Recent comments from Rev. William Barber, self-appointed spokesman for the “Moral Monday” protests and leader of the NC state chapter of the NAACP, confirm that his vision for society endorses an aggressive use of violence against innocent individuals, and seeks to negate morality itself.
At a convention of far-left activists last week, Barber told the audience he is “bothered” by politicians citing “freedom” to campaign against an over-reaching government. Indeed, Barber for years has lobbied for massive government programs under the cloak of “justice,” while characterizing as immoral any talk of individual liberty and free markets.
“Our deepest moral traditions declare that the true challenge of society is not private charity but public policy that impacts how people exist every day of our lives,” declared Barber.
“Morality” and “justice,” according to Barber, can only be achieved through political means.
To evaluate these claims, we can compare the two institutional frameworks constituting the hero and villain in Barber’s narrative: government versus voluntary free markets featuring private charity.
The use of force backed by the threat of violence is the bedrock upon which all government programs are built. Their very existence relies on compelling citizens to pay their taxes lest they be punished for their resistance. And to be clear, such threats are not leveled against the perpetrators of any crime, but rather against innocent victims who have aggressed against no one.
By contrast, in a free-market, capitalist system based upon property rights, people and institutions rely on peaceful, voluntary exchange for their existence. From the biggest corporation to the local farmer, free enterprises survive only if they offer something that others value at a price they are willing to pay.
Furthermore, consumers are free to refrain from turning over their money to an individual or business if they object to the goods or services offered in exchange. In response, the producer would either silently suffer the financial loss or use peaceful means to persuade the consumer to once again resume their voluntary exchange relationship.
Contrast that with how the government would react if you decided to stop paying taxes because you don’t like the services it offers and provides in return. Agents of the government would descend upon you and threaten fines and imprisonment – resorting to physical assault if necessary – if you didn’t obey.
So without you having threatened or aggressed against anyone, but merely by boycotting the submission of your property (via taxes) to the government, this organization would not stop short of invading your property and initiating violence against you.
Such is the true nature of how to achieve Barber’s “moral code” of “justice.”
I prefer the definition of justice offered by George Mason University professor and columnist Walter Williams: “What’s just has been debated for centuries, but let me offer you my definition of social justice: ‘I keep what I earn, and you keep what you earn.’ Do you disagree? Well, then, tell me how much of what I earn belongs to you – and why.”
Finally, Barber’s brand of “morality” not only extols the use of aggressive violence against innocents, it would run the risk of extinguishing the ability of individuals to exercise moral judgment, thus negating real morality. True morality and charity for those in need is housed in the hearts of individuals expressing their own compassion, not in response to political orders.
As noted economist and political philosopher Friedrich A. Hayek stated, “Responsibility, not to a superior, but to one’s own conscience, the awareness of duty not exacted by compulsion, but the necessity to decide which of the things one values are to be sacrificed to others, and bear the consequences of one’s own decision, are the very essence of any morals which deserve the name.”
Humans act in accordance with their own judgment. This includes judgment about helping others in need, as determined by one’s own conscience. Government, however, interferes with the connection between judgment and action. As the state forcibly outsources the exercise of moral compassion, individuals’ ability to do so atrophies.
Barber’s blustering about “morality” is really a smokescreen designed to distract from his vision of a society organized around the threat of government violence against innocents and devoid of the exercise of individuals freely expressing true moral acts.
This article originally appeared in the Fayetteville Observer.
Brain Balfour, the propagandist for an oligarchy form of government in NC is telling us “Greed is Good” jut like the character Gordon Gekko in the 1987 movie “Wall Street”. Brain’s message here is you can be greedy, exploit employees, rob needed money from public schools, programs for hungry children, health care programs, support the pollution of public water ways and still fell good about yourself because you’re rich and those people don’t matter. Oligarchs can buy political power, politicians and even a black professor from George Mason University.
Art Pope and Civitas Institute continue pushing rampant inequality as they become richer buying politicians to steal opportunity and justice from the general public.
