Nagging Question . . . and Answer 1

Q. What to Communism and NeoConservatism have in common?

A. Both of them share a naive fantasy that government is unnecessary and evil.

• Communism, because government is the arm of oppression for the bourgeoisie. After the overthrow of the bourgeoisie, the dictatorship of the proletariat would gradually wither away, as the natural virtue of the working class would lead to a paradise in which each contributed according to his abilities and each took according to (and only according to) his needs.

  Needless to say, it didn’t happen that way. Instead, the overthrow of the bourgeoisie lead simply to a new ruling class, and the dictatorship of the proletariat never came about. All that came about were dictatorships.

  It’s called original sin, brother.

  That’s why Communism as an ideology is dead, dead, dead.

• NeoConservatives, because to them the government is the arm of the working class that leads to nasty things like OSHA, EPA, safety nets, and taxes. If the government were made to go away, the wealthy, whom the NeoConservatives idolize would not have to pay taxes or pay attention to the needs of the working class, while, at the same time, the invisible hand of the market will lead to a paradise on earth.

  
  (Aside: Of course, the question does come up, without government, who’s going to build and maintain the roads their chauffeurs need to drive them places or the schools needed to teach students how to say, “Do you want fries with that,” but, as long as they’ve got theirs, they have no cares . . . .)

  Well, it’s not going to work like that. The invisible hand of the market knows not morality.

  It’s called original sin, brother.

  That’s why NeoConservatism will be dead, dead, dead.

Both are empty, hollow beliefs that depend on a misreading of human nature, a misunderstanding of the social contract, and a perversion of natural law.