Fairness

2012.10.29   prev     next

PEOPLE who are in a job that is low-paying and/or unpleasant make a daily decision to keep going to work. On any given day, they could decide, eh, maybe I’ll try being a bum for a while. Maybe I’ll try being a criminal for a while. Maybe I’ll just kill myself. Or maybe I’ll become a terrorist.

They make a daily decision to keep going to work. And that decision is based, in large part, on how fair they think their society is.

Why, some may wonder, was Michael Milken prosecuted essentially just for making too much money too quickly, when it was Ivan Boesky who engaged in insider trading, not Milken? The answer is that although it might not be fair for Milken to be prosecuted that way, he’s just one guy. There are millions and millions of people all across the country deciding every day to go to their crummy job, instead of not going there. And the stability of society absolutely depends on their deciding to do that every day. And if their decision is based, in some significant part, on how fair they think society is, then there it is: That’s where socialism comes from, that’s where aggressive prosecution of Milken and his ilk comes from, all that stuff.

Static Analysis

Conservatives are fond of pointing out the flaw of static analysis — when it suits their purposes. Those who say that to pay for needed programs we must raise tax rates on the rich, are committing static analysis: They’re taking the rich for granted; assuming that their current level of earning/spending won’t be affected by the increased tax rate. It’s a valid point, and conservatives love drawing attention to it.

But conservatives take the poor (and lower-middle-class) for granted; assuming that their current level of productivity, their employability, and their willingness to continue tolerating their working conditions and relatively low level of prosperity, won’t be affected by increasing degrees of unfairness.

Modern society is a constantly adjusting balance between people’s desire for prosperity and their desire for fairness. The maximum social stability and strength is maintained through the democratic process of voting out the incumbent party when things start becoming too intolerable in one direction or the other.

Conservatives are people who don’t care much for fairness, but really want to maximize prosperity. In their zeal for prosperity, they minimize or ignore the social consequences of increasing unfairness.

Liberals are people who don’t care much for prosperity, but really want to maximize fairness. In their zeal for fairness, they minimize or ignore the social consequences of decreasing prosperity.

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