[conservatism_IS_compassion]

their interest in the poor [is] greatest when the poor can be used as a focus of the left's denunciations of society.

Once again, Mr. Sowell's wisdom puts him in a league of his own. Remember these words. They explain so much.

I pulled that quote too, but I think the phrase, "the left's denunciations of society," deserves discussion. IMHO the left is defined by Theodore Roosevelt in his famous dictum,

"It is not the critic who counts . . . the credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena

The left promotes itself by criticizing anyone who opens himself up to second guessing by taking responsibility and working to a bottom line. That includes not only businessmen but police and the military.

But notice who it does not include. First and foremost, it does not include journalists. No, journalists are "objective." And it does not include unionists, plaintiff lawyers, nor teachers/professors (other than the rare conservative, of course). IMHO journalists are the linchpin of leftism, because it is they who apply positive labels to themselves and to those who agree with their attitude toward actually getting in the arena.

The fact that leftists second guess others unmercifully but demand that they themselves be judged not by the results of their concrete actions but by their putative "good intentions" is obviously possible only because they are on the side of "objective" journalism. Note that I did not assert that journalism is in "liberal" politician's pocket - it is the other way around. "Liberal" politicians operate on the premise that getting good PR from journalism is the only thing that matters; they have no other principle worthy of the name.

Hence my tagline:

The idea around which liberalism coheres is that NOTHING actually matters except PR.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

Ping to my #11

Why Broadcast Journalism is
Unnecessary and Illegitimate

[irv]

journalists are the linchpin of leftism, because it is they who apply positive labels to themselves

I work in IT at a newspaper. It has been noted on numerous occasions that the reporters have the biggest heads in the building. Many of them really believe that their work is crucial to society (whether they are any good at it or not, apparently).

Once, I expedited setting up an email address (a simple enough thing, but their paperwork was late) and was congratulated for "striking a blow for the first amendment." Seriously.

[PGalt]

Thanks for the ping/post.

Outstanding article by Thomas Sowell! One of his best. Thank you Thomas Sowell! Thanks for posting.