Shrinkage….Civic, That Is
When William Beveridge laid out his blueprint for the modern British welfare state in 1942, his goal was the “abolition of want,” to be accomplished by “cooperation between the State and the individual.”
In attempting to insulate the citizenry from the vicissitudes of fate, Sir William has succeeded beyond his wildest dreams: Want has been all but abolished. Today, fewer and fewer Britons and Europeans want to work, want to marry, want to raise children, want to lead a life of any purpose or dignity. “Cooperation” between the State and the individual has resulted in a huge expansion of the former and the remorseless shriveling of the latter.
That’s Mark Steyn writing in National Review. The problem, of course, is that the Left embraces and desires the shrinking of the individual as a citizen. Unfortunately for them at some point the individuals in question are either going to figure it out and fight back or their civilization collapses in on itself from lack of inititive and willingness to defend itself. I am hopeful that the beginnings of the former are stirring.