"The wealthy, not only by private fraud but also by common laws, do every day pluck and snatch away from the people some part of their daily living. Therefore, when I consider and weigh in my mind these commonwealths which nowadays do flourish, I perceive nothing but a certain conspiracy of rich men in procuring their own commodities under the name and authority of the commonwealth.

They invent and devise all means and crafts, first how to keep safely without fear of losing that which they have unjustly gathered together, and next how to hire and abuse the work and labor of the people for as little money and effort as possible."

Thomas More, Utopia

Monday, January 21, 2008

The View Sure Is Good Up Here!

Found a great post on Jon Schwarz's blog today that kind of puts into perspective how people throughout history have rationalized their comparative advantages no matter the means employed. I think you'll find some of the responses in the comments section rather interesting, particularly the apologetics of one "Ashley". Read on.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Do people rationalize their advantages because they have a guilty conscience? I think not. If they indeed felt guilty they would do more to help the poor. Most people think it is owed them even if they did little (or nothing) to deserve their wealth.

Saw an interesting show on Sargent Shriver on PBS the other night. I think he was genieunely concerned about the underclass. The program stated he might have been the v.p. candidate in 1964, but the Kennedy family said Bobby deserved it more so he had to refuse.