Hypocrisy
I wrote a provocative essay for The Liberty Papers a while back that is entitled: Why progressives really aren’t. It begins with an acerbic, though not inaccurate, description of modern liberal philosophy.The so-called progressives of whom I speak are actually collectivists, in that they abhor individualism and individual rights, insofar as such are symbolic of self-reliance. Generally, they think in terms of all-for-one and one-for-all. What’s more, they’re not satisfied with a mutual and voluntary communal arraignment. No, self-styled progressives seek to use the police power of the state to coerce others—those who cherish personal responsibility and freedom from tyranny—to fund their utopian welfare state.
Likewise, Warren Meyer of Coyote Blog riffs on progressive hypocrisy.
For while they talk the libertarian talk pretty well when they want to (abortion with its "I should control decisions over my own body" defense being the most obvious example), progressives also have a very strong streak of "we are smarter than you are and sometimes will tell you what to do because it is for your own good". As a result, for example, progressives support abortion because a woman should make decisions for her body without government intrusion, but oppose the legality of breast implants and vioxx because a woman should, uh, not be able to make decisions for her body without government intrusion.
posted by Robert @ Tuesday, January 31, 2006
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