The surest sign that public policies are simply virtue signals is when the messages don't cost anything. The easiest way to tell when that signal starts to fail is to watch politicians flounder as the costs start to rise and voters demand relief.It was free—and meaningless—for progressive churches to post banners calling themselves "nuclear free zones" during the Reagan era. Their dwindling congregations loved it. It was free, after George Floyd's murder, to post woke catechism signs on your front lawn, proclaiming "In this house, we believe: Black Lives Matter, women's rights are human rights, no human is illegal" and so on. Maybe the neighbors gave you high-fives. And for years it has been free for deep-blue cities to proclaim themselves "sanctuaries" for illegal immigrants. That's changing now that voters want some sanctuary for themselves.Changes like this happen when voters realize the old virtue signals actually entail serious costs—and that they will have to pay them. That is exactly what's happening in New York City and Washington D.C. now that Texas governor Greg Abbott is sending those cities a few busloads of illegal immigrants from his state.
This is how I feel about the environmental crisis clowns: exactly none of them are going to give up their IPhones, cars, and winter heating. Charlie Kirk always asks "why don't you join the Amish?" when they start talking about living a sustainable life.
Oh, no, no. Too much sacrifice. But here's a banner.
1 comment:
Summing up:
"They" are hypocrites... that's why "we" hate virtue signaling.
1. Now that there's no more juice to squeeze, Ron DeSantis wants to "move past" his self-inflicted Disney lawsuit. But Disney's not gonna let him.
2. Republicans by and large excuse the normalized police brutality and misconduct that cost taxpayers well over $3 billion in settlement payments in the past decade alone. The cops get suspended with pay.
3. The January 6 seditionists are all very very sorry now. The price tag for the aftermath is nearing $3 billion with hundreds more trials still to come.
4. Extreme weather plus rightwing climate change denialism cost the U.S. $165 billion just for last year. That check is going to look smaller and smaller in the years to come. But it's a small price to pay for the warm feeling you get when you call the science community "clowns."
5. The overall economic toll of COVID in the United States will top $14 trillion this year. And yet unvaccinated conservatives continue to pump their fists online and share Fauci memes and type "I WILL NOT COMPLY."
Taxpayer Lives Matter.
Post a Comment