Social Justice is one of the new Progressive terms used today and taught in our schools. It is another term for Economic Equality. This sounds good in theory. World leaders advocate this on a global basis, and why not? We live in comparative luxury in this country. Even people that have never worked a day in their life and live on welfare have a higher standard of living than much of the world.
“From each according to his ability, to each according to his need.” This sounds good. Is this what Progressives are trying to achieve with big government and wealth redistribution? Who used this slogan? It was Karl Marx. Some modern Progressives say they admire Karl Marx and believe his teachings. Karl Marx was a communist.
Theoretically, Karl Marx’s teachings could work in an economy of abundance. Unfortunately, that has never happened and can never happen, because in a socialist society there is little motivation to produce goods and services. What does happen is the majority of the population is reduced to a minimal existence, and only the political elite and the politically connected super rich get richer. President Yanukovych of the Ukraine is an example of how the political elite live in luxury at taxpayer expense. We have some pretty good examples in our country too.
It would be nice if our political leaders actually were interested in doing what was best for their country, but it does not work that way. As Lord Acton said in 1887, “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” This is what happens with big government when a small number of political elite decides how the rest of us must live. As the government becomes larger and the political elite becomes more powerful, the government becomes more and more totalitarian or fascist. Communism or a dictatorship is the final stage.
The number of people killed in the 20th century exceeds the number of people killed in all previous history. Most died in a time of peace in Marxist countries in the name of social equality. Many died of starvation in a land of plenty. Here are some of numbers:
· Communist China - 70 million people dead
· Communist Russia - 20 million people dead
· Japan - 12 million Chinese civilians dead
I am amazed Modern Progressives can convince so many people that big government with the political elite telling us how to live our lives can lead to a world of Milk and Honey. This has never worked in the history of the world. What is different now? Power corrupts.
It is even more contradictory to advocate the control of big government, but complain about the capitalist system and the power of big corporations. Big corporations control big government now with lobbyists and campaign donations. Government is getting bigger with more government regulations helping big business, and hurting small businesses. We need smaller federal government with less regulatory interference in the private sector.
The dedication of my book, Business Fits reads:
“This book is dedicated to all the small farmers and small town business owners that played a huge part in making this country great. Unfortunately, they are both disappearing.” Lets go back to what made this country great.
Our founding fathers recognized the danger of big government. That is why they formed a republic with a three-part government creating a system of checks and balances. We must comply with the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. They are as relevant today as when they were written. The alternative is not good.