The Democratic Philosophy

David Gelertner perfectly defines the philosophy of the Democratic Party - 'We're Smart, You're Dumb'.It seems that the entire Democratic agenda is to make sure that people don't make decisions for themselves, because obviously the Democrats know what is better for them.

How could anyone be opposed in principle to private investment accounts within Social Security? I could understand Democrats arguing that "private accounts are a wonderful idea but the country can't afford the transition costs right now." But mostly I hear Democrats saying they're a lousy idea, and that President Bush wants to wreck Social Security — because, after all, he wants to let you keep a great big whopping 4% of your payroll taxes in a private account instead of handing over every cent to the government. How on Earth could anyone be opposed in principle to letting taxpayers manage a minuscule fraction of their own money (their own money, dammit!) if they want to? Because private accounts violate the Infantile American Principle, so dear to Democratic hearts. Little kids should turn over their cash to the Big Smart Government for safekeeping.

This principle relates to much more than the current debate on Social Security. Virtually every proposal of the Democrats relies on the reasoning that the Government will decide for everyone. This has been the basis of a few failed ideologies of the 20th century, yet the Democrats seem to have not learned from history.