The Pity Party, by William Voegeli

The Democrats think they have the corner on compassion.  They'll tell you they're the party of the poor and marginalized, and that the mean and nasty Republicans only care about the rich.  In The Pity Party: A Mean-Spirited Diatribe Against Liberal Compassion, William Voegeli demonstrates that not only is this Democratic conceit is not only wrong but blatantly false and contradictory.

Politicians like to drag out the pitiful to bolster their policy goals, none more than liberal democrats.  Al Gore talking about his sister dying of lung cancer, Barack Obama stating that his mother suffered due to her insurance company not paying the bills, or citizens paraded about at a bill signing or State of the Union address, they appeal to the compassion of the nation.  Yet their stated desire to do good does not translate into good being done.  "Liberals' ideals make them more culpable, not less, for the fact that government programs set up to do good don't reliably accomplish good. . . . Liberals are content to treat gestures as the functional equivalent of deeds, and intentions as adequate substitutes for achievements."

Liberals are seemingly unconcerned about results.  "People who care about caring demand more government spending but eschew rigorous interrogations about the efficacy of past and present spending."  Voegeli discusses several areas in which government excels in giving out "stuff" without affecting the problems they set out to affect.  The result is that "caring compassionately about victims of suffering situations while accepting complacently government programs that discharge their core mission--alleviating that suffering--ineffectively and inefficiently."

The alternative is not greed and selfishness, but letting care begin with the family and community, and expand from there.  I was reminded of the Reformed concept of sphere sovereignty, in which different spheres of life each have their own functions and responsibilities.  Voegeli explores a practical response to the modern welfare state, the negative income tax.  Instead of maintaining our gigantic, expensive, bureaucratic system of social welfare, the negative income tax would give cash directly to citizens, based on their income level, for them to use for housing, health care, etc., on the open market.  It's an interesting proposal, if not completely compelling.  It would certainly be a major shift from the current thinking!

Voegeli can be rather wordy, and his arguments sometimes seemed rather circuitous.  But he provides a rich range of references, augments his points with writings both contemporary and historical, and address current policy debates.  He can also be rather entertaining, as in the extended discussion of the use of the word "bullish--." (He rather likes using that word, and applies it liberally to liberals.)  The basic point of The Pity Party, that liberal compassion is anything but, should be trumpeted by conservatives and libertarians.  Voegeli has provided the ammunition.  Now, aim and fire.



Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!