Stop and Think by Thomas Sowell on National Review Online:
The thing most associated with America — freedom — is precisely what must be destroyed if this is to be turned into a fundamentally different country to suit Obama’s vision of the country and of himself. But do not expect a savvy politician like Barack Obama to express what he is doing in terms of limiting our freedom.
He may not even think of it in those terms. He may think of it in terms of promoting “social justice” or making better decisions than ordinary people are capable of making for themselves, whether about medical care or housing or many other things. Throughout history, egalitarians have been among the most arrogant people.
Obama has surrounded himself with people who also think it is their job to make other people’s decisions for them. Not just Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, his health-care advisor who complains of Americans’ “over-utilization” of medical care, but also Prof. Cass Sunstein, who has written a whole book on how third parties should use government power to “nudge” people into making better decisions in general.
2 comments:
Ah the problems with absolute power. Thank G-d for checks and balances. I remember the patriot act and the erosion of rights with great horror. Due to panic and fear, the public gladly handed over their rights. Congress gladly took them and have yet to hand them back in tact.
"I was not intimidated during J. Edgar Hoover's FBI hunt for reporters like me who criticized him. I railed against the Bush-Cheney war on the Bill of Rights without blinking. But now I am finally scared of a White House administration."
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