CONTROL, COOPERATION & THE COMMON GOOD

I think I just had an "AHA" moment as I was listening to Fats Limbaugh rail against government control in situations ranging from seat belts to global warming. In his view, these issues are all about some people's desire to exert control over other people. He admits that some of the would be controllers may be well-intentioned but he thinks that the people who are behind these movements are all about controlling others.

I've been reading Seymour Martin Lipset's book American Exceptionalism and he makes the point that compared to other developed democracies, there is a much greater emphasis on individual rights in America. This is so deeply embedded in our society, Lipset claims it's part of the American Creed and this is what the wingnuts use to rally the idiots against any move by the government to ensure cooperation for a social (and individual) good. I recently heard Frank Luntz discuss health care and he made the point that choice was the most important issue for people and this directly relates to American individualism. We want personal freedom and react against any perceived move to curtail it. Wingnuts like Fats Limbaugh will twist any social issue into a question of personal freedom so they can galvanize support for their free market fantasies.