Or: The Grinch at the Christmas Table
This is one in an occasional series about how government agents cause or heighten animosity among people in society. See the previous parts.
A common complaint I hear from every sector of society concerns the lack of caring and charity among people in general. Whether complaining about the fundamental selfishness of people, the lack of philanthropic outreach, or the disparity of income, the complaint usually boils down to people being greedy and selfish.
This year in Billings, Montana, a generous fellow used his own resources to gather a team of volunteers to prepare and deliver dinner to the homebound on Christmas Day. [Enter government bureaucrats stage left.] Predictably, the county government shut down this charitable outreach, citing health concerns.
Leaving aside the obvious disincentive for all parties involved to prepare and eat tainted food, I would like to focus on how the government bureaucrats incentivized selfishness. They shut down a small, one-time, charitable initiative from achieving its goal. Other people read and hear about this, learning the underlying message: do not be charitable yourself, focusing on the needs you perceive in your own community. If you want to be charitable, do so in a nameless, faceless way; perhaps donate $10 to the mega-corporation Red Cross by texting five numbers. (But, then, how are the Occupiers to be charitable? They cannot support big corporations like Amnesty International.)
It seems the county governments in the USA have issued a warning to all people: Do Not Eat That! How do you know it is not poisoned? Can you be sure the hot foods were kept warm enough to ward off bacterial growth and the cold foods were kept cool enough to ward off decay? That forkful of food could be disgusting at best and poisonous at worst. We are the only line of defense between you and death. Now, put down grandma’s turkey, back away from the table, and go eat at the nearest drive-thru, fast-food joint (we recommend the deep fried chicken sandwich for the health-conscious). After all, we took your tax money last January to perform a one-time inspection, and at that time they had adequate ovens, tables, cutting utensils, and freezers to call their food edible. Happy Holidays, Mayor McCheese!
Let us take away the funding and power of every involuntary government to dictate the condition, location, and preparation of every morsel of food that might one day pass our mouths. Ecrasez l’etat!
