Posted on 05/15/2009 3:42:16 AM PDT by Rummyfan
Ping me!
When President Bush talked about promoting democracy in the Middle East, there was a phrase he liked to use: "Freedom is the desire of every human heart." Really? It's unclear whether that's really the case in Gaza and the Pakistani tribal lands. But it's absolutely certain that it's not the case in Berlin and Paris, Stockholm and London, New Orleans and Buffalo.
Freedom or plenty? It is no accident that Steyn quoted Machiavelli on the issue because old Nick saw this six centuries before we do. His side was the Republic of Florence, where the troops were volunteers; the other side was the Medici, with Spanish mercenaries and enough wealth to promise the community permanent peace and prosperity...if only they'd kiss the ring. Machiavelli's side lost.
So is freedom worth fighting, worth dying for? Of course it is. But when it's taken away a little at a time, can we as easily say that only that little bit of freedom is worth dying for? That's how it's done, an incremental squeezing that takes away first the will, and then the ability to recover that which is lost. And so from initial outrage at the ridiculous notion that one's income might be taxed at all, much less at the confiscatory rate of 10%, we are left with a sniveling gratitude when the State deigns to lower it to three times that...for now. That's how it works.
The real problem is that we've plotted this curve before and it isn't smooth. A State big enough to offer this sort of indolence to its citizens eventually falls just as Florence and Milan and Mantua did, and from indolence the citizens proceed to penury, either as subjects of a still larger and more aggressive state or as inhabitants of a wasteland. At least in the latter case the survivors get to start over. There does not seem to be a historical precedent for an incremental increase in human freedom. It's a jagged curve and it's covered in blood.
We are fortunate enough to live in a Golden Age of plenty and we're doing our best to end it and ensure that it never happens again, all this under the supremely ironic rubric of "sustainability." Somewhere old Nick is laughing at us.
Thanks for posting!
Can someone explain to me what he is getting at in saying that California with 30something million people and Quebec with 7something million people have the same number of government employees? It would seem that this would be a “good” thing, that California, with more than four times the population “manages” with the same number of gov’t employees.
I love Mark Steyn but his point here has eluded me.
Bump
My $0.02:
1. Mark Steyn established a very high bar for himself. I am a little bit desensitized to his brilliance and expect it now every time. But once in a while he produces a masterpiece that still can shock and awe.
2. "...But when it's taken away a little at a time, can we as easily say that only that little bit of freedom is worth dying for? That's how it's done, an incremental squeezing that takes away first the will, and then the ability to recover that which is lost. And so from initial outrage at the ridiculous notion that one's income might be taxed at all, much less at the confiscatory rate of 10%, we are left with a sniveling gratitude when the State deigns to lower it to three times that...for now. That's how it works."
A millennia old fable about frog in a slow boiling pot of water - human nature did not change much, alas.
3. About incremental increase in human freedom.
The XX century after all bloody wars and revolutions, disintegration of empires, colonialism and whimpering death of USSR did see a tremendous increase in human freedom. Sometimes the price was paid directly, sometimes in-directly and maybe mistaken that it was "free". Like Gandhi benefitting from England's benevolence (would he survive another day if he had to confront Stalin or Hitler?); or Asian Tigers growing democratic muscles with China just watching, not pouncing, only because USA was also watching; or Eastern Europe breaking away from the USSR, with Pope leading with "do not be afraid", Reagan and Thatcher encouraging and Gorbachev deciding not to spill blood (as he could, and USSR did on previous occasions in 1956 and 1968).
My point is that millions got more freedom without paying the full price themselves, but the price was paid by somebody else - in previous generations or standing guard now.
His observation is that Quebec is worse -- a government with a nation -- and Cali is headed in that direction.
Right ... I missed that at first, too.
Bump
Thanks for the post. As usual, Mark Steyn goes far, far beyond the usual superficial observation of societal decline.
I wonder, does anyone know if this speech is available in audio format? (I find that much of Steyn - particularly his wit - gets “lost in the translation” from speech to print.)
What about all the Libertarians moving there for their Free State Project?
“’A government big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take away everything you have.’ And that’s true.
But there’s an intermediate stage: ‘A government big enough to give you everything you want isn’t big enough to get you to give any of it back.’”
Excellent summation of sneaky, Socialist wealth redistribution if I’ve ever read one.
I love Mark Steyn. :)
Not sure... check the Hillsdale College website.
A number of them have left, as well...
Well, almost. I think Steyn has made a mistake here. He seems to be looking at things as if there were still some hunk of Western Civilization that's still out there working properly, ready to pick up the slack.
It's a natural enough assumption that's worked pretty well for the last 600 years or so. In that scenario, parts of the West simply decline relative to whatever robust segment still exists, and new ideas eventually filter back into the other countries. But can we really assume that?
Rather than looking back on the history of the West, Mr. Steyn might be better served by looking back at Rome, which represented a monolithic and decaying culture that is probably more similar to what we have today.
Steyn quotes Charles Murray: "When life becomes an extended picnic, with nothing of importance to do, ideas of greatness become an irritant."
That's where we come to the real point: when life ceases to be an extended picnic, then what? That's the question that should be of real concern to us.
Yeah, I checked Hillsdale’s site - as I’ve done in the past when Imprimus had a particularly good speech I was hoping to listen to. (Ashbrook has many good lectures available to download and listen to. I wish Hillsdale would do the same.)
Masterful it was!
Tip-top Steyn. A big bttt and a big thanks to both of you for the pings.
I read this piece when my Impromptus came yesterday. It was so good, I couldn’t wait to make lots of other people read it. Even for Steyn this is brilliant. It should be required reading in schools. That is, if schools still teach reading.
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