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This wall photo just started circulating on Facebook.
(The left half of the above image.)
I added my 2 cents to Penn's thoughts, put them side by side with the wall photo and posted the resulting image above to my Facebook account. Clicking the image should enlarge it enough to read it.
Below is what I wrote:
Below is what I wrote:
I like Penn, but this part of his thought process I always thought showed him to be an idiot. Yes. An idiot. To believe that simply leaving "compassion" or safety nets to the sole responsibility of the individual or small non-profit group will ever be either adequate or consistent is pure fantasy. To leave the social and moral responsibility of offering a hand-up to those who are in desperate need to the whims of prevailing public perception and fluctuations of an individual's compelling sense to act is grossly insufficient. Subjecting critical assistance for an individual or family to the judgement of their neighbors, wether conscious or not, invariably leaves many unhelped. We once followed that path in America. The results made tough times not only tough but beyond disastrous. It is correct to say that helping poor people yourself is compassion. Regardless of what minimal safety nets against absolute poverty we may instill via government, the individual can always show true compassion by helping poor and suffering people themselves. Nothing stops anyone from doing so. Yet such individualized help proves woefully incapable of meeting the basic challenge. Despite any and all attempts to find common ground with opposing thought, when I am faced with such libertarian absolutes, I have no choice but to call them idiotic.
Hey Penn,
ReplyDeleteHow many poverty level Libertarians do you think there are in the country? I wonder how may generous 1%er Libertarians it would take to bring all the poor people medical care or unemployment security?
Not too many I would wager!
Al Klappenberger
Here is a relevant wall photo that Penn and Teller just added to their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150353390231926&set=pu.17227611925&type=1&theater It mocks building megachurches over feeding the starving. The very message of the human nature behind that wall photo points out that greed can easily take priority over compassion to help the most needy among us. This can happen on a large scale even through churches! Through this wall photo, Penn is actually pointing out that leaving the moral task of helping the most needy among us to the individual and non-profit group is simply unreliable. At least if the goal is ensuring a certain level of hunger and desperate needs are met. We as a society will argue forever over the degree to which needs are seen to through our collective wealth (tax dollars), but I do not accept the wisdom (or great lack thereof) in offering that tax dollars meet no needs beyond national defense. There is a price to be paid for a well functioning society.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-october-27-2011/exclusive---andrew-napolitano-extended-interview-pt--1?xrs=synd_facebook
ReplyDeleteJudge Andrew Napolitano was on the Daily Show recently, discussing these very concepts. The startling difference in perspective of the libertarian and liberal views really stand out in these clips. By the end of all 3 sections of this discussion, the degree of overlap in perspective is also made fairly clear.
The part of the interview (part 1) that aired on tv was the least interesting section of the whole discussion between Jon Stewart and Judge Napolitano. Parts 2 and 3 really point out a common libertarian heavy reliance on unregulated "free markets" as a magical path to utopia and "liberty".
This discussion between Stewart and Napolitano is worth the view. Copy and paste the above address to see the first part of the interview. Be sure to view the best parts of the discussion - part 2 and part 3 - clickable links will appear on the right side of the window.