Garden State Patriot

Last week I posted on the G20 protests going on in Pittsburgh, including around my alma mater, Pitt. Well, on Friday Sean Vannity had a segment with a couple of the protesters, 2 Pitt students. Suffice it to say, I can’t help being embarrassed by this to some degree. Watch here as these two students demonstrate their incredible naivete. God only knows where they come up with their ideas, but I fear they are only being reinforced in the halls of *higher learning* at Pitt.

First off, it is amazing to me that neither student can bring themselves to at least condemn the violence. The one girl justified the violence and vandalism as an effort to make ‘their voices heard.’ So, according to this leftist radical, such activity is OK if it means getting your message out. Bill Ayers must be proud.

Michael Moore must also be proud considering that these protesters have come to the twisted conclusion that capitalism is evil. Yes, somehow CEO’s making 6 figures is bad for society and needs to be reined in via taxation and forced wealth redistribution. Capitalism is evil because poor people still exist in society. And, ironically, capitalism is evil because, according to these ’progressives,’ progress resulted in the demise of the city’s steel industry. (As an aside, it should be noted that Pittsburgh has rebounded over time both due to a vibrant healthcare industry – Pittsburgh is known for its hospitals – not to mention the efforts/expansion of the University of Pittsburgh itself, which is the city’s top employer.) 

Underlying the protester’s attacks on capitalism is the idea that there is a utopia. That if only there were wealth redistribution to address the ‘inequities’ of capitalism, opportunity and prosperity would abound for all. Of course, such socialistic visions only lead to tyranny and the spread of misery and poverty among the populace.

This segment just underscores the real problem we are facing. Too many people simply do not understand – and have not been taught – the virtues of capitalism and the superiority of its morality. Abraham Lincoln said it best:

“You cannot help the poor, by destroying the rich. You cannot strengthen the weak, by weakening the strong. You cannot bring about prosperity, by discouraging thrift. You cannot lift the wage earner up, by pulling the wage payer down. You cannot further the brotherhood of man, by inciting class hatred. You cannot build character and courage, by taking away men’s initiative and independence. You cannot help men permanently, by doing for them what they could and should, do for themselves.”

While these protesters are likely lost to this message and the virtues of capitalism and a free market system, it is up to conservatives to deliver it to our fellow citizens and persuade them otherwise.

Cross-posted at Conservatives with Attitude!