NEBRASKA AND THE DEATH PENALTY

Nebraska conservative legislature’s repeal of the death penalty will attract widespread and popular attention across the Nation for some reason; however, I see something especially revealing in that action. Predictably, anti-death penalty advocates across the Nation are sure to start using what some call the winning argument, which was that it costs more to use the death penalty than it does to keep a person in prison for life. The comparative cost argument swung enough votes to cause the legislation to pass. Remember this is one of the most conservative legislatures in the nation. What that tells me is that for those swing voters, money overrules morality. The death penalty is an awkward subject for me because; I am a strong advocate of the death penalty but only in those of serial killers. For me the correctness of my position I base on morality. The only justified killing of a person is self-defense; the way society protects its self is from serial killers is the death penalty. Life in prison does not end the killing; it just restricts the victims to other prisoners and their guards. Of course, I include the mentally ill among those the state can issue the death penalty. In contrast, to me the argument advanced in Nebraska is mercenary and not moral; therefore, the difference in positions between those legislatures and me should be obvious. Unfortunately, for modern fiscal conservatives, money over morality is not restricted to the death penalty. In their eyes, government welfare is wrong because it costs taxpayers money. They consider the money they pay in taxes to be their money; they earned it and should be allowed to keep it. The “no more taxes” theme is the big net they use to recruit followers—unfortunately, it works. If we extend this argument to religion, we find that religion is what teaches us that life is sacred no matter where you find it, which can be vexing for fiscal conservatives trying desperately to recruit evangelical Christians into their fold. Fiscal conservative leanings are in line with the repeal of the death penalty but are strictly antithetical to the destruction of our welfare system. Ayn Rand did not have a moral bone in her body. Her dodge around this problem was simple. In her mind, people on welfare do not count. She treats them as if they do not exist. Next time you hear a Republican talk about welfare, you will recognize the Ayn Rand philosophy in what they say. More to the subject at hand, it is why people are surprised and even shocked at what conservatives did in Nebraska; it is so unlike them. The fact that it is headline news is telling, which tells us everyone knows what drives conservative political philosophy. URL: firetreepub.blogspot.com Comments Invited and not moderated