Seeking Virtue by Sinning Differently

In a recent post, one commenter said, “I can’t believe anyone would vote Republican after what we have seen through the Trump era.” That mindset exemplifies several failings within what is increasingly becoming the Democratic-Socialist party.

It presents the world as binary: Right vs. Wrong … Good vs. Evil … Us vs. Them. Our lives are not so simple, and issues, which are addressed through government and politics, can never be presented in stark black-and-white. There are many shades of gray, and a full understanding requires that we view the world in unlimited hues. Our individual perspectives may be entirely valid as to ourselves, but there are millions of different perspectives.

The idea that “If you are not ‘with’ us, then you are against use” is a false dichotomy. While there are some, who actively embrace Trump, many Trump voters/supporters are reluctant at best. They see him not as a god-like super hero, but as a severely flawed human being. However, many such persons correctly view his opponents as being similarly flawed and self-interested, even if they are more practiced in their lies and more insidious in their deceptions.

The legacy parties have become increasingly polarized. They offer the populace little in the way of compromise. The electorate is forced to make an unsatisfying choice as to the perceived “lesser of two evils.” Like most decisions, the choice of the lesser evil is subjective with each person weighing the benefits and detriments as applied to them individually. When individual goals are incompatible and personal priorities are inconsistent, it should be expected that the outcomes of elections and resulting government actions may not be as one imagined or wished.

Statists have a misplaced faith in the state. They place too much confidence in the role of government, which acts at the behest of a self-serving electoral majority or collective. In the guise of selflessness, altruism, and charity, they seek to use the coercive powers of the state and the compulsory authority of government to advance their own selfishness, covetousness, and greed.

Government and politics are forever and always about power. Power is an inevitably corrupting influence. As power trends toward absolute, so does the certainty for corruption, and with corruption comes abuse, oppression, and tyranny. These relationships are immutable.

Admittedly, there are those within the GOP, who wish for government to do more for them personally. Similarly, there are those within a leftward-lurching Democratic party, who are eager to suckle on the teat of government and to benefit from the state’s supposed largess. There is, however, no win-win scenario.

Successful cooperative action requires mutualities of commitment, contribution, and benefit. Where these mutualities exist, parties will come together voluntarily and act consistent with their common interests. In the absence of such mutualities, no amount of government coercion is likely to make the proposed endeavor successful. Nevertheless, the proponents of state action seek to use the power of the state in order to compel reluctant parties to participate in relationships and transactions, which are contrary to the perceive interests of opponents and which would not occur absent regulatory and punitive acts of government.

Government is not a mechanism, which engenders cooperation, compromise, collaboration, and consensus. Government is at its most basic an instrument of brute force whereby an electoral majority (or controlling voting bloc) seeks to impose its self-serving will upon a disfavored minority (or other group). Rarely, if ever, is there anything more noble or moral in the machinations of the state.

Would-be revolutionaries hope to enjoy the spoils of war. They are content to destroy all that is on the hope of plundering and pillaging through the smoldering rubble of what once was. They promise to “Build Back Better,” but there will be no Utopia rising like a Phoenix from the ashes.

Those who potentially will suffer harm, loss, or destruction should be expected to defend themselves, and they are entitled to protect what is theirs. In doing so, they may be forced to make some unpalatable choices. In being called enemies, they may acts as foes. They may engage in alliances, which might not be considered under other circumstances. Nevertheless, it is entirely unreasonable to expect them to sit back and to do nothing — to capitulate and surrender.