Letter From America

The Collectivism of the Left is For Self-Serving Ends

David Bahnsen

My favorite thing about the left is their selective sense of sacrifice and empathy. Having adopted a philosophy that is allegedly based on helping others in need at the expense of the individual’s best interest, the left wing of American politics has chosen to put this in practice by not practicing it at all. Now, in the interest of avoiding artificiality, I will not feign shock at this, for I have always been aware that the left’s interest in the “little guy” was really an interest in developing and retaining power. The left manipulates the little guy as a means of achieving their political objectives. Sometimes, they are just not very subtle.

The rhetoric of “shared pain” is all around us. The economic recession has decimated our financial system, and Obama and his minions have taken to the airwaves for a year now pleading for all of us to make sacrifices, for banks to start lending, and for consumers to resume spending. We are assured that our individual interests can not be allowed to transcend the collective good. It is economic heresy and political tyranny, but it is emotionally soothing for many to hear. Collectivism is a funny thing; it strokes your cheek a bit just before it breaks your neck.

So imagine the shock I endured when I read that the California State University system is pleading for an additional $884 million in funds for 2010! Shared pain? Hogwash! Get yours, CSUF! Yes, as California struggles to deal with a $21 billion shortfall, the Cal State school system has decided that now is a good time to ask for another $1 billion (I have learned to round up and down in increments of $1 billion when dealing with state funds; I use $1 trillion increments when dealing with federal funds). And the UC system, fresh off of all its glorious academic achivements had this to say when requesting a $930 million increase: “If ever there was a time to fight for and invest in the institution best positioned to power this state from recession, now is that time.” Did you get that? The institution best positioned to lead the state out of economic hard times is not small business, and it is not private enterpise – it is a government college. God help us. And the best way to do it is to give it $1 billion of taxpayer funds while lawmakers kibble over eliminating $21 billion from the state budget.

These people make me sick to my stomach, and I am tired of mincing words when dealing with these no-good whores. They care nothing for freedom or education; they care about power. They care nothing about the “collective good”; they would rather bankrupt the state than see their stranglehold on power dampened in the slightest bit. They are a shame. They don’t even have the political decency to wait until the economy has improved to come back to the trough, pillaging us taxpayers, growing their wasteful and failed bureacracy. I usually like to cope with these things by using cynical scorn and satirical mockery. Today, I am just fed up.

“There is no more to cut from our schools,” California Teachers Assn. President David Sanchez. “There is no more meat on this bone. . . . The next step is amputation.” Please, Mr. Sanchez – don’t tease me. I know the day is coming that we will finally amputate your cancerous arm from our otherwise healthy body. But in the meantime, we know that time has not yet come. I can patiently wait.