Welfare-state advocates like to pass moral judgments on those of us who oppose their leftist ideals of socialism, redistribution, and “economic justice.” Allegedly, we lack “compassion” and “sensitivity” and are “selfish” and “mean-spirited.” Therefore we are promoting a society without reference to basic moral principles — as defined by the political left.
Unfortunately, many of us who take a hard line against any form of government safety net tend to fall into a trap when challenged on our absolutist position against government charity. When confronted with the ethics of socialism, we counter that capitalism is a superior economic system that elevated human beings out of the muck and mire of centuries to a standard of living unprecedented in the history of the world. This is undoubtedly true. Still, it