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Rioting in England the end-result of the Liberal Welfare State August 11, 2011

Posted by intellectualgridiron in Politics.
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The headline to this article by Max Hastings of the Daily Mail says it all, how the liberal welfare state produces feral human beings who see no moral compunction at all in this senseless violence and destruction and theft of other people’s private property.  Keep in mind that London is supposed to host the Summer Olympic Games in just a little less than a year (I just thought I’d toss that one out there).

Many on the left erroneously think that “poverty” is the root cause of violence and related crime.  Cal Thomas, however, chimes in by reminding us that years of amoral teaching and spiritual bankruptcy are a huge part of the blame.  Lack of proper religious grounding can lead anybody to think that theft and violence is okay, regardless of economic status.

Did anybody notice that most of the perpetrators of this violent spree came from single-parent homes, mostly without a father figure in their lives to provide them needed guidance in their formative years?  Ann Coulter certainly did notice, and it is not much of a stretch of the imagination to figure out that the problems that infect the urban ghettos in America have similar root causes of massive welfare causing fatherless homes.  If nothing else, pride on one’s ancestral accomplishments should be enough incentive to preserve the dignity of one’s own homeland.  But when politically-correct elites browbeat you into abandoning pride in your own country, non-thinking hooligans are left with the default position that nothing is worth preserving.  Congratulations, leftists:  your lasting accomplishment is that you have produced amoral, aimless, indolent, entitlement-addled, feral beings who do not even merit the title of human.

Addenda:  Jonah Goldberg chimes in on the recent riots in Great Britain, pointing out that those who rationalize said riots miss the mark by a considerable margin.  As usual, he also reveals some keen insights.  Among these insights are that the left has effectively replaced “income inequality” with “poverty” as the “root cause” of such violence.  On the other hand, if those on the right are correct in pointing out the lack of morals and proper religious grounding are the cause of such degenerate behavior, there is not much government can do, except do away with the coddling social programs that breed indolence and thus moral atrophy.

Speaking of shrinking government in Britain, how is that going?  George Will offers his analysis of the ongoing challenges PM David Cameron faces in that important endeavor.

Meanwhile, if anybody has read Jonah Goldberg’s take on these events by now, one paranthetical aside that stands out is that what could have helped the storeowners and other business owners more than a more assertive police would have been gun rights, thus allowing them to defend their own rightful property.  Therefore, another important memory-refresher from these disgusting events is the importance of the 2nd Amendment.  Such is the main thrust of Doug Giles’ comments on the riots in Merry Old England.

Important Perspectives on “Overpopulation” July 20, 2011

Posted by intellectualgridiron in Politics.
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Jeff Jacoby of the Boston Globe has just written an excellent piece in which he once again debunks the modern-day Multhusians.  The term, in case the dear reader is unaware, is rooted in Thomas Malthus, the 18th Century doomsayer who was famous for warning everybody who would listen that population growth would eventually outstrip the food supply.  Yet, as Jacoby points out, the world’s population has grown almost sevenfold in the past 200 years, yet people today, on average, have a higher level of education, are better-fed, more productive, and lead more comfortable lives than ever before.

On a micro-level, Jacoby begins the article with the glorious news that David and Victoria Beckham have just welcomed their fourth child into the world.  The news is glorious in that two famous people with very good genetics are passing those good genes on for future generations to enjoy.  Moreover, the Bible, particularly the book of Genesis, teaches us that babies are a blessing.  But the usual, if not insane, voices have criticized the happy couple on the supposed grounds that they are being “environmentally irresponsible.”  The dirty little secret of such critics, though, is that they reject Biblical teachings, and instead espouse an Earth-worshipping paganism, in direct violation of Commandment No. 1.

This is insane on two levels.  Mark Steyn has pointed out that for every “eco-abortion” done in England or Germany, that is just one more kid that people will have in Yemen or Somalia.  Worse yet, those who advocate “eco-abortions” are, in essence, advocating economic stagnation.  Economic growth and population growth are closely linked — indeed, they are practically one and the same.  Given, an increasing population means an increasing amount of people who need jobs in order to make a living.  What fuels job growth is demand for productivity — demand that will never materialize if the population is not big enough to support it.  Is it just me, or do most of these zero-population advocates already have a decent net worth that would insulate them from the reality that many of us have to contend with?  The astutue analyst Michael Barone said it best:

“Now some people say that low population growth is desirable. The argument goes that it reduces environmental damage and prevents the visual blight of sprawl.  But states and nations with slow growth end up with aging populations and not enough people of working age to generate an economy capable of supporting them in the style to which they’ve grown accustomed.  Slow growth is nice if you’ve got a good-sized trust fund and some nice acreage in a place like Aspen. But it reduces opportunity for those who don’t start off with such advantages to move upward on the economic ladder.”

The reason that yours truly refuses to succumb to the “overpopulation” hysteria is that all the empirical evidence tells me that there is no such thing.  Dr. Thomas Sowell said it best:

“The next time someone tries to sell overpopulation hysteria, ask them to name just one country that had a higher standard of living when its population was half of what it is today.”

Kudos to the Beckhams, not only for passing on their good genes, but also for doing their part in helping to raise the world’s standard of living.