This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The new health care plan that would deprive 24 million people of health insurance is proof that Republicans are profoundly lacking in empathy for the less fortunate among us. They believe, like Ayn Rand, that selfishness is a virtue and altruism is ridiculous. Let people fend for themselves. They have choices: They don't have bread? Let them eat cake!
If we can't instill empathy in Republicans, perhaps offering them a different way to look at self-interest will help. Rand should have read Montesquieu, the 18th century philosopher who influenced our Founding Fathers and the Constitution. In his work he wrote about the pursuit of happiness but in a broader context than the personal one found in the preamble of the Declaration of Independence.
Montequieu, in the famous story of the Troglodytes, recognized that self-interest is a most natural tendency among humans, but offered a different perspective on it. He argues that the "me first" attitude can lead to a society which produces winners with no moral principles and results in unhappiness and chaos. According to him, the best way to achieve personal happiness is to recognize that other people matter. It is much easier to be happy if everyone around us is happy. He therefore concludes that self-interest is connected to public interest. If I live in a society where everyone has health insurance, I will benefit from my neighbors being healthy, they will be more productive and everyone will benefit.
So, dear Republicans, please consider your own self-interest: Do not deprive your fellow citizens of health care, a good education, a clean environment — for if you do, society itself will suffer, and you are part of it. You will also fulfill one of the goals of the Constitution, as stated in its preamble, which is to promote the general welfare.
Françoise Hibbs
Holladay