Empty and Mindless
17 November 2007
Editor, Baltimore Sun
To the Editor:
Although de rigueur among "progressives," Jim Salvucci is mistaken to describes bourgeois values as "empty" and consumerism as "mindless" (Letters, November 17). Bourgeois values encourage the substantive and mindful traits of hard work, sobriety, thrift, honesty, and self-reliance - all of which earn their practitioners the ability over time to enjoy greater material comforts and amusements.
What is truly empty is the value that counsels A to live off of the wealth given to him by B and which B confiscated from C. And what is truly mindless is the notion that society progresses as greater numbers of us live as "A"s or as "B"s, and all the while thinking of "C"s as being nothing more than contemptible cows to be milked for the "general good."
Sincerely,
Donald J. Boudreaux
Chairman, Department of Economics
George Mason University
Editor, Baltimore Sun
To the Editor:
Although de rigueur among "progressives," Jim Salvucci is mistaken to describes bourgeois values as "empty" and consumerism as "mindless" (Letters, November 17). Bourgeois values encourage the substantive and mindful traits of hard work, sobriety, thrift, honesty, and self-reliance - all of which earn their practitioners the ability over time to enjoy greater material comforts and amusements.
What is truly empty is the value that counsels A to live off of the wealth given to him by B and which B confiscated from C. And what is truly mindless is the notion that society progresses as greater numbers of us live as "A"s or as "B"s, and all the while thinking of "C"s as being nothing more than contemptible cows to be milked for the "general good."
Sincerely,
Donald J. Boudreaux
Chairman, Department of Economics
George Mason University
Posted by Don Boudreaux on
Monday May 5, 2008 at 10:41am