Need, greed, and compassion
John Stossel (via paleolibertarian) wrote:
That’s what happened under communism — and increasingly, it’s happening in America. As Joseph Sobran put it: ‘Need’ now means wanting someone else’s money. ‘Greed’ means wanting to keep your own. ‘Compassion’ is when a politician arranges the transfer.
Hilker responded, “Oversimplified, but not incorrect.”
Stossel is straight-out wrong. I think any reasonable definition of “need” would include things like clean water, clean air, food, shelter, medical care and other things that you die if you don’t have. Programs like SNAP and Medicaid fulfill needs.
Greed, on the other hand, has a lot to do with prioritizing your own wants over things that other people need to survive. If you think your second yacht is more important than somebody else’s ability to eat, you have some greedy thoughts.
Compassion is a bit more difficult to define. But it certainly does not include prioritizing the yacht over somebody’s life.
