THE UNIVERSE IN A NUTSHELL :

The Conservative Bubble Boys (Robert L. Borosage, July 9, 2002, washingtonpost.com )

Greed and the desire to get rich quick are constant in capitalism.

There, in one sentence, is the entire difference between conservatism and leftism. The Left believes that Man is essentially good but that his decency has been corrupted by the malefic influence of various beliefs and institutions, chief among them capitalism. Conservatives harbor no such delusions about human nature, knowing that Man was sinful from the start (Adam and Eve) and greedy from the get-go (Cain and Abel).

As this fundamental difference in philosophy plays itself out in human affairs, the Left proposes economic systems--like socialism--that are predicated on men being angels, willing, even eager, to share the wealth. Meanwhile conservatives support capitalism, which seeks to balance one self-interested man against another.

The Left's vision is sweet and appealing and unsurprisingly appeals mainly to women. Conservatism is dark and stern and, equally predictably, predominates among men. Historically Leftist socialism has been ascendancy since women were given the vote, because they outnumber men. This advantage has only been offset by the fact that capitalism actually works, while socialism is a disaster. However, the growing tendency to utilize abortion for the purposes of weeding out female fetuses augurs ill for the Left. It is one of the great ironies of history that just as men's adherence to their own principles led them eventually to extend the vote to women, even though it redounded to their own political disfavor, so too it is men who are most opposed to abortion, which might, were they willing to compromise their morals, swing power back their way. Thus do we see that in the final analysis it is actually conservatism that is selfless and humane.

Posted by Orrin Judd at July 12, 2002 12:40 PM