It's very hard to believe this is not an April Fool's joke - the assistant news editor of Lehigh University's student newspaper calls for the redistribution of just about everything:
And now, citizens, we must fight for a more egalitarian society in the United States. It is my opinion that the greatest expression of democracy and equality is the communist system and that it is time for Americans to push for a social revolution where production is made “from each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs,” as Karl Marx said...Besides basic humanistic values, a communist United States would allow all residents to have access to an education of equal quality and value. Capital and racial discrimination would no longer exist. With this new education and in the continuation of the current development of grades at Lehigh, with one-third of students obtaining a 3.5 GPA or higher every semester, a communistic approach to grading could be put into place. The current inflation and leveling out of grades could lead to, just as with capital, an elimination of grades.
Students would study for pure scholastic interest and would put in as much effort as they felt necessary. Instead of spending time learning what is sometimes considered futile, scholars would only learn what they felt useful to them...
Two quick questions for Olivier Lewis:
1. Can he name a country that follows Marx's principles and is a success, and by success I mean, "the government doesn't spend a great deal of time, money, paperwork, and bullets trying to prevent its citizens from leaving"?
2. If I am allowed to work harder in school than my fellow man, how is it possible that we could each end up with an education of equal quality? Wouldn't equalizing education require me to work no more and no less than my school mates?
Love the part about distributing income. If I'm guaranteed an income of $38K a year, no more and no less, no matter how hard I work, why do I want to go to college at all?
(Via FrontPage Magazine.)
Update: And as for equalization of income and giving everyone only what they "need," see what happens when you try to equalize things and take the luxury goods away from those who feel they deserve them?
Posted by kswygert at March 28, 2005 11:01 AM