Posted by
EFuller on Wednesday, August 15, 2007 6:44:04 AM
Periodically, a local newspaper somewhere carries a story about someone with too many pets -- like 100 cats or 30 dogs. The animals are in poor health, often in squalid conditions. What causes someone to horde animals? Perhaps it is too much compassion or too little common sense.
I really think it is false compassion. Rather than seeing the real condition of the animals, animal horders are feeding their own emotional needs. They enjoy feeling compassionate. They avoid the pain of tough decisions. Their so-called "compassion" for the animals leads to mistreatment of the animals.
The progressive (aka liberal) tendencies in the Democratic party have the same problem. Many of their policies feed their emotional need. They want to feel compassionate -- that they "care." This false compassion motivates action that eventually lowers conditions for those "cared for." We've seen this in the War on Poverty and it permeates the current efforts to extend health care entitlements.
Unfortunately, like animal hording, the problem usually grows into a large smelly mess before the community decides to take charge and clean things up.