Free to Die
By PAUL KRUGMAN
Published: September 15, 2011
“Back in 1980, just as America was making its political turn to the right, Milton Friedman lent his voice to the change with the famous TV series “Free to Choose.” In episode after episode, the genial economist identified laissez-faire economics with personal choice and empowerment, an upbeat vision that would be echoed and amplified by Ronald Reagan.
But that was then. Today, “free to choose” has become “free to die…”
“…Now, however, compassion is out of fashion — indeed, lack of compassion has become a matter of principle, at least among the G.O.P.’s base.
“”And what this means is that modern conservatism is actually a deeply radical movement, one that is hostile to the kind of society we’ve had for the past three generations — that is, a society that, acting through the government, tries to mitigate some of the “common hazards of life” through such programs as Social Security, unemployment insurance, Medicare and Medicaid.
“Are voters ready to embrace such a radical rejection of the kind of America we’ve all grown up in? I guess we’ll find out next year.”
Cassi Creek:
There’s an ugly mob being gathered by the GOP/teavangelists. Who are the targets this time?
In the past, it has been many of us. The English, French, and Spanish colonized the continent. They targeted the Native Americans. Later, Germans, French-Canadian Protestants, and Irish arrived. They were initially the new targets but found even newer immigrants to target. Italians, Poles, Russian Jews, others fleeing the Balkans and Eastern Europe exited our port cities and entered the target zone.
Most recently, the decision of who to target has been made by the GOP/teavangelists. They have had their propaganda arms wage war against “illegal immigrants.” Unfortunately, they do not allow our enforcement agencies to go after the corporations that use illegal immigrant labor. I fully support controlling immigration and our borders. I do not support targeting laborers while ignoring those who profit from their labors.
Now they’re targeting the former middle class and the American working class. Amusingly, as the jobs for citizens dry up and vanish, so do many illegal immigrants who can now find better jobs – exported by American corporations - in their native lands.
The current target is Muslim-Americans. However, as the election campaign plays out, the target identity may change at any time. Be careful. It is nearly time for the teavangelists to hand out the pitchforks to the peasants!
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