Here Brain Balfour attacks Rev. William Barber and the Moral Monday Movement for have the audacity to suggest there’s no moral high ground for current conservative ideology being pushed by Art Pope and his many propaganda outlets like Civitas Institute.
Lonnie,
It’s been a while, we’ve sort of missed your incoherent ramblings.
Did the troll union mandate you go on a vacation?
Anyway, thanks for the laughs.
“Brain”
Loonie Lonnie,
I missed your incoherent ramblings too,like I missed that kidney stone I had removed a few years ago.I think you would be better off over at Democracy North Carolina,since you are just as bipartisan as they are.
Lonnie,
Answer Walter Williams.How much of what I earn belongs to you–and why.I know you won’t answer directly.It will be another incoherent ramble.
Larry, please keep in mind we’re debating public policy and moral responsibility.
To answer your question, none of the money you earn belongs to me but you do owe a debt to society. What ever education you have or your parents had likely came from public education or knowledge that resulted from past investments in knowledge. The stability of American economy is based on courts, police and military someone must pay for. The roads, bridges, ports, power grid and weather satellites make trade possible but someone is responsible for that cost.
You don’t get a free ride just because your daddy was rich or you were lucky.
So, it still appears this organization has a personal vendetta against the Rev. Barber. I wonder if it would be any different if Rev. Barber was white?
PS. The entire premise of the article of “government violence” is farcical.
Mr Pope and Francis X. De Luca are spending huge sums of money to reinstitute a new era of Jim Crow/Boss Hogg style of politics in NC with rampant inequality and injustice.
Lonnie,you are right that I don’t get a free ride.That free ride is reserved for people like you and Yo Yo.
Larry, Ferguson MO already has the Jim Crow world you and the oligarchs at Civitas Institiute lobby for.
Low income (mostly of color) citizens are targeted by police for traffic voliactions, jaywalking, getting blood on a policeman’s uniform while being beaten by the police and the list goes on and on. The second largest income for Furguson is from court fees on the low income citizens in a rigged court system. The citizens are then disenfrangized from voting because of a rigged court system. No freedom in Ferguson or many other similar American cities where the like of Art Pope have bought the political process.
Lonnie,
You are just like the idiot Democrat governor of Mo.He came out and said the officer should be prosecuted right now.Now we know the young man who was killed,robbed a store and strong armed a clerk,shortly before he was killed.Now this morning we find out the officer has a broken eye socket from the 6’4″ 300 lb.man.We now know the officer was severely beaten.You are nothing but a race baiter like your hero,Al Sharpton.I certainly hope you never need the Boone Police because they will probably ignore the call.
Lonnie,
You don’t know any of the facts so the cop is guilty right from the get go.The Governor of MO did the same thing.Of course he is a Democrat and is pandering to Blacks.He knows he can’t be elected without their vote.We now know the young man that was killed,committed a strong arm robbery shortly before he was shot.We learned this morning the Cop was severely beaten and has a broken eye socket.You and the Democrat owned press have rushed to judgment just like the Travon Martin case.There are thousands of Black on Black murders every year.Are the murderers that are sent to prison in a rigged system.How did you get so warped?You and YoYo Boy have Jim Crow on the brain.
Conservtives are now in favor of letting police be the judge and jury, going with death squad like Conservtive right wing governemnts of Central and South Amercia?
Your comments are so extreme I don’t know if you’re misinformed by right wing hate propaganda or just willfully ignorant, letting your bigotry over power your logic.
Facts undisputed , Mr Brown was jaywalking in a low traffic area nearhis home, officer Wilson rode past the two young men and shouted an order to get on the sidewalk, the young men ignored his commans as they were near their destination. Office Wilson became angry, put his car in reverse stopping along side the young men opening the car door with either the force of the car coming to a stop or the door stricking Mr Brown the door came back forcefully on officer Wilson, his head injury likely happened at this point. A shot was fired as the offier struggled with Mr Brown through the car window. When Mr Brown freed himself he ran until he was hit by one of the bullets being fired at him as he was fleeing, at which point he turned with his hands in the air. He was shot several more times after putting his hands in the air in front of multiple witnesses. Imagine if all of this were reversed?