Fallacy of the Progressive Ideal

Those who adhere to a Progressive/Liberal/Socialist philosophy appear to believe that government is both benevolent and omnipotent. (Even the leaders of the movement who don't really believe it, promote that message to the masses.)

But this belief in the benevolent power of government to regulate every human activity for the benefit of all is predicated on a serious logical fallacy.

The Liberal or Progressive presumes that whatever the government commands will and can be done. The problem is that there are two sides to the equation. For every right or benefit, there is an obligation or burden on someone. For every form of property that is confiscated to be re-distributed, there is someone who has lost that property by force or the threat of force. Thus, the premise of a benevolent government is destroyed.

The majority of people living in a totalitarian system will comply with the demands of the government but only to the minimum extent required to avoid punitive treatment. A few members of the society will strive and aspire to become one of the leaders who always manage to enjoy a much better life style than everyone else. But the nature of their effort is to be a loyal member of the system rather than to be a productive member of society. Those who are the most productive are expected to be even more productive but are rarely rewarded for their effort. So in time, those are able to be productive give up and produce the minimum that is required to survive.

What if there was only one person on a remote island who knew how to obtain food? If the other residents on that island confiscate what has been obtained, the one who knew how would have little incentive to secure more food than he could eat while out hunting. And he might have a lot of incentive to move to some part of the island away from the others.

Little by little, the level of productivity throughout the entire economy begins to diminish and everyone must cope with fewer of the essentials and comforts of life.

To forestall this decline in productivity, the government begins to impose more and more harsh regulations and punishments for non-compliance. In time, workers are hard to distinguish from slaves who toil for a bare minimum of what is needed for them to continue working.

Those who believe that government can solve problems that have not been solved by free citizens will soon learn that government can only issue laws and regulations that can be enforced at the point of a gun. Force is not an incentive to do well. It is an incentive to become obscure.

Vern