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“Let’s Get This Done”
November 8, 2011 | 0 comments
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Re: Joe Frazier
November 8, 2011 | 3 comments
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Deep Thoughts from Occupy Wall Street Toronto
October 24, 2011 | 12 comments
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The Revolution Goes Trick or Treating
October 17, 2011 | 2 comments
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Take That, Internet!
October 17, 2011 | 3 comments
The Spectacle Blog
I’m a huge fan of McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, which usually churns out eccentric, clever satire. (See, for example, “Our Daughter isn’t a Selfish Brat; Your Son Just Hasn’t Read Atlas Shrugged,” or “A Tibetan Buddhist Monk Tries to Figure Out Who Stole a Rock From His Zen Garden.”) Alas, today’s bit on the origin story of right-wing Robin Hood is neither clever nor nearly as eccentric as its author clearly presumes it to be — it’s pretty much just a rote regurgitation of the well-worn fairy tale the left constantly retells itself in order to A) feel superior and B) never have to deal with the moral issues associated with preferring to order society through coercive political means rather than consensual economic ones.
Here’s an excerpt to show you what I’m talking about:
When Robin was a man of forty-eight, large of stomach and of mouth, he grew restless. And the restlessness grew and grew until one day bold Robin stopped paying his taxes completely, because he was weary of his money going to the government and not into his own bank account, where it would sit forever. Instead, Robin gave this money to the rich, and told them “Invest it in your businesses!” and the rich took the money and put it in their bank accounts, where it sat forever. But everyone felt good about themselves, and Robin assumed the poor did too, because they did not say anything.
I’m fully aware that no political affinity group spends a whole lot of time worrying about intellectual honesty, but it really is too bad the people who love to play the haughty my-politics-don’t-fit-on-a-bumper-sticker game rarely engage the arguments of their opponents at a level higher than this.
View all comments (5) | Leave a comment
More Blog Posts by Shawn Macomber
http://spectator.org/blog/2011/05/24/right-wing-robin-hood-fail
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Jeff| 5.24.11 @ 3:39PM
that shows a typical liberals understanding of economics ... which is to say less than zero ...
All American American| 5.24.11 @ 4:28PM
I can never get an answer to this question from lib/socialists/commies:
Let's assume there was a way to redistribute all the wealth in America so everyone got $30,000. What do we do next year when everyone spent this year's $30,000? Where does the next pot of money to redistribute come from?????
Nate| 5.24.11 @ 5:03PM
I am no fan of redistribution...but I am not sure I understand the scenario you have concocted. Where does the money go after they have "spent" it? Is everyone flushing their $30,000 down the toilet?
Quartermaster| 5.24.11 @ 7:51PM
The Banksters are certainly sitting on a lot of money. So are some businesses. Frankly, it makes a ,lot of sense to do so given the moron we have in the White House, and the morons we have in Congress and presiding over so many courts. I don't blame a business man for not wanting to risk something when much of the return will be stolen by the government at all levels.
martin j smith| 5.25.11 @ 7:31AM
The trick is to force the dbate on this issue on a broader scale. If Republicans could find a "Netenyahu" to confront the Socialists such a debate could happen. But mainstream Republicans are crony capitalists at heart and will never do that unless---a bunch of conservatives enter the Presidential race and force the debate on THEM ( THE RINOS ).