My guess (though I can't speak for anyone else) is that for libertarians, that "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" connection at least in part some of the reason for their anti-abortion position. If speaking for the voiceless "would be" the liberal stance--why isn't it?
As for this week's post, I wish you had been more thorough! ;) After reading Sowell's article, your post, and the additional notes you provided, I have to say that I think TS makes a legitimate point. Though I may not agree with his reasoning. As with lots of other things I look at intent. The shallow conservative story of welfare, as you've pointed out, is that people choose welfare as opposed to opting for an education, employment, and paying taxes (though many different kinds of taxes are paid by everyone and in my state where we have no state income tax the poor actually pay more in sales taxes, close to 10%, than the poor in other states). A conscious choice that seems silly even when presented by someone as intelligent as Sowell.
I do think however, that when people feel that they have few options and limited opportunities a level of hopelessness can set in. Once living on assistance becomes generational, or if one lives in a community where it is the norm, the idea of living another way can be lost. When I was in Russia recently I asked our tour guide how people felt about the fall of Communism. Her response was shocking, but made sense as well:
"The older people want it back. The young people are excited about being able to decide for themselves what kind of life they want. They would never go back."
That seemed so counter intuitive to me. I had imagined that those who had suffered under oppression would be more excited about their new freedoms. But it seems that somewhere along the way they got use to not making decisions for themselves and found a kind of security in it. The old ways came with a certain amount of structure that was reliable even if inadequate and oppressive. That everything new would seem unstable by comparison, makes sense.
We could say that Baby Boomers have fallen into this kind of thinking. As you pointed out we are more than happy for our parents to take advantage of all kinds of government programs. Our entire generation has been "trained" to wind through the maze of medicare, medicaid, and a variety of other benefits as opposed to doing what previous generations have done, take in aging parents and struggling relatives and care for them. Census records routinely show an unmarried female relative or aging parent living with a family in the past. Have you heard of anyone you know rejecting government programs so that they could solely provide for mom or dad?
So while Sowell and others like him (it practically is the Republican mantra) believe that people are "gaming" the system, it is much more likely that a rut is fallen into. I think it is highly likely that just like the older Russians, at some point people lose the ability to make choices for themselves. There is also a big difference between thinking that politicians take advantage of a situation that exists and that they cause it purposefully, which TS is saying.
Something else I noticed on my travels was that, much more than here, there is a communication divide. While older subway riders in St. Petersburg wore the colorless clothes we associate with Communism, and stared straight ahead, younger people dressed in stylish clothes and were busy communicating on their I-phones. According to the book, Millennial Momentum, this hyper connected generation is going to solve a lot of problems through their ability to understand more than one point of view and collaborate to find solutions. Here is an interview with them from PBS News Hour:
In other news: My Orwellian brain is intrigued by a new book, George Orwell Diaries. In Michael Dirda's review on Truthdig, this quote stood out:
He describes the Phony War, the Blitz and the declining morale of the bomb-weary Londoners, and he quotes news, rumors and absurdities from the newspapers, such as this letter written by Margot Asquith, Lady Oxford: “Since most London houses are deserted there is little entertaining … in any case, most people have to part with their cooks and live in hotels.” Comments Orwell, confirming his flair for prophecy: “Apparently nothing will ever teach these people that the other 99% of the population exist.”
Oh, that 1% seems to change so little over time...
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