Three Degrees of Democratic Envy

I was half watching the Republican debates last week when a Wolf Blitzer allowed an audience member, a philosophy teacher from Saint Anselm College, to pose a question.
"My question is a simple one," he said. "In your opinion, what is the most pressing moral issue facing this country today?"
I turned up the volume and moved to the edge of my seat. "Give the right answer," I thought to myself. "This is a simple one, now come on. Show some guts and just say it for God’s sakes!"

For those who sneer at the very idea of wisdom, you need read no further.
I do not possess vast amounts of knowledge’s better half myself, but what little I have garnered I freely share.
That said...
"The key to happiness is thankfulness."
Simple and true.
And the destroyer of thankfulness is envy.

Had I been on that stage, I’d have thanked the guest for such an outstanding question and stated simply, "Envy."

Wikipedia defines ‘envy’ as "an emotion that "occurs when a person lacks another’s superior quality, achievement, or possession and either desires it or wishes that the other lacked it."
That sums it up pretty well. Envy is when one man either wants what another possesses or wishes the other did not possess it at all.
Envy is the sixth of the seven deadly sins, however it is my stern belief that it is the worst of them all. For not only is it often the principal cause of so much evil in the world, it is also the main impediment to the individuals ability to achieve lasting happiness.
Now to the meat of my point. And it is this...There is a national American political party dedicated almost exclusively to the idea of pandering to the envious. I freely admit that its opposition party now dabbles in this as well, but envy is not the crux of the Republican party’s platform. That honor goes, of course, to the Democrats.
It is hard to think of a single Democratic issue that can not be connected to envy in less than three steps. It is the Democrat’s version of "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon", "Three Degrees of Democratic Envy".
Let’s all give it a try, shall we?
"Tax the rich", "Big Oil’s obscene profits", "The income gap(fat cat CEOs)", "The wage gap(men vs. womyn)", "affirmative action", "Two Americas". These are all too easy. It should be obvious to all that envy is at the core of each of these issues. Hidden behind the guise of "fairness", is the face of envy. Pure and simple.
But let’s go for a few tougher issues.
How about Global Warming? How does that connect to envy? Simple. 1) Ask any believer who he or she believes is main culprit in Global Warming and he or she will respond that America is only 5% of the world population, yet uses 26% of the world’s energy(forget that America also accounts for between 21 and 28% of the Global World Product). Energy use equals carbon output. 2) America is the world’s richest country. 3) Europe and the Democratic party, through use of the battering ram that is Global Warming, wish to impose massive controls on th US economy. Thus slowing, or better yet, stopping its expansion. This will help to alleviate the envy felt by the Europeans and their own sputtering economies and the Democrats will have taken another step in their plan for a Socialist Republic.
I will not quibble about whether or not the Democratic party is Socialist. Encyclopedia Britannica online defines Socialism as: (a) system of social organization in which property and the distribution of income are subject to social control rather than individual determination or market forces. Sound like the Democratic/Liberal agenda to you?
Honestly, it is to the point where they, themselves, no longer even try to hide the fact. The following comments by leading Democrat Hillary Clinton say it all...
"We have to build a political consensus. And that requires people to give up a little bit of their own turf in order to create this common ground."
"We’re going to take things away form you on behalf of the common good."
"I prefer a ‘we’re all in it together’ society."
"Fairness doesn't just happen. It requires the right government policies."
So just what is the connection of Socialism and envy? Again, simple. Socialism takes from the haves and gives to the have nots. Almost the very definition of envy.
I would gladly to go into the issue of the war in Iraq, but it is really just a portion of a bigger issue as it relates to envy. U.S. power. And the way in which Democrats and Liberals deal with the idea of the use of American power throughout the world. 1) America is the most powerful military on the face of the Earth. 2) When our military acts, it crushes the opposition. This makes other countries and our enemies envious and fearful. They wish we did not possess such a powerful military. Unquestionably, most all American Leftists would agree with that opinion.
In order to appease the envy of other countries, as well as our enemies, the Left constantly searches for ways to belittle the American military. Abu Ghraib, the flushing of a Koran at Guantanamo Bay, unequal and improper enlistment tactics, "...young American soldiers ...going into the homes of Iraqis in the dead of night, terrorizing kids and children, you know, women...",
"...you would most certainly believe this must have been done by Nazis, Soviets in their gulags, or some mad regime — Pol Pot or others — that had no concern for human beings. Sadly, that is not the case. This was the action of Americans..."
But let us get back on point. Envy. It is everywhere in the Democratic agenda.
Healthcare. Why should some have it while others do not. Vote Democrat, we’ll give it to you. Soft borders. Why should Americans be the only one’s to enjoy the American economy? Hop on over, vote Democrat, we’ll give it to you.
End Tax Cuts(raise taxes). Why should the rich have more than you. Vote Democrat, we’ll take stuff from them.

I began this essay making the point that envy is the "most pressing moral issue facing the country today".
It is.
It is a character flaw and one that must be struggled against daily. It normalizes the entitlement mind set. It fattens the welfare rolls. It ignores the importance of personal responsibility for one’s own lot in life. It is the gremlin in the engine of a Capitalist system.
How I wish even one of the Republicans at that debate had stepped up and said what needed to be said. That envy is the real moral issue. And that, fortunately, we have the tools to fight it...thankfulness, personal responsibility, gratitude, true happiness in the prosperity of others, individuality...these are the values of a true American. And the values that can defeat the evil that is envy.