Next post
Americans are taking to their state’s streets and protesting for their jobs and freedom. The progressives at Salon, whine that breaking quarantine is “selfish”, but ignore basic facts. Americans are fighting to go back to work. Protesting to do the very thing that pays for the stimulus checks, Medicare, and other federal programs funded by taxes. But obviously, those selfish bastards breaking quarantine only care about themselves. The nation has seen a recent uptick in protests direct at the quarantine measures take to “flatten the curve.” The individual mandates vary from state to state, but the underlying platform they share is limiting individual rights. The right to work, the right to travel, the right to buy “non-essential” products.
The liberal, and International media can’t grasp that Americans would rather embrace risky freedom than safe restrictions. They don’t understand Trump’s support for the protesting citizens. Probably related to the fact that neither group understands what it means to be uniquely “‘Merican!”
I took to the blog and wrote about government overreach and my fellow Americans have taken to the streets. Liberal pundits have deemed these Americans selfish, ignorant, and all their favored adjectives aimed at conservatives. Because to a progressive liberal – anyone who doesn’t share their beliefs is worthy of condemnation… and a conservative label.
The rambling whine-fest of Amanda Marcotte, in Salon, speaks volumes to how far the left has gone off the rails. Writing,
Turns out that these individuals are, in fact, highly dependent on the communities they live in, so much so that a few weeks of needing to curtail shopping and socializing has led to a total meltdown.”
And continues,
But it’s really rich for the self-proclaimed “rugged individuals” of America to be such big, whiny babies in the face of this.”
Oh, really? What progressive liberals lack is some basic understanding of economics. I know, it’s hard to “math” with AOC as an Econ advisor, but the people protesting are a group who pays taxes and supports the economy. The group who wants to go back to work because they realize the government doesn’t create wealth. It redistributes it. In our current society where “majority fear rules”, the protestors are in fact “rugged individuals.”
Marcotte concludes,
In reality, this pandemic has exposed how we’re all in this together and none of us are “rugged individuals.” We need those health care workers and grocery store employees and teachers. We are all dependent on each other, not just for the basic necessities of life, but the luxuries like boating and gardening. Right wingers have spent decades denying this fact, clinging to their Ayn Rand fantasies that they’re not dependent on the rest of us and are under no obligation to pay their taxes or by treating others with decency and compassion. “
What the left sees is “conservatives” protesting for their right to enjoy the “luxuries” of freedom. Marcotte derides someone boating, because she can’t understand that people fish from boats. Many do so to stock their freezers and feed their families. All her type see is a luxury outing, maybe like the progressive icons who are on mega-yachts during the quarantine.
The protestors she slams are concerned about others, and entirely unselfish. Yes, the lady in the video who is complaining about her hair is dependent on the hairdresser (who is unable to work because of restrictions). That hairdresser is dependent upon the child-care provider (who can’t work because of restrictions). The child-care provider uses a cleaning service to keep her business sanitary (they aren’t getting paid because the child care center is closed). It’s a very easy thread to follow. There is nothing selfish about wanting to see your hairdresser. Or favorite dine-in restaurant, or bar, or NCAA basketball team. Marcotte even admits that, “we are all dependent on each other” but refuses to make the economic connections of that dependency. It’s as if she thinks everyone works from home and feels no financial impact of this shutdown.
Few business owners have the luxury of generating income by sitting on their butts in front of a computer. Fewer still get paid for each word of drivel they type. Those “big whiny babies” protesting want to get out and go back to work because they understand the basic economics of life in America; payroll taxes from small business owners, income taxes from employees, the tremendous amounts of money generated by the many small and medium sized businesses is what weaves the American safety net. In going back to work and starting the economic engine they are helping those who cannot do those things. By working and paying taxes (a complaint that crosses party lines) they are able to replenish the coffers our government uses to pay for social programs.
But to the progressive liberal, this group of hardworking Americans is protesting for the right to be selfish. What a sad word it must be for those who only see the negative in others.
Thank You Sarah, and Welcome to our Insatpundit readers!
Featured Image: Flickr License: CC-BY 2.0 Image: Cropped 400×400
Scott says: I’m a firefighter paramedic. I just lost an uncle to Covid, and have an aunt that’s hanging on by a thread. My job is “essential” (whatever that means.. and who gives these assholes the right to decide what meets that category?), so I’m still working. My father just got admitted to the hospital due to complications from a previous surgery, and I can’t visit him because of these bullshit retrictions. If I wasn’t on shift tomorrow, I’d be one of those protesters tomorrow..
Does this leftist braindead bitch want to call me selfish? (probably).. I’d love for her or any like minded (giving them too much credit for having minds??) to meet up and debate me, or go toe to toe with me.. It’d be a bad day for them.
Screw socialism, and all who support it!
Kathy says: There is a certain respect that is associated with doing work. Some is self respect and some is from others impacted by that work. America needs to get back to work!
