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It is amazingly ironic that after over 200 years of existence, the fate of the United States would potentially come down to the battle between "freedom" and "equality".
The Declaration of independence famously states that "all men are created equal." But that's where it ends, at creation. The significant part is that it means "that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Full stop. Nothing about we'll all grow up to be brain surgeons, drive Ferrari's and wear Dolce and Gabbana.
Unfortunately for those on the equality side, now that slavery has been abolished and women have the right to vote and basically possess every other right that men have, including some men don't have, such as a right to an abortion, it is universally acknowledged that we are equal.
The problem with all this L/P "equality" propaganda, which is what it is since equality, in nature or in man, is impossible, is that it has set freedom on it's ear such that people imagine that Equality is more important that freedom and pitted man against man in competition for the "advantages" waiting to be doled out by the social scientists. Unfortunately, in an effort to create equality, our imperfect L/P friends impinge on freedom, something a pretty good percentage of us still believe is pretty damn important and that does not mutually exclude a reasonably achievable amount of equality, even of outcome.
But "therein lies the rub." Equal at birth and at opportunity BUT not at outcome which is where the debate has been centered for some time and has become more protracted and divisive in my lifetime.
Nothing in the universe implies equal outcomes FOR ANYTHING, from star formation, to planetary destruction, to gamma ray exposure to income, to job security, to life itself. BUT liberals/progressives would say that is not the case and would go as far as to actually TAKE AWAY from some and GIVE TO OTHERS in and ATTEMPT to make "outcomes" equal. The problem is that its ALWAYS an attempt; they are NEVER equal so liberals/progressive continue to TAKE from the some who are considered to have had the advantage in outcomes and GIVE to others who apparently have had no advantage.
Unfortunately, liberals/progressives also put themselves in the position of judgment (as long as we'll let them) to determine what the "advantages" are. Surely some "advantages" must be more beneficial than others in determining "outcomes". The thing is, even if you make all "advantages" equal outcomes are STILL not the same since ALL INDIVIDUALS ARE DIFFERENT; dare I say not "equal"? Even in cases where individuals are IDENTICAL, as in identical twins, the outcomes of their lives are not always "equal."
So how it is society, which is instituted by man and is therefore truly not perfect, supposed to provide equal outcomes when nature itself, the Mother Spirit if you will, cannot? Again, the L/Ps would argue that not enough has been done to equalize. Again, I go to nature, no two natural "systems" if you will are equal in every way. Quantum physics tells us that there is an inherent randomness in everything so there is an inherent "inequality" and even that some things are mutually "exclusive"; one thing cannot be known if the other is.
Nature mostly just presses on with this fact while man, in his infinite knowledge, cannot. Man, while at one hand is supposed to bow to nature's superiority in every way, is then expected to trump nature in making things equal for one of the most complex species (systems) in nature.
MAN, as in the collective, cannot make things equal which is why Thomas Jefferson stated that God did it by CREATING man equally. We all start out with the same blank slate. All MAN can do is to provide the freedom for himself and others to become the best they can with the randomness, chaos, of a nature that cannot be controlled by man determining the final outcomes.
The problem with all this L/P "equality" propaganda, which is what it is since equality, in nature or in man, is impossible, is that it has set freedom on it's ear such that people imagine that Equality is more important that freedom and pitted man against man in competition for the "advantages" waiting to be doled out by the social scientists. Unfortunately, in an effort to create equality, our imperfect L/P friends impinge on freedom, something a pretty good percentage of us still believe is pretty damn important and that does not mutually exclude a reasonably achievable amount of equality, even of outcome.
However, when force of law is brought to bear on the freedom V. equality issue is when we ALL start to lose and can lose big. It can be extrapolated that the only way to achieve total equality is at the expense of freedom itself. Just as one can limit the "degress of freedom" of a physical system, limiting freedom can itself TEND to bring about equality. However, the equality that's been produced in this way then lacks all humanity and spontaneity. As Churchill put it, "misery" is then equally shared by all.
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Take it and go.
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