James Kerian: Power Inequality Is A Greater Threat Than Wealth Inequality

For many years wealth inequality has been the outrage du jour among progressives/liberals (or whatever the Democrats are calling themselves these days).  While steadfastly avoiding any effort to actually alleviate income inequality they have used outrage over the incomes of hedge fund billionaires as an excuse to raise taxes on your local doctor, dentist or business owner.

The “top 2%” sounds like an ominous group of oligarchs but in reality it is, to take just one example, the 20 wealthiest individuals in each little small town across the country with a population of about one thousand people.  By taking more money out of each of these households and concentrating it in DC where it can be controlled/distributed according to the wishes of the top 0.00001% what the Democrats’ policy actually accomplishes is a further concentration of power.

The concentration of power is, in fact, the one unifying aspect of every policy that is currently advanced by the modern left.  The ban on scary looking black rifles concentrates power in the hands of the government and those who control it.  So too does the President’s plan to force all of us to pay for “school” for 3 year old children.  The left’s crusade to force nuns to pay for insurance coverage for abortifacient contraceptives has the same effect.

[mks_pullquote align=”right” width=”300″ size=”24″ bg_color=”#ffffff” txt_color=”#000000″]Demagoguery, while an admittedly growing threat on the right, remains the very essence of the progressive movement.  Over and over again the offer implicitly made is “Give us the power and we will protect you from whatever you fear.”[/mks_pullquote]

Demagoguery, while an admittedly growing threat on the right, remains the very essence of the progressive movement.  Over and over again the offer implicitly made is “Give us the power and we will protect you from whatever you fear.”

Do you fear a sexist employer?  Give the government the power to set compensation policies in every company.

Are you frightened by the prospect of a medical emergency for which you are unprepared?  Give the government total control over the healthcare system as so many other nations have done.

Is it an unplanned pregnancy that scares you?  Just give the government power to decide that about-to-be-born human beings have no right to life.

Is it being responsible for the care of your recently born children that concerns you?  Just support politicians who will give you universal taxpayer funded daycare preschool.

Are you frightened by the political influence of wealthier Americans?  Just give politicians the power to control what can/cannot be said about politics and call it “campaign finance reform.”

Is it the laws of supply and demand that terrify you?  Being held responsible for the loans you have asked for? Gun violence in the streets? Global climate change? All these fears, we are told by our friends on the left, can be removed if we will just grant them enough power to take care of them.

This concentration of power is antithetical to the freedom and equality that has made our nation great.

The real threat to America is not that Bill Gates may someday have the kind of wealth that John Rockefeller or Andrew Carnegie had over a hundred years ago.  The real threat is that our political class (which even liberals will admit is increasingly immune to the will of the people) is gathering to itself levels of power that would have made any 18th century monarch jealous.