Economics & Compassion

Economics is a complex subject that has been hotly debated for centuries.  These debates often devolve into passionate, illogical rhetoric, which should be unsurprising when we consider that economics concerns not merely theoretical numbers on pages, but the lives of actual human beings.

Conservatives are often criticized, and many times rightly so, for their dispassionate approach to economics, but Liberals must remember that poor economic policies, regardless of the motives that lie behind them, produce devastating results in the real world.  Emotional policy making, divorced from common sense economic principles, almost always harms the vulnerable classes it intends to help, no matter how zealous the policy makers and their supporters may be.

Whether we are concerned citizens on social media or public servants on Capitol Hill, we must avoid both extremes.  We should never approach economics heartlessly, as if it were merely an intellectual exercise, but it is important to remember that true compassion must account for the harsh realities of the real world.  Compassionate economic policies are not truly compassionate if they a) perpetuate the very problems they are intended (or that their proponents claim they are intended) to solve; or b) disregard the personal liberty of our neighbors.

Balance is key.  We must find a way to temper our compassion with common sense, legislating in a way that takes into consideration the individual rights of constituents and the long-term effects of our economic policies.  This is, of course, more easily said than done, particularly in a society obsessed with instant gratification and virtue signaling, but the future of our children and grandchildren depends upon it.