THE LEFTIST "COMMUNITY" MYTH

One of the commonest Leftist arguments in defence of big government (a sophisticated example here) is to say that the individual could accomplish nothing and would earn nothing without the community of which he forms part -- and that therefore he "owes" the community something. That is of course true. What is hilarious is that Leftists by some amazing feat of illogicality then immediately equate "the community" with "the government" -- which is in fact merely one part of the community, and a very parasitic part at that.

To see how parasitic, it is instructive to look at Britain in the year 1900. Britain at that time was the workshop of the world, had the world's largest navy, had an army that could muster half a million men if required (as it subsequently did in South Africa), had more effective policing than it has today, had justice and educational systems that were legendary for their quality, had a comprehensive welfare system and had extensive worker-protection legislation (principally introduced by the arch-Conservative Disraeli). So how much of the national income was spent by government at that time? 13.3%! Taxation there has since skyrocketed (government expenditures reaching 49.9% of the national income in 1984) and what have Britons got in return for all that extra tax? An army of clerks and petty dictators, principally. Clearly, Britain in 1900 shows that one can discharge one's obligations to "the community" without giving half of the national income to the government to squander.

The plain fact is that what we owe the community we DO pay and have ALWAYS paid -- by working and providing our services in exchange for services from others. And people co-operate to create goods and services with or without government involvement. And even if we agree that we owe the government some of our money for the services it provides, that in no way implies that we owe something to each and every member of the community, regardless of how much they contribute to the community.

There is, for instance, nothing inconsistent with my admitting indebtedness to the community and also saying that I owe hobos nothing. They have done nothing for me so I owe them nothing. I may give them something out of kindness but that is all. It is of course typically dreamy and simplistic Leftist thinking to see "the community" as some sort of undifferentiated whole when it is in fact anything but and when people in every day of their lives make sharp and important distinctions of all sorts between different members of it. Leftists have such rigid and simplistic brains that their discussions have always tended to lump people into large and overgeneralized groups. It used to be "the working class" versus "the bourgeoisie" and now it is mostly "gays", "women", "minorities" etc. They just can't handle or allow for individuals in their thinking. Individuals are just too messy and unruly for them. Straitjackets for all!

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ELSEWHERE

A surprising endorsement from Taxachusetts: "Since the devastating terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, one American leader has maintained an unbending resolve to protect our homeland and interest against Islamic savages and those foreign governments appeasing them. That leader is President Bush. While out-of-touch U.S. politicians and world leaders have attacked President Bush's tactics, they can't question his steely commitment to keep America safe".

Kerry is pro-homosexual: "Sen. John Kerry's presidential campaign offers "GLBT" bumper stickers, a demonstration of his support for "gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered" activism. As WND reported, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute has declared the Edwards-Kerry presidential ticket the most "gay-supportive" in the history of the U.S.... "John Kerry believes that same-sex couples should be granted rights, including access to pensions, health insurance, family medical leave, bereavement leave, hospital visitation, survivor benefits, and other basic legal protections that all families and children need," the site proclaims. "He has supported legislation to provide domestic partners of federal employees the benefits available to spouses of federal employees. He was one of 14 senators - and the only one up for re-election in 1996 - to oppose the Defense of Marriage Act.""

Baseball Crank (Slow loading) lists 13 major issues where John Kerry has said the same as the far-Left and the Islamofascists.

Opinion Journal notes today that John Kerry has been dissed by both Poland and Iran. I have always had a soft spot for the Poles so it grieves me to see Kerry mock the Polish contribution to the Iraq war as "bribed". It is a gross insult to the heroic and very honourable Poles. No wonder the Poles are now getting tired of the whole thing.

Mark Steyn: "If I wasn't a conservative before 9/11, I'd certainly be one now. On one side I see decayed, self-absorbed passivity: citizens reduced to junkies with government as the pusher. On the other stand the gun-crazies, the religious Right, the home-schoolers, the flat-taxers and all the rest: you don't have to agree with them on everything to appreciate that, in a new war which not all of the West will survive, they have an advantage over the Swedes and Belgians. A self-reliant conservative citizenry is a better bet than the subjects of an overbearing state."

Islamic morality: "Who are we allowed to seize as hostage? Who are we allowed to kill? For the past few weeks these questions have prompted much debate throughout the Muslim world. The emerging answer to both questions is: Anyone you like!"

Catholics for Bush: "The presidential race is tightening among Roman Catholics, as national polls show President Bush cutting into Sen. John Kerry's lead among Catholic voters in recent months. The trend could help Bush in a tightening race in New Jersey, a state with 3.4 million Catholics. A poll released last week - before Thursday night's televised debate - by the Barna Research Group, which focuses on a Christian audience, showed Bush pulling ahead of Kerry among Catholic voters but it also showed Kerry gaining ground among Protestant voters".

Two of Australia's major newspapers have been sponsoring a Leftist blog run by a Chomskyite. Apparently they have become a bit embarrassed by that -- but not enough to cancel the blog concerned. They now have quite a good conservative blog up as well.

Wicked Thoughts has just put up a set of incredibly funny church announcements. The one I liked best was: "Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 PM. Please use the back door."

For more postings, see EDUCATION WATCH, GREENIE WATCH, POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH, GUN WATCH and SOCIALIZED MEDICINE. Mirror sites here, here, here, here and here

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That power only, not principles, is what matters to Leftists is perfectly shown by the Kerry campaign. They have put up a man whose policies seem to be 99% the same as George Bush's even though they have previously disagreed violently with those policies. "Whatever it takes" is their rule.

Leftism is for most Leftists a desire to sound good rather than a desire to do good

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