Seems Like A Lovely Day For One Of My Fave Bastiat Quotes
Here you go!
"Socialism, like the ancient ideas from which it springs, confuses the distinction between government and society. As a result of this, every time we object to a thing being done by government, the socialists conclude that we object to its being done at all. We disapprove of state education. Then the socialists say that we are opposed to any education. We object to a state religion. Then the socialists say that we want no religion at all. We object to a state-enforced equality. Then they say that we are against equality. And so on, and so on. It is as if the socialists were to accuse us of not wanting persons to eat because we do not want the state to raise grain."― Frédéric Bastiat, "The Law"
The essential bit, once more:
...Every time we object to a thing being done by government, the socialists conclude that we object to its being done at all.
More Bastiat snacks here.
Maybe we should put a match to the army of straw men Bastiat just marched in here and clear this mess up.
Gog_Magog_Carpet_Reclaimers at October 24, 2011 4:13 PM
Gog, are you saying the quote is wrong? After all the moralizing we've gotten from the Left for the past half-century about how we're leaving people to starve in the streets if we only increase welfare spending 12% instead of 15%?
Cousin Dave at October 24, 2011 6:04 PM
Gog,
I would like you to read the U. S. Constitution and Amendments and point out where it mentions
The Consumer Product Safety Committee is one that should have been left in private hands. If you grew up a few years back, the government didn't have the intrusive CPSC and Department of Commerce they have now. Before their existence was the privately owned and run Underwriters Laboratory. They would test any device to standards that people were normally going to use the device. Such as a toaster was going to be used on a counter and not purposely dunked in water when plugged in. Now we have labels on the toaster -- do not submerge in water. If an idiot submerged a plugged in toaster in water -- that was not normal expected use -- and the company was indemnified by the UL label. The courts have now made stupidity the standard -- and the companies liable for the stupidity.
The federal government was designed to grant the citizen his liberty. And responsibilities. There is a responsibility for me to support education. But I have the liberty to object to me paying for your child's education. I am responsible to support equality -- but I am at liberty to object to the EEO standards they use at colleges.
I am liberty to say FEMA has to go, but I am then responsible to help out if some disaster were to happen in my state, if I can.
The way the federal government is going -- they are intruding into our lives with more laws and regulations on the individual. The government is infantilizing the American public so that we are not responsible for our stupidity. At the same time they are taking away our liberty by restricting what is not an "offense" against society.
Jim P. at October 24, 2011 7:46 PM
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