Monday, February 28, 2011

A Left Wing Argument

I've been attacking Democrats for failing to enunciate a left wing argument. Here's a suggestion:

Ayn Rand is wrong. No one accomplishes great things, becomes wealthy, or even invents a new kind of steel, by themselves. Everyone is a beneficiary of the state, and of their fellow man. Everyone is basically helpless for the first ten years of their life, and is a ward of their caretakers and their community. Even if you are educated by a private tutor on your survivalist compound, you still owe a lot to the country you live in.

It may be possible for private enterprise to replace most functions of the state, but that doesn't make it a good idea. Would you like your ability to travel to be contingent on the whims of a private company? Thanks to "socialized" roads, you can travel anywhere in the country. Do you want your water's purity to be determined by someone trying to cut every corner?

We all lean on each other for support. This isn't "learned helplessness", it's efficiency. If we all had to take care of our every need, we'd never get anything done. Civilization only works because we help each other out, even when there's not an apparent benefit. Republicans like to say that "a rising tide lifts all boats", but they don't realize that applies to helping the most vulnerable in society too. Someone trapped in the thrall of an insidious drug does terrible damage to himself, those around him, and society as a whole. The expense of helping someone free themselves from a drug is far cheaper than bombing Colombia, elaborate sting operations on dealers, and imprisoning a generation of "three strikes" violators. It's not just the most humane solution, it's also the best for the economy, and for the government's pocketbook.

PS. This is just something I wrote off the top of my head. Left Wing solutions have a lot of benefits, we just need someone to speak out about it.

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