pdill,

Unfortunately, my niece is of an age where she knows it all. Like most on the left, she has an amazing resistance to anything conservative – to her, and millions of others, the liberal viewpoint is the only legitimate one. Case closed.
I hope when she gets older she’ll come around. Meanwhile, I continue racking my brains for an effective way to influence the left. Only marginal success so far.

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Nancy,

Excellent post. Nothing says Progressive or Liberal more than the eight letters in “equality.” If you get the opportunity, ask Sarah what “equality” means to her (give her enough time; philosophers have been discussing [and debating] this very concept for millenia.) Stanford has an excellent (though dry) discussion of the subject: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/equality/

(If you manage to still be awake by the time you get to Pareto-optimality, you’ve got what it takes to teach – or at least “tolerate – college-level philosophy.)

I’m a “Rawls-Dworkin” believer that equality is highly linked to opportunity, ambition, and personal responsibility, which also presumes that “luck” is mostly made of these factors. Progressives tend to downplay the roles of ambition and responsibility (arguing that equality is something that should be given automatically by society or government, not something that relies on personal choice and effort), while conservatives tend to downplay opportunity (arguing instead that very often – perhaps more often than not – opportunities are obtained through personal effort and ambition, rather than opportunities being a prerequisite to equality).

Obama’s desire to reach out as an “equal” partner is laudable at first blush, but it is very dangerous when it serves to embolden leaders of other nations that do not embrace the same concept of equality. We often take our liberties and freedoms for granted, and we assume that others are just as willing as we are to “share and share alike” of the riches and bounties of the world. I hope Obama wakes up before it’s too late to keep tyrants from taking excessive advantage of his outstretched arms. We don’t need to treat all national leaders as best buddies and long lost friends, but it is wise that we recognize them as part of the political landscape with twists, turns, and obstacles that cannot be ignored.

Jeff V

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Isn’t it interesting how this administration is so egalitarian when it comes to socialistic values, and so morally bankrupt when it comes to the only equality that does matter; from which all good things flow, the dignity of every human life!

Nancy as I suspect you probably have done, you would be wise to educate your niece that true equality is not possible without truth and freedom, both of which are devoid in socialism.

Despite the obvious consequences of “social equality”, the great paradox is this: The rich need the poor far more than the poor need the rich. Likewise, the healthy need the dying.

But in a world/country going Godless, nature never fails to abhor a vacuum. Consequently, we have before us, the likes of the perils of socialism/communism, predictably sans respect for human life, guaranteed, like all before, to fail.

But then, Jesus himself told us, “The poor will always be among us.” He also taught us to care for the poor, which of course is a no brainer IF one respects the dignity and worth of all human life.

Nancy I hope you are able to help your niece understand how Obama has it all backwards!

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