and his punishing posse of Progressives defined by the socialist collective ideal. In this world, Government is the most important part of the country’s life and guides and defines (and ultimately demands) how the rest of us will live our lives. Here, they would devolve us back to a system where elites and technocrats, within the almost unlimited confines of the Administrative State, would carefully let us know what is good and bad, right and wrong. All, we are assured, would live equitably with completely shared values – predetermined by the Politically Correct set. Society well defined and ‘efficient’ – the messy chaos that would otherwise exist is, well, would be a thing of the past.

The alternative is what this Republic was founded upon – radical vision that all men are created equal with Rights given by their Creator where each person is free to make of themselves what they will, all the gift of both the genius and sacrifices of our Founders. The new notion that we get to decide how we are to be governed by our consent by a Government that is (supposed to be) responsive to us (instead of the other way around). Further, that Government is bound by a limiting document that explicitly lays out what it can and cannot do, what each part of that government should and shouldn’t do, and all for our benefit (instead of for the benefit of Government).

Hmmm, this is not how I thought this post was gonna go; well, words happen. What got me started was the that phrase that is now the title (from Hot Air and ended up as the title of my previous post: You’re On Your Own vs We Refuse to Leave You Alone) as well as a memory that got kicked off as I read it.