George Will and the closing of the conservative mind

Today's George Will column is rich. Oops, missed a preposition. Today's George Will column is for the rich. Hmmm, it works the same, either way. For you see Will's continuing saga of a palsied thesis is, Woe to America, for the rabble no longer respect the libertarian Founders' thrift.

The recent financial collapse--that godawful implosion of insatiable plutocratic greed and unregulated capitalism that dislodged millions and threw millions more out of work? Ah, that was the fault, says Will, of "Public institutions and policies." And this debt, oh this wretched debt. Easily explained, at least: "the elderly"--those rapacious inconveniences among the acquisitive, unproductive 47 percent, "consider Social Security and Medicare benefits earned[!]"; and because "Washington pays up to 80 percent of state Medicaid expenses," observes Will, "state citizens demand more Medicaid services."

That's typical, just typical, of the rabble, isn't it? Offer, for instance, to pay for some impoverished child's asthma treatment, and before you know it the tubercular mother will be demanding antibiotics or some such outrageous thing.

For all that, Will indeed reserves his rage; although not even a whisper of discontent is to be heard about, say, the immense and growing disparity of wealth in America. Nor is Will upset about federal taxes being their unreasonably lowest in 60 years--a major driver of the very debt he decries--thanks in large part to his libertarian philosophy running amok (which libertarian philosophy--which is, let's face it, today's philosophical conservatism--is inclined to do). Nor does Will ever ponder some rather painless fixes for some of our civilized burdens--such as lifting the income cap on Social Security's payroll tax.

In fact Will's regular disregard of a vast array of practical ameliorations, as he frets over the elusive utopianism of the Founders' lost paradise, is but all too illustrative of today's utterly closed conservative mind.

Comments

[samcdc]

Easy to take Will's positions when you're filthy rich -- or filthy and rich. I'd note that you don't get rich on your own. You do it by acquiring the money of others by hook or crook, as they say.

[Jim Milstein]

Founders' (not Founder's)

[AnneJ]

I keep saying that Mitt Romney is not an etch-a-sketch candidate. He is just depending on an etch-a-sketch electorate.