From: starr@genie.slhs.udel.edu (Tim Starr)
Subject: Re: Bleeding-Heart Libertarianism (was Legalizing drugs)
Organization: UDel, School of Life & Health Sciences
Date: Sun, 13 Dec 1992 10:38:28 GMT

In article <Bz64sM.DBI@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> ivaliote@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (Lotus ) writes:
}mwilson@ncratl.AtlantaGA.NCR.COM (Mark Wilson) writes:
}>But, anyway, how do you feel about taking away someone else's money to
}>feed the hungry.

}Well, if they have quite a bit of money, I wouldn't mind much at all.  I mean, 
}as unpopular as this may be with some, I have no problem taking the money that
}some rich person was gonna use to buy a second Ferrari and soend it on feeding,
}clothing, and housing people.  I guess the Libertarians and I can't debate on
}this one.  I understand their objections, but I just don't agree.

This strikes me as prejudiced.  Perhaps what we need to do is have "the rich"
tell everyone they prefer to be called the "differently financed," and start
attacking the way they're stereotyped with all the mental activity of a
reflex ("knee-jerk")!

Worse yet, what often happens is that the stereotypes are based upon those
who acquire wealth unjustly on libertarian grounds (through the initiation
of force and/or fraud), then applied to those who acquired their "differently
financed" status justly (the old-fashioned way: they earned it).

Then the whole class is blamed for the crimes of a few, and those who aren't
guilty are "guilt-tripped" into supporting the victims of the true criminals.

They're scapegoated, dehumanized, and persecuted.  The IRS persecution of
Leona Helmsley is a case in point.  She was accused of being deviant: she
was "rich"; she was blamed for the crimes of the IRS, which implied that
since she hadn't paid her "fair share" of taxes, that others had to pay
more by default; she was portrayed as being as uncompassionate as the
popular image of Marie Antoinette - compare "Only the little people pay
taxes" to "Let them eat cake!"; then she was persecuted and publicly
humiliated as an example for any other potential tax evaders.

This was simply inhumane.  Also see the treatment of Michael Milken.  What
crime was he accused of committing against anyone else?  What victims were
there?  He wasn't prosecuted at the instigation of any victim, he was
persecuted and scapegoated for having made lots of money during the 1980s
(and creating millions of jobs and threatening the Blue-blood Eastern
Establishment CEOs and chairmen of the board of Corporate America).  He
thought it was all just a misunderstanding, and now thinks that they went
after him because he was Jewish.

Then, when the ritual persecution of this minority is pointed out, they're
said to be privileged enough to take it - just like Blacks were said to
be physically strong enough due to eugenic breeding by white southern
slaveowners to be able to take the backbreaking labor they were performed
under duress.

Disgusting.

Tim Starr - Renaissance Now! - Think Universally, Act Selfishly
starr@genie.slhs.udel.edu

"True greatness consists in the use of a powerful understanding to enlighten
oneself and others." - Voltaire
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