Every day, someone defends some action with the line “it’s for your own good.” Most acceptably, it’s parents telling their children that. To some extent, that’s part of being a parent. Children often don’t understand the consequences of their actions, and as parents, it’s up to us to protect them. No one argues this point at all.
But on an internet discussion about Social Security, I was told the exact same thing by someone who didn’t understand that I’d like to be able to opt out of the program. I was told that there was no way to opt out, because of people like me would opt out and then be broke because I had nothing coming in. To me, this is the worst kind of fallacy I’ve come across…because it doesn’t take a lot of things into account.
The argument of “it’s for your own good” rests on the idea that others know better than you do. In the case of our children, it’s usually right. But for adults, it becomes more and more inane. Early in my life, I was a fairly rabid liberal. I was a true believer in the awesomeness that was the state. I saw Social Security as the One True Way (TM) to prosperity for our older Americans. I didn’t plan for retirement like I really should have, because of that good old safety net that Uncle Sam had put in place.
Then, I got older.
You see, I now understand that even if Social Security is still around when I’m retirement age (and that’s far from a given), it won’t be enough to support me. The paltry sum contained in that government check isn’t enough to pay the minimum of bills I have now, much less the expenses that come along with a more advanced age. More is needed…and I have 18 years to make up for (I’m currently 36). That 18 years of compounded interest makes a pretty big difference…and I missed it.
All to often, the argument of “it’s for your own good” actually blinds us to things. People are in the belief that government will look out for them, and just accept it. And really, Social Security isn’t alone on this one.
Yesterday, my Mom and I were eating breakfast at a waffle themed restaurant. She mentioned a friend had been in there and seen a lot of dust on the air conditioner vents. She had called the health inspector about it, and he had said it was taken care of. But it wasn’t. There was a pile of dust still on the AC vent. It was kind of gross. But most people around us were eating, oblivious to the nasty above them.
How did that happen?
Perhaps it was the comfort that this restaurant had passed the health inspection. Once upon a time, people would have looked themselves, and word of mouth would have killed business until it was taken care of. But today, people are oblivious to their surroundings. They entrust the government to keep them safe.
It’s no secret that I’m not a fan of government involvement in much of anything. That’s not about to change based on what I see on a regular basis around me either. Instead, we have a society that is dependent on government for all their solutions. They don’t seem interested in solutions that come from themselves. Nope…they are happier when Uncle Sam is taking care of them.
And that, my friends, is what will bring this nation down to it’s knees.
