“In a democracy,” Aristotle wrote, “the poor will have more power than the rich, because there are more of them, and the will of the majority is supreme.” In a democracy, the poor and their supporters can vote for politicians who promise to provide free food, education, health care, and housing. In a democracy, the poor can relieve themselves of the responsibility to provide for their own well-being. A recent article on Texas Housers, an advocate for low-income Texans, illustrates this last point.
In late August 2020, residents of Galveston were ordered to evacuate as Hurricane Laura threatened the island. For most Galvestonians, evacuating the island in the face of a deadly storm was a relatively routine, albeit inconvenient, experience. However, for the bulk of the residents of Sandpiper Cove, evacuating on their own was virtually impossible.
Sandpiper Cove is a Section 8 housing project—the residents receive government subsidies for their housing. A variety of government agencies evacuated the residents. The article referenced above laments the fact that:
- The residents of the housing project weren’t adequately informed of what items to take with them upon evacuation
- Face masks and hand sanitizer weren’t provided to the evacuees
- Food and water weren’t provided to the evacuees
- Upon arriving in Austin, the evacuees weren’t provided free Internet connections
In other words, others didn’t provide everything that the residents of Sandpiper Cove might want or need during an evacuation, and that is a failing of the system.
Most of the residents of Sandpiper Cover are very poor. Many are disabled or elderly. Some speak little or no English. According to Texas Housers, because these individuals are unable or unwilling to care for themselves, government—i.e., taxpayers—has an obligation to provide the values that life requires.
America is dominated by the belief that morality means self-sacrificial service to others. According to this creed, we have a moral obligation to help the poor and the needy. And if we don’t provide that aid voluntarily, then we should be forced to do so. Our own needs and desires are irrelevant.
Aristotle was correct. In a democracy, the poor do have more power than the rich. But the source of that power is not the ballot box. The source is a perverted morality that demands that we sacrifice our values for others. The source is the belief that my life is your responsibility.