Two Americas: Opportunists vs. the Free

By Richard C. Wagner
John Locke Foundation

John Edwards says the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina underscores the “two Americas” theme of his presidential campaign last year.

“We see the poor and working class of New Orleans who don’t own a car and couldn’t evacuate to hotels or families far from the target of Katrina,” Edwards said in e-mail messages to supporters Friday. “We see the suffering of families who lived from paycheck to paycheck and who followed the advice of officials and went to shelters at the Civic Center or the Superdome or stayed home to protect their possessions.”

Edwards added, “We have been too slow to act in the face of the misery of our brothers and sisters. This is an ugly and horrifying wake-up call to America.”

At last, John Edwards and I have found something on which we both agree. There really are two Americas. As Edwards said, Hurricane Katrina made that crystal clear:

On one side, there are Americans who assume responsibility, work together, cherish their independence, and live free or die, as they say in New Hampshire.

On the other side, there are Americans who expect others to feed and house their constituents and raise their children from cradle to grave, blame others for their mistakes, stir up dissension, and demand that the government—taxpayers— shield them from any of life’s inconveniences and injustices.