Sara P says: I am wondering if I am the only one looking at how these State of Emergency orders actually have time limits. In S.C. a State of Emergency is only valid for 15 days and then Must be voted on by the legislature to extend. Except that apparently around 1985 and after 9/11, adjustments were made that allowed the governor to order subsequent “rolling” states of emergency. If you go to our governor’s website there is a list of orders – we are on the third for this virus. And technically there seems to be no way to take away the governor’s power to keep us under one. It would be great to find a compilation of all the states rules for enacting a State of Emergency.
cheeflo says: Apparently, Michigan’s governor is contemplating an extension in the wake of the Lansing protest. She frames it as potentially necessary because the protesters were irresponsibly exposing themselves and others. She is a political monster who is keen to punish her critics.
“When you see a, you know, a political rally — that’s what it was yesterday — a political rally like that, where people aren’t wearing masks, and they’re in close quarters, and they’re touching one another, you know that that’s precisely what makes this kind of a disease drag out and expose more people,” Whitmer said.
Truth be told, the “quarantine” is what’s dragging it out. It’s house arrest, plain and simple.
GWB says: the “quarantine” is what’s dragging it out
Well, that’s what the house arrest is supposed to do! Make it take longer to reach herd immunity so we don’t all flock to the ERs at the same time. Of course, that was based on models that don’t seem to have been very predictive……..
alanstorm says: “The progressives at Salon ignore basic facts.”
There, that just as accurate and more succinct.
alanstorm says: “that’s”, not that.
I have “have the luxury of generating income by sitting on [their] my butt[s] in front of a computer,” but this lockdown crap needs to get phased out. The Wife and I were creative (sneaky? lucky?) enough to keep all our service and maintenance providers on schedule and earning their keep, and we’re buying more takeout than ever. Continuing strict lockdown will throw millions out of work and destroy the tax base for practically every municipality in the nation. If I wanted that, I could have emigrated to Venezuela.
GWB says: Why emigrate, when we can bring Venezuela to you, comrade?!
(Hey, we’re all about delivery in this current age, right?)
HarvardR says: I’m a government employee, but I understand that government employees do not usually generate wealth. That is the purview of private industry and I fully appreciate what private industry and market forces provide for the general well-being of our country. Without a thriving private economy, we gov drones will sooner or later come to the chopping block too. I think part of our present problem is that we are taking our cues from doctors, who are all about preventing disease. We need to listen to them less and bring on the professionals who deal with exposure control to real world situations. I think we need to have industrial hygienists (IH) weighing in on the appropriate measures to control exposure to infection. IHs are more familiar with the trade-offs involved in getting people to work in environments that are not 100% “safe”. There really is no “safe” environment (except the grave), you need to take measures to drive the hazard down to acceptable levels. This is done all the time in work environments, its just that most people do not realize it.
GWB says: Yes, our bureaucratic and academic docs are all Zero Risk mentality.
What we need are people who understand managing risk. The folks who deal with it all the time know you cannot eliminate risk, merely mitigate some and accept others.
GWB says: Right wingers have spent decades denying this fact
This is the crux of their misunderstanding (when it’s not simply a willful denial of freedom):
They can’t see the difference between “being in the same boat” and “some are at the oars and some command the drums.” They can’t tell the difference between a coherent community and a command economy. Like they’ve never known the difference between “it takes a village to raise a child (properly)” and Hillary’s vision of creche-raised alphas, betas and gammas.
And, of course, most of us aren’t objectivists.
There is nothing selfish about wanting to see your hairdresser.
Well, I disagree. At least if you accept “selfish” in the way many economists have – that our desires and wants work with other people’s desires and wants to produce an economy that ultimately benefits everyone. “Selfishness” (wanting to eat, for example) is what makes it all work.
It’s as if she thinks everyone works from home
Yes, these people believe the “information economy” is actually the entirety of the economy. I’ve been saying for years that an information economy is a luxury that won’t last forever.
they are helping those who cannot do those things
I doubt anyone is clamoring to lift our house arrest because they want to pay taxes. But the end result of their “selfishness” IS that they end up paying those taxes. Just as the blacksmith isn’t thinking about the butcher’s family when he trades his money for that nice slab of bacon – he’s thinking about feeding his family. This is the whole point of Adam Smith’s “Invisible Hand” theory.
And, of course, we’re so rich – even during this tragic government clown show – that people like Marcotte actually get paid for writing this sort of malarkey. And some people actually find work with their Master’s in Puppetry. We can only hope that some of that gets driven out in our “new normal”. And that any new normal does NOT include this East German lifestyle.
[…] THE PANICKERS ARE TRYING TO MAKE EACH OF US RESPONSIBLE FOR EVERYONE’S SAFETY. THAT’S NOT HOW THIS WORKS. THAT’S A LEVER TO DISMANTLE INDIVIDUAL FREEDOM FOREVER: Americans are Protesting- But Not For Themselves. […]
Flying Dutchman says: Marcotte is laughable. People do treat one another with compassion and care. Government doesn’t.
15 Comments