Unicorns, Dragons and Compassionate Government
Yesterday our web master and I were discussing compassionate conservatism, which I insist and always have insisted, is just playing into liberal hands. Compassionate conservatism we have since learned is big government conservatism (which I could have told you back on 00 when I didn’t vote for W. in the primaries.) A person can be compassionate, because a person can take money out of their own pocket and give to those in need. But a government can NOT be compassionate because a government doesn’t have any money in any of its pockets. All a government can do is pick the taxpayers pocket and give that money to the currently favored few.
Clearly the Corner is reading our private IMs because today Andy McCarthy points out what chumps compassionate conservatism has turned us into.
I felt an obligation to help less fortunate people who were in need. So I sent money to the Red Cross because the Red Cross is a reputable outfit with a good reputation help to the people who need it.
Afterwards, I got so angry at the boondoggle government spending, which inevitably rewarded (and continues to reward) the worst tendencies, I ended up annoyed at myself for contributing — in the name of “compassion,” the government is going to spend goo-gobs of your money anyway, and waste aplenty.
Exactly! When government robs Peter to pay Paul, who is committing fraud, it doesn’t bring out the compassion in Peter, it makes Peter bitter and stingy. Compassionate government is a mythical creature. A Compassionate Conservatism would be a philosophy calling for less government and more of people keeping their hard earned money.. you know what we used to call just plain conservatism.
