Circular Tip of the Hat / Wag of the Finger

One of the mantras underlying conservatism is the idea of radical freedom and personal responsibility: in America, you have the freedom to become anything you want. So, when you succeed, you should be able to keep your earnings (this is one reason they hate taxes). But when you fail, don't come crying and asking for handouts: it's your own damn fault.

Never mind that the system is rigged to perpetuate social and class differences: it's always easier to point fingers and blame those we trample instead of getting our feet off their heads.

Freedom and responsibility are important values to uphold, but the world is full of complexity and nuance. Simplistic false dilemmas and sound bites may sound good to unsophisticated ears, but they do a disservice to the kind of discourse that's necessary for our nation to move forward.

Unfortunately, things are getting so bad that, as Stephen Colbert shows, presidential hopefuls like Rick Santorum are blaming sick, poor, unemployed people who can't afford health insurance for being sick, poor and unemployed...

The Colbert Report
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Rick Santorum is a douchebag because Rick Santorum is a douchebag :)