Whatever happened to liberals?

Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose

Surely, you’ve noticed by now that the biggest and most aggressive proponents of lockdowns, forced vaccinations, mask mandates, and vaccination apartheid are those on the Left, aka “liberals” or “progressives.” Moreover, they keep doubling and tripling down against a backdrop of not only failed vaccines, but the grudging admission of failure by public health authorities and Big Pharma.

Some people find this troubling, and even difficult to understand, given the official posture of liberals to be at the forefront of individual rights, especially against an oppressive State. Allow me to help your understanding…

Indeed, classical liberalism, as articulated by John Locke and others had individual rights at its very core. While elements of this philosophy likely date back to the Reformation, it was certainly radical considering that for millennia, humankind at large had no rights, and was subject to war lords, feudalism, and the divine right of kings.

A huge problem for our Founders was how to design a government that could somehow advance the rights of the individual, yet simultaneously have its own power. Two methods to achieve this are separation of powers and periodic elections, both of which—and more—are defined in a Constitution.

Within this Constitution, rights of the populace are laid out, and the Constitution itself can be amended, but only via a fairly arduous process. So far, so good.

However, there comes a time whereby government power must be invoked in the name of securing individual rights, or even the “greater good.” Evidently, this greater good can include conscripting citizens in a divided country to kill their brother citizens. Ironically, in the case of the Civil War, individual rights were not even mentioned until Lincoln realized that he could curry favor with foreign governments by changing the war’s focus into “freeing the slaves.” rather than “saving the union.”

Thus, increasing the power of the State could be done by embracing a good cause. Who can then argue with the reforms of Woodrow Wilson, Teddy Roosevelt, FDR, or LBJ—if killing your brothers is deemed OK? And, if the Civil Rights Act is part of the greater good, who can argue with affirmative action, even if someone else’s rights are now being denied?

Consider what can happen, given a history of 160 years of government-enforced harsh actions in the name of a “greater good.” Why, it could possibly lead to the development of a species of bureaucrat that is constantly in search of the latest “cause,” to be used as a reason for more fascistic control. Is there anything that liberals do these days that doesn’t involve trying to exert more control over peoples’ lives?

You can call this the tail wagging the dog if you want to, but my cynicism does not allow me that luxury. If you are looking for liberals with pure intentions, you must remind yourself that John Locke and the Founders have been dead for a long, long time.

COVID-19 is nothing more than the latest “cause” that must be supported with draconian state authority. Rest assured that once this crisis ebbs, another one will take its place.