I'm calling "Bullshit!" on this one. You're smart; you undoubtedly knew. To claim that you didn't has you come across as disengenuious, clueless, or some weird combination of both.

I don’t think that’s what Don said at all. Don said that without freedom, the slogan “responsibility for your fellow man” implies goving power to politicians and collectivists. Your restatement of Don’s position removes that very important qualification.

“I didn’t realize this was another conversation about the government.”

That’s exactly what Bono, Don Bourdreaux, and Arrowsmith were writing about.

danielkuehne: ‘the guy that likes to talk about spontaneous order (and I agree with you on spontaneous order) is quoting a single dead president to challenge Bono on what the “American idea” is.

When you wrote this, I naturally assumed – and I suspect that arrowsmith also assumed – that you were writing about the collectivist action Bono advocated and about Don’s response to Bono’s call for collectivist action.

Don Boudreaux: ““What distinguishes the American Idea from the superstitions, stifling traditions and the various forms of collectivism …”

Don Boudreaux: “responsibility to your fellow man” is simply a slogan used to justify harnessing the populace to serve those in power.”

It’s clear to me that both Bono’s editorial and Don’s response were about collectivist actions and the use of government to impose on Americans a “responsibility to your fellow man”.

In a free society, millions of INDIVIDUALS are making such decisions FREELY.

Honestly, daniel? Did you read the section of Bono’s editorial which included the quote Don referred to?

Bono referred to these words by President Obama:

““We will support the Millennium Development Goals, and approach next year’s summit with a global plan to make them a reality. And we will set our sights on the eradication of extreme poverty in our time.”

Do you honestly believe that Obama was referring to private voluntary actions rather than government-funded fulfillment of “our obligations to our fellow man”?

Here’s what Bono said about Obama’s statement:

“I believe Mr. Obama could well be a force for peace and prosperity — if the words signal action.”

Do you honestly believe that Bono was meaning voluntary private action by Obama rather than government-funded action?

Perhaps you did not follow the link to the Bono editorial. I did, and I certainly interpreted Bono’s message as a call for government action – action that would, of course, be funded by involuntary taxation.

What Jefferson might consider disingenuous is the insinuation that this somehow contradicts his work on the Declaration or his “pro-freedom stuff”, as you put it.

I know you desperately want to believe that anyone who disagrees with you hates freedom, but it just ain’t true arrowsmith.