Put Aside Envy

William Marina makes a good point in his post below referencing my missive on Martha Stewart. He writes, “I hope that, as suggested by Keith Halderman, political progress in America does not depend upon a decline among the poor envying the rich.” He then explains that it is the people near the top, but not quite there, who are the most envious. As we look at who is playing the class warfare card the hardest these days, it is not poor people but rather wealthy individuals such as Hilary Clinton, Howard Dean, and John Kerry.

So the problem is not so much to make the poor stop envying the rich, it is to make them put aside their envy. Progress towards a more free society would be greatly enhanced if those like my leftist friend Kenny could be made to realize that the problems which concern them so much spring not from Martha Stewart’s wealth but from her prosecutor’s ambition and his willingness to use force to advance that ambition. However, Kenny’s envy and the envy of those who think like him cloud their analysis of the situation. William Marina is right, people will always envy the rich but that does not mean that they must continue to remain blind to where the real threat to their happiness and well-being comes from, the state.