Jeff Sachs Warns Us About Politicians Who Peddle Liberty To The Exclusion of Other Values

The French revolution was inspired by the phrase: "Liberty, Equality and Fraternity". Jeff Sachs tells us that one of the problems in America is that liberty is extolled as the supreme value. All other values are subordinate to personal liberty. He argues that we would all be better off, and we would have a better society, if we also valued civic responsibility and compassion for others. He believes that we should have a government based upon all three of these values instead of an exclusive value of liberty.

The French monarchy was overthrown because it had a government based upon the liberty of the aristocracy to do what it pleased. The revolution was about adding equality and fraternity to the value system. Today we have politicians who defend the liberty of the plutocracy to do what it pleases. Civic responsibility and compassion for others are subordinate to liberty. They propose a government based upon liberty, because a government concerned about civic responsibility and compassion for others is a threat to the liberty of the plutocracy. Government is the only agency with the power to interfere with the liberty of the plutocracy. That is why they attempt to limit the power of government to serve the public interest. The politicians, and academics who serve the plutocracy, broadcast the virtue of liberty above all other values because it protects the interests of the plutocracy. Their goal is to align the values of the electorate with the values that sustain the plutocracy. The underclasses in America are told that freedom from a government concerned about civic responsibility and compassion is in their best interest. They should reflect on the line from a once popular song: " Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose". A government that places liberty above all other values does not serve their interests. It is a government that preserves the authority of the plutocracy to do what it pleases. Perhaps that is why Margaret Thatcher proclaimed that there is no such thing as society. We are all atoms who should avoid joining together to form a molecule called society.