Equality

I've often wondered how anyone can say that they are arguing for equality when they promote government control over any aspect of our lives.  I didn't get what was equal about the law of the land favoring some over others, treating groups differently based on their race or the success or lack of success of their parents.  In my naive little mind, the only true equality under the law was for all men and women to be treated the exact same by the laws of the land, that no one person or group was more subjected to the coercive power of government than any other.

See, what I didn't understand was Economic Equality!  Of course!  The idea is that we should be lifted from concerns with our economic station.  Of course this only works by relinquishing control of that aspect of your life.  This is just a little bit of freedom to give up to give you the peace of mind of never having to choose for yourself how you will conduct half of your daily life.  You won't be burdened with the responsibility of having to exercise your own value judgments over what you do with your life or how you spend your money.  With economic equality, these decisions are made by a bureaucrat, who only has your society's best interest at heart. 

The statesman who should attempt to direct private people in what manner they ought to employ their capitals, would not only load himself with a most unnecessary attention, but assume an authority which could safely be trusted, not only to no single person, but to no council or senate whatever, and which would nowhere be so dangerous as in the hands of a man who had folly and presumption enough to fancy himself fit to exercise it.

The Wealth Of Nations, Book IV, Chapter II, p. 456, para. 10.

If this doesn't sound appealing to you, then maybe it's time for you to get more involved.  These things are already happening in this country.  Someone has already decided that you should buy health insurance, whether you want to or not.  If you don't, the coercive power of the State will penalize you.  By regulating commerce, someone has decided that you do not want to purchase incandescent bulbs, appliances that work, or electricity from the most cost effective sources.  They tell you you can't work more than 40 hours for a single employer (or make it unlikely that you can).  How long before they tell you you can't have more than 1 job (because it's not fair that you should have 2 or 3 when so many have none)? 

How about this?  Treat everyone equal under the law.  Allow people to make the value decisions that effect every aspect of their lives.  Equality should not be about what you have, but the coercive rules that we all must live under.