Ever wonder why soi disant progressives, who claim to be so concerned about the plight of the common man, favor socialized medicine despite its propensity to produce poor health outcomes and cruel rationing? Peter Schweizer suggests that Lefties just aren’t very nice. Referencing data accumulated by the General Social Survey, he points out the following:
Those surveyed were asked: ‘Is it your obligation to care for a seriously injured/ill spouse or parent, or should you give care only if you really want to?’ Of those describing themselves as ‘conservative’, 71 per cent said it was. Only 46 per cent of those on the Left agreed.
And if more than 50% of liberals feel no moral obligation to care for seriously ill spouses or parents, one can assume that they feel less responsible for total strangers. So, why would they push for a government health care system that allegedly covers everyone. Schweizer gleans another datum from the research that may explain this apparent inconsistency:
Both the World Values Survey and the General Social Survey reveal Left-wingers are more likely to rate ‘high income’ as an important factor in choosing a job, more likely to say ‘after good health, money is the most important thing’, and agree with the statement ‘there are no right or wrong ways to make money’.
In other words, their anti-greed posturing notwithstanding, progressives are really REALLY concerned about making money and keeping it. Combined with their well-documented aversion to paying taxes, this suggests that their enthusiasm for government-run health care is about getting someone else to pick up the tab. But can they really be that unconcerned about the well-being of others? Yep:
Studies also indicate that those on the Left are less likely to give to charity or to volunteer their time to charity. When they do support charity, it is often less the sort of organisation that helps people and more one that advocates political action.
And yet progressives are always insinuating that their support for government-run health care and a variety of other nanny state programs makes them morally superior to the rest of us. The research, however, suggests that their primary characteristic is not moral superiority but hypocrisy.
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