Of benevolence and righteousness

The blunt instruments of politicians run amuck

One of the most dangerous obstacles to human flourishing is the benevolent politician. He does not trust that the natural order is the most beneficial “program” for society. He substitutes his own judgment for nature’s and assumes he can make life easier for the masses through his intervention.

So he becomes the destroyer of happy families, thriving communities, and social support networks of compassion, connection, and community.

Photo by bill wegener on Unsplash

I have found that a majority of people in public office believe they are engaged in acts of benevolence. They’re convinced that the policies they are passing are righteous and will accrue nothing but positive benefits to the people of their particular city, legislative district, state, or nation.

Blinded by the pretense of the goodness of their actions, benevolent politicians love holding press conferences, issuing news releases, and taking to social media to spread the word of their generosity. They decree:

“Here is a new program that will save millions of lives.”

“We have passed a law will be a model for the city/state/nation.”

“With this policy, we are ushering in an era of prosperity for our people.”

“This new agency will help end {insert category of human suffering here}.”

Benevolent-sounding programs have been long been studied to have unexpected deleterious consequences.

A program that provides a monthly subsidy to seniors might help the elderly weather their Golden Years, but it also discourages private savings and family participation in the wellbeing of elders.

While a program for unemployment might help a person who is fired or laid off, it also discourages people from needing to save for emergencies or encourage the jobless to stay out of the workforce for an abnormally long period of time.

A program to confer welfare benefits on the poor might seem to help struggling families, but it keeps them dependent on those programs and discourages private charity and community involvement in the needs of the indigent, who are then rendered invisible to society and left to suffer in anonymity.