Tuesday, June 12, 2012

MLK's other campaign for "equality"

Every once in a while I like to look back at aspects of history that are important, but not widely recognized. Martin Luther King, Jr. is one of my heroes. Most everyone is familiar with Martin Luther King Jr.'s courageous campaign and ultimate sacrifice for LEGAL equality and equal opportunity.  However, many are not familiar with King's campaign for equality of outcome/result, economic equality,  the welfare state and perhaps some form of socialism.  This was the push behind the 1968 "Poor People's" campaign.  Although I am a big fan of civil rights and liberties and equal protection of the law,  and thankful for King's effort in those areas, I am not so enthusiastic about state-imposed economic "justice."  There is a big difference between legal equality and equal protection of the law on the one hand and "social" or "economic" justice on the other.  The latter requires an all-powerful state which poses a threat to constitutional liberties, legal equality and equal protection of the law. 

1 comment:

  1. Agreed. I've verbalized before, natural rights are freely inherited. There's no cost to anyone. Forcing big government social progressive policies and programs down people's throats (under the phony guise of social or economic justice) costs America's employers and individual tax-payers plenty. Where's the equal treatment in that? It's antithetical to a free and just society.

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