When I read articles like “We Can Do Better Than This” by Senator Bernie Sanders, my first reaction is anger. Anger at immoral ideas wrapped in the shroud of morality. Anger at using moral ends to justify immoral means. Anger at the distortion of reality to fit a utopia that cannot, will not and should not exist. And after the anger subsides, I feel what can only be described as a marriage of urgency and pity.
The path to prosperity is not paved with the stones of socialism. Whatever vague and undefined terms are used to describe income redistribution or universal healthcare or a thousand other programs that carry a false pretense of morality, make no mistake that proposal lurking beneath the surface is socialism.
Sen. Sanders starts with the premise of an “unfair distribution of wealth.” The only thing unfair about wealth is attempting to redistribute it. How is it fair to take wealth earned on the basis of merit and give it to another on the basis of need? That is neither fair nor moral.
Sen. Sanders goes on to list five talking points–all seemingly well-intentioned yet all morally flawed. First, he advocates “fair trade” instead of free trade. Unfortunately for Sen. Sanders, the laws of economics cannot be suspended by acts of Congress. Interrupting the flow of free trade will, in the long run, hurt those Sen. Sanders intends to help–the working men and women of America. This is a subject unto itself–for more, see why fair trade does not work.
Second, Sen. Sanders asserts labor’s “constitutional right for collective bargaining.” I’ve spent the last hour looking through the Constitution and Bill of Rights, but I can’t seem to find this right. Am I missing something? It is truly sad that one of America’s legislators asserts a “constitutional right” that is neither a right nor in the Constitution.
Third, Sen. Sanders champions the cause of universal healthcare. Don’t be fooled by the terminology, universal healthcare is nothing other than socialized medicine–the rationing of healthcare which makes healthcare harder to obtain and lower in quality. Healthcare for all sounds like a brilliant idea, right? Universal healthcare has not only be proven unsuccessful (before you start citing statistics about Britain and Canada and how the U.S. lags behind other industrialized nations, take the time to read The Cure by David Gratzer, please) but is also intrinsically immoral (by infringing upon the liberty of physicians–more in another post).
Unfortunately for Sen. Sanders, we live, not in a utopia, but in the real world. Unfortunately for me, Sen. Sanders’ message appeals to a sizable portion of America’s population who is neither informed nor willing to learn.
Looters, et al 