By Bruce Walker
What is the oldest mantra in the Cult of the Left? Fairness: the odd idea that the function of government is to make life fair. Social justice is another name for this jihad in favor of absolute equality. The Left begins with redistribution of wealth and progressive tax rates, but it usually stops there too. The Left is too timid. Life is unfair, but in many more ways than wealth. If the function of government is to even out what Providence has distributed unevenly, then why stop at wealth. What is a fat bank account and big income anyway, except a more immediate means of acquiring wealth?
Physical
beauty is worth lots of money (ask any fashion model). Should we tax these
gorgeous women who, without effort in many cases, have been born with perfect
noses, nice figures, delightfully contoured cheekbones, and all the other
elements of beauty? Have they not, surely, won big in life's lottery? Ask a
homely woman that question! Some work
may be required for a naturally beautiful woman to remain beautiful, but this
work is hardly as arduous as - say - the lonely and despised daily life of the
garbage collector. Besides, beautiful women get more than just money - ask any
woman who is not a high fashion model – and these other perks, like making men
dizzy, bring unfair advantages that money cannot buy.
But
let's not pick on women. What about those men who born tall and well
proportioned? Those who make the rest of us men look like (and feel) like
teenagers? Or what about those young men given by Providence athletic gifts
that "can't be coached"? Phenomenal football or basketball players
practice hard, but even men who practice twice as hard as anyone can never come
close to the levels of wealth, adulation, and success of natural born athletes.
The
unfairness of life extends beyond the physical.
What about born geniuses? A Pope called Mozart "Amadeus" -
beloved of God - for clear reasons:
Mozart was clearly born with musical genius in his DNA. Capablanca, one
of the greatest chess players in history, taught himself to play the game; he
had beaten the best players in Cuba while his was a mere boy; and he took a
playboy’s attitude toward life (while others studied chessboards for weeks.) Life is unfairly filled with such natural born
geniuses.
Some
people are born songbirds, while other people have voices that make us cringe.
Some people are born with perfect health, and some are sick all their lives.
Some people have loving parents and good homes, and some have early lives that
are nightmares. Once former Congressman Dick Gephardt talked about “Winners in
life’s lottery,” and that seems to sum up Obama’s approach to fairness, but
what can government do about this? Money is the closest way of measuring luck,
and it can be calibrated precisely, so socialism and tax policies which “soak
the rich” are a siren song to those arrogant terrestrial demigods who try to
replace Providence with their own notions of justice.
But
only a child sees this as truly just. What about the uneven distribution of
happiness itself? Is this not what money is all about? If someone is unhappy,
what does money matter? And if someone who is poor is happy, then what exactly
is the money to be used to buy? To be fair, to be really fair, should we not
tax happiness itself? Should we not compel all citizens to submit to
psychometric tests that determine the individual's level of happiness? Should government not then add joy or misery
in appropriate doses so that we are all equally happy?
This,
of course, is what totalitarian states try to do. The Inner Party in 1984 had
one function: to cause pain. That is what fairness in taxation is all about -
causing pain. The joy of mankind is not diminished by the musical genius of
Mozart, by the speed, strength, and agility of Jim Thorpe, by the insight into
space and form of Frank Lloyd Wright, or by the subtle verse of Emily
Dickinson; and the happiness of one normal person is not helped by the misery
of others. In the Brave New World of
Huxley, happiness itself was maximized by the suffocation of the soul. The book burning in Fahrenheit 451 was
because of the emotional and psychological power of books, which could wrench
the heart as well as raise the spirit. What would a government crusade for
fairness mean in our lives? What sort of
taxes and regulations could be imposed?
The
natural tax on beautiful models, in such a wicked world, would be rape – the
expropriation of the benefits of attractiveness by the unattractive – or
compulsory prostitution. The natural tax on Jim Thorpe would be physically
crippling injury or illness or the forced performance of athletics for our
amusement. The natural tax on cheerful people would be needless pain, and so
forth on the long, grim trail to Hell. The marketplace counts more than
dollars. Those who waste inherited fortunes end up worse than those who work
and earn comfort.
There
is a peace that comes from doing one's best, whatever the consequences. It is a
moral calm that has proven through the ages immune to many terrors and endless
tyrants. Perhaps this should be taxed and punished as well. After all, is not
the moral goodness of John Paul II, Albert Schweitzer, Rebbe Schneerson, Mother
Teresa, and all other transcendently compassionate people also a slap in the
face of those with darker hearts? So tax goodness, decency, and integrity as
well or do what Nazis and Stalinists did:
Seek out and punish those with living consciences and trust in God.
If the
ultimate consequence of government taking the mantle of human justice in life
seems extreme and absurd, it is absolutely true that this is the logical
consequences of that approach to government.
Life appears unfair to us and it always.
We are dim creatures in a divinely created universe. We are no more equipped to make life fair
than monkeys are equipped to perform brain surgery. We are enjoined by culture, faith, and heart
to try to be fair – and so we should.
The
few simple laws of good government, which are well summarized in the Ten
Commandments, also define our limited powers of judgment. The operation of the marketplace does not
result in pure and absolute justice, although it produces a sort of rough and
natural justice which is as near our talent as cosmic jurists as any other
system in life. Simple principles of
honesty, charity, courtesy, diligence, and respect – though imperfect human
tools – trump all the macabre machinations of socialists and their ilk. Every
effort toward social justice leads to vast misery and manifest injustice. We have weak tools to make life just: free markets, personal integrity, and the
rule of law. Real justice does not come
from man. It comes only from God.
© 2008 Bruce Walker -- All Rights Reserved
__________________________________________________________
Bruce Walker is the author of two books: Sinisterism:
Secular Religion of the Lie, and his recently published book, The Swastika against the Cross: The Nazi War
on Christianity.
http://outskirtspress.com/swastika_against_the_cross
http://outskirtspress.com/Sinisterism
G'day Bruce, and nice piece.
Of course just taxing gifts like beauty and stature is not the answer any more than taxing the wealthy is the answer to equality. However, there is a way to make all things equal, especially in the age of technology such as this. I always dreamed of being a professional basket ball player. The only things that held me back were the lack of speed, stature, talent and dedication. But why should I be denied the opportunity to make millions playing a game I love. Certainly with technology as it is the game could be made quite equitable. Perhaps a computer program could identify a shorter, slower, less talented person, and automatically adjust the rim height. Perhaps the computer could even produce a laser light halo, that a defender may not cross, around the disadvantaged offensive players, with the halo size based upon his/her/it (why leave out the girls and transgendered) deficiencies. Or perhaps just adjusting the value of a 2 point shot, upward based upon lack of skill (a 40 point basket would work for me). This would truly level the playing field, or court as it were.
I am sure we could adapt such a handicapping system to all pro sports; in the name of fairness. Just think of all of the millions of people that would be making millions of dollars playing pro sports, we could save the economy without raising taxes! We could eliminate the Special Olympics and just have one set of Olympics designed that all athletes finish the race at the same time...wow would there be “a lot of happy people! Consider the "serious" athletes. They would no longer need to spend countless hours practicing, conditioning and studying their craft. Surely they would be tickled with the thought of sleeping in, watching TV instead of the weight room and eating any junk food they so please. They think they are happy now, wait until they have their cake and eat it to.
Think about the Vegas line on all games…they would all be even if all games ended in a tie. No losers, no winners all would be fair. Oh, what a world it would be...John Lennon would be proud...Imagine all the people.
Posted by: Walt | January 23, 2009 at 10:28 AM