Jewish World Review Dec. 28, 2005 / 27 Kislev,
5766
Walter Williams
Do we deserve it?
http://www.NewsAndOpinion.com |
Philosopher David Hume warned that, "It is seldom that liberty
of any kind is lost all at once." That's why we should guard against any
encroachment on liberty, no matter how small. Let's look at a couple of
instances where, at our peril, we've failed to do so.
The Christmas season reminds many Americans of the attack on
religion. A number of stores have caved in to pressures to ban Christmas
celebrations, greetings and symbols, among them: Target, Home Depot,
Wal-Mart, Kmart, Sears, Costco, Kohl's, Barnes & Noble, Toys 'R' Us, and
Walgreens. Cities have banned nativity scenes. Some schools have banned the
singing of Christmas carols.
Much of the attack on religion had its birth with the 1963
Supreme Court decision in Murray vs. Curlett, which banned organized school
prayers. For a moment, let's ignore the debate on whether that decision was
right or wrong and instead focus on tactics. Suppose, in 1963, America's
atheists had revealed and demanded their complete agenda: elimination of
religious Christmas symbols in public places, elimination of the words
"under G-d" in our Pledge of Allegiance, elimination of "In G-d We Trust"
from our currency and elimination of caroling in public schools. There would
have been so much resistance that they wouldn't have achieved any of their
agenda, including the ban on prayers in school. Given our weak resistance,
you can bet the day will come when the attack on religion will include
demands that crosses be removed from Arlington and Normandy cemeteries and
bans on religious television or radio broadcasts.
While many Americans are disturbed by the ongoing attack on
religion, they applauded the identical strategy when it was the attack on
cigarette smokers. In the 1960s, when the anti-tobacco zealots started out,
they only demanded "reasonable" things like no smoking sections on
airplanes. Suppose they started out revealing their complete agenda: no
smoking in airports, restaurants, places of employment and parks,
confiscatory taxes on tobacco products, and multibillion-dollar suits
against tobacco companies. There would have been so much resistance that the
anti-tobacco zealots wouldn't have succeeded with no smoking sections on
airplanes.
The institution of private property offers the liberty-oriented
solutions to both the school prayer and the smoking issues. I believe it's a
parental right to be able to decide whether one's child will, or will not,
say a morning prayer. Conflict emerges because of government-produced
education. While there might be an argument for government financing of
education, there's absolutely no argument for government production of
education. Therefore, if each parent were given an education voucher to pay
for education, those parents wishing prayers, or those against prayers in
school, could enroll their children in the school that meets their
preference. Thus, conflict would be eliminated. Of course, a superior
solution would be getting government entirely out of education.
Private property would solve the smoking issue. Suppose you
owned a restaurant, and you didn't wish to permit smoking. How would you
like it if people used the political system to enact laws that forced you to
permit smoking? I'm sure you'd consider it tyranny, and I'd agree. But
there's symmetry. It's just as much tyranny to use the political system to
enact laws to force a restaurant owner who wished to permit smoking to ban
smoking. The liberty-oriented solution might be to post a sign saying you
don't permit smoking, and customers wishing otherwise wouldn't enter. The
same principle would apply to restaurant owners who wished to permit
smoking.
I fear that too many Americans have contempt for the principles
of liberty and opt for solutions that employ the political arena to forcibly
impose their wills on others. If that's the preferred game, then those
Americans shouldn't whine when others employ the same tactic to impose their
wills.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in Washington
and in the media consider "must reading." Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
Walter Williams Archives
© 2004, Creators Syndicate
|