As IF Times

Source: Panera’s experiment with socialism craters… “can’t cover costs” … restaurants shuttered – NaturalNews.com

Gee, who could have seen that coming.  Most people have never even heard of this experiment by Panera, a noble one to be sure, but nevertheless one that a 7 year old could have told them was doomed to fail.  Having a business model in which people are allowed to contribute what they want for your products works only in the fairyland in which no one lives. To Panera’s credit, it was the corporation’s own money that was at stake here, not the collective contributions forced from the public that we’re accustomed to seeing.

In fact, you can say that this was a form of charity, always admirable, but only if sustainable. You can dole out only as much as you have in your larder to help others.  If only this philosophy was observed in public policy. As we know, the model there is to enforce some well intentioned policy with the monies confiscated from everyone else, without regard to permission, efficacy or cost.  There’s seldom a mechanism of sober reflection when the policies go wrong, even when they result in the exact opposite of what was originally intended. One bemusing example is the popularity of the “no guns allowed” sticker one finds in so many buildings and all schools. What this really signals is that these are risk free victim zones for perps. There is an internet meme showing a “no wolf” sign around a herd of sheep. The reality is, laws are only for the law abiding.

There are innumerate examples of this, but of course the one capturing the headlines most recently, is illegal immigration.  What may have started off as a gesture of kindness by allowing people into the nation illegally to find work and support their families has transmogrified grotesquely into a virtual industry.  Tens of millions of people are living in the country without going through proper channels and millions more are in their wake literally pushing at the fences to get in.  Unlike Panera Bread which made a decision based on the evidence to stop their program, politicos are doubling down on allowing the flood of illegals to enter the country.  This, despite hard evidence of the unwanted consequences of increased crime, bursting social support systems and schools,  higher taxation and degraded cities.

People with an elevated sense of social justice unfortunately are often also deficient in matters of common sense. When they manage to take office, they’re like children who think bringing home all of the stray dogs in the neighborhood is a good idea, but have no idea the cost and effort required to maintain them, but hey, they’re cute.  If you extrapolate this to public policy, it’s the same thing as making all of your neighbors take in stray dogs as well without their choice in the matter.

And this is what’s happened to public policy today.  Let’s disregard for a moment the mercenary aspects of policy and simply take the proponents at their word; that they are social justice fighters.   There is a breakdown of the system of checks and balances needed to nip ideas which are hopelessly wrongheaded from becoming policy. There is a crying need for rational voices to put a stop to misbegotten notions which threaten the very fabric of a civilized culture.  For too long we’ve allowed the kids to run the place and it’s time for the adults to step up and take back control.

Source: ProPublica audio tape of crying immigrant children plays during Kirstjen Nielsen briefing – Washington Times

To those paying attention, the tactics used by ‘progressives’ to sway people’s opinions in their favor are virtually the same from issue to issue.  Rather than engage in a logical discussion on cause and effect, a discussion they would surely lose, they instead try to influence by emotion.  Of course much of Hollywood’s success exploits this weakness in people; productions are most successful when some emotional nerve is struck and people are moved by a sappy scenario, which in real life is likely utterly preposterous.  When Hollywood does it well, we get It’s A Wonderful Life.  What they mostly put out however, are laughers like Pretty Woman.

The power of emotional imagery to sell a position is not lost on the political set. Much of what finds its way into public policy results from some event with emotional circumstances.  Recently, images of crying students in Florida after a school shooting predictably re-ignited the gun control crowd.  A few years back, the image of dead boy on a beach spurred international interest in Syria.  Let’s not forget the classic picture of a polar bear on a small piece of ice floe to sell global warming.  In reality, the bear was just going to the bathroom, but it served its purpose among the Al Gore set.

Even the image of the planes hitting the twin towers in New York were important in the now accepted policy of TSA frisking and resultant long lineups at airports today.  People are willing to accept and submit to this non sensical protocol long after the rationale behind it has disappeared.  Since most people are law abiding, they comply.  Contrast this to the current hand wringing drama over adults with children apprehended at the US border while illegally attempting to enter the country.  Naturally, the kids are distressed at the situation that their parents put them in, but the images are depicted as showing the cruelty of the border agents and by extension, Trump.  We are pretty sure that crying kids would not exempt their parents from being frisked before boarding a plane at any airport.  I’m also reasonably certain that kids would likely be distressed if their parents were apprehended while stealing from a Wal Mart, also a crime.

This crying kids image is so powerful that even rational thinking people are budging at the bleating by partisan parties to ‘relax the restrictions’.  It’s not a big stretch to soon have people show up at banks with crying kids to demand money for housing and food and healthcare.

Come to think of it; that’s exactly what’s going on.