I always stop at the 14-mile mark of my ride to eat four cheese crackers. Today, moments after I opened the cracker package, I noticed a bobcat walking toward me at a brisk pace. He obviously smelled the crackers and wanted some. Though I felt sorry for him, I resisted the temptation to give him a cracker. It would only make him dependent on humans. He watched me for a while, only six feet from where I sat, and finally ambled off. (Click the image to enlarge; I did not use the zoom lens.)
Note that this is a good summation of the difference between progressives and conservatives. Progressives want to take care of people's immediate needs even if it undermines the recipients' ability to provide for themselves in the future. Conservatives want people to be independent, self-sufficient, and, as a result of these, dignified. Another way to put it is that progressives emote, while conservatives cogitate. The irony, of course, is that progressives think that they're the ones with heart. They view conservatives as heartless. The truth is that conservatives have both heart and brain. Progressives have neither.
