Equity Is the Enemy of Equality

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Did you know that 100 percent of the naval bases in the United States are located in states with coastlines? The Department of Defense hasn’t constructed one naval base in a land-locked state. Is this equitable? Shouldn’t Navy spending per capita be the same for every state?

Every American, regardless of his station, is entitled to equal treatment from his government. No one is above the law. And no one is below the law.

Government managers, whether they’re politicians or bureaucrats, must never forget that equal treatment is paramount, and it’s never to be confused with equal benefit. Laws against stealing benefit the honest far more than they benefit the crooked. Rigorous licensing requirements for doctors, lawyers, and engineers benefit the smart and ambitious far more than they benefit the dull and lazy. And maintaining the world’s most formidable navy benefits the residents of Norfolk, San Diego, and Honolulu far more than it benefits the residents of Dallas, Las Vegas, and Chattanooga.

Nope, government managers, like good referees, must be completely indifferent to who wins or loses “the game” they’re managing. Government managers should only care about 1) crafting rules and standards that sensibly advance the mission of their organization, and 2) applying those rules and standards equally. The moment they abandon common sense and neutrality, and weaponize their organization’s rules and standards to favor the politically strong at the expense of the politically weak, they are no longer agents of good; they are agents of plunder.

Okay, groovy freedomist, that’s all I got. What say you? I say equity is the enemy of equality, and any politician or bureaucrat promoting equity is nothing but a modern-day Jim Crowist—just another tyrant pushing for a two-tier system that unjustly rewards the Americans he or she likes and unjustly punishes the Americans he or she doesn’t. Do you agree or disagree? Let me know what you think when you get a chance. Peace.