Compassionate Conservatism And Moral Capitalism

A Canadian reader wrote me and asked if I would post on the pending harp seal hunt in Canada - possibly with a graphic image. I won't do the latter, however I will link to the IFAW. which appears to be the lead opposition against the hunt.

However, what I'd prefer to briefly discuss is how my commitment to conservatism and capitalism does create conflicts for me, ones I often strain to reconcile. I'll do that below this obligatory excerpt as regards the seal issue.

Each year, hundreds of thousands of baby harp seals are slaughtered on the ice fields off Canada's east coast for their pelts.  Over 95% of the seals killed during this hunt are just days or weeks old.

If you were to witness this cruelty personally, your heart would break.  Newborn seals skinned or bled alive ... clubbed to death ... or shot and left wounded to die under the ice.

Nearly one million baby seals will be clubbed or shot to death in just three years. Shockingly, the hunt is subsidized by the Canadian government! Please help us show the Canadian government the rest of the world will no longer stand for this inexcusable and senseless hunt.

As a conservative and a capitalist, I have trouble when I'm forced to contrast child abuse cases like that of Haleigh Poutre, with this item - Antonio Davis was suspended for entering the stands in a recent NBA game. The incident aside, Davis will forfeit a salary of approximately $100,000 per game during his suspension. I doubt that the majority of public employees who should have been looking after Haleigh Poutre will ever make that amount of money in a year, let alone a few hours.

Free market me doesn't begrudge Davis his salary, and Conservative me doesn't simply want to pour money into public programs which I don't believe can function as currently administered. At the same time, in the animal rights case cited above, I believe man should be free to use animals for food, clothing and even sport, so long as he does it as humanely as possible, particularly given modern technology.

Still, it's difficult to feel resolved somehow over these and similar conflicts, not because I don't see what I believe to be a just resolution to such conflicts, but because I appreciate how complex and likely far off, if realistic at all, are real conservative solutions.

The seal matter is less significant to me, but I would like to see them harvested in an effectively humane manner - even if it adds some cost to what is mostly a luxury item. The child endangerment issue is more important to me, yet seemingly more difficult to solve as it has such deep, fractious roots in government.

I want the people tasked with protecting our children paid extremely well. But I want them paid upon performance, not some ineffective, overly-unionized system that rewards cronyism and length of service, regardless of the merits or product of that service over any given time frame.

A quick aside, recently NY's MTA union membership voted down a contract which, from all appearances, was more than an equitable offer. And fully one third of the over 30,000 members didn't even show up to vote. The contract was defeated by a mere seven votes. Is it a wonder I am frustrated by public systems and their unions?

To the point - I am a capitalist and I am a conservative. And I want to see systems employed in government that are compassionate - where those entrusted with an aspect of the care of our children are paid more than fairly with the ability to impact that compensation based upon their objectively measured performance.

So, it isn't that I doubt capitalism or conservatism. What I doubt is if there can ever be enough of it in certain circumstances to make me feel good at night about being such a strident advocate for free enterprise and smaller government.

As capitalists and conservatives, assuming you are those things, I think we need to begin doing a better job of stressing and explaining, not just the negative aspects of large government and linked institutional approaches to problem solving - we need to get better at explaining how stream-lined government with a true bottom-line and not just an ever expanding budget can solve real problems plaguing society.

We need to get honest with the notion that many voters and would be voters don't pay enough attention to the finer arguments around these issues and rise to the challenge of educating them on why compassionate conservatism is much more than a catch phrase. And also on how basic free market, capital-based approaches, which reward genuine accomplishment and true production, can solve problems in America so long identified with the public sector, so inefficiently administered by big government.

Hopefully as we go forward, we'll be able to develop a more effective solutions-based rhetoric for our causes. If nothing else, it would help me to sleep better at night.

Comments

[iwabwu]

So much of our world is interconnected. Seals, like other animals have a place in nature. It is sad that luxury is more important than maintaining balance. What will humans wear when seals no longer swim in the ocean? What will be the next luxury item?

[splashtc]

Watch Madagascar.

[ben]

I can understand the need for humans to kill animals for food,clothing and comfort however I cannot understand how anyone can kill an animal and call it 'sport'.

[ViVi]

No ideology is realistic (ideology, not reology). Compassion is not inherently at odds with free markets, but our market is not truly free It is are regulated and artificially inflated or constricted. Add the fact that human behavior is not rational or efficient--as free market models assume--and the result is a system that is only half-assed free market (translation, NOT free market). 'Compassion' is a value judgment based on individual preferences; in a truly free market those preferences would be borne out and appropriately reflected. As the market exists, there are too many other influences which prevent that from happening (i.e.pacs,lobbies). That likely wont change

So, how's the view from the soapbox?

[Dan]

I cannot understand how anyone can kill an animal and call it 'sport'

Both hunting and fishing are considered "sport" and they're both very enjoyable.

[Dan]

So, how's the view from the soapbox?

Oh, yanno, I always enjoy looking down at YOU!! ;p

[ViVi]

Oh, yanno, I always enjoy looking down at YOU!! ;p

Posted by: Dan | Sunday, January 22, 2006 at 11:43 PM

What makes you think your soapbox it taller? ;P~

[bella]

The seal harvest has been an issue for years, and while I do not place this issue above the welfare and safety of human beings, it still is nauseating. A solution (if one must have baby seal fur in the first place) would certainly be to "farm" them and kill them humanely as is done with mink. I am not condoning it, but I cannot understand how people can be so brutal to animals.

[Phoenix]

I second ViVi's emotion. I don't know enough about economics to make any penetrating observations, but one thing you said, Dan, struck me, and I am compelled to comment on that. You said you have a time 'resolving' inner conflicts about your compassion, conservatism, and capitalism/free trade. ViVi made the point: 'No ideology is realistic.' I have to agree completely. IF you were the type who adhered to an ideology to the point it defined you to the exclusion of any doubt, .....well.... No thanks. It is that doubt and contemplation of all sides that makes a person worthy of admiration and respect. Our thoughts are what make us, and if your thoughts are framed by an imperfect ideology, then you're not thinking and you've given up the pursuit of wisdom. As long as our minds continue to question and seek out whatever truths we might have missed along the way, then you are the kind of person I want to know.

As for the seals. What if they were wharf rats? What if wharf rats, or sewer rats had nice, luxurious pelts. Would we give a rat's ass about bludgeoning them to death? The baby seal is blessed with a face that evokes the proverbial maternal/paternal instinct in us, and we react with emotion when we see how they are harvested. (Even the use of that word is to evoke horror...) Gerber did a study many years about about 'faces' and how a baby's face is designed by nature to kick our maternal hormones into gear so we'd want to nurture our babies. Big eyes, big head, little nose, sweet mouth.... We look at babies and what comes out of our mouths? "Awww..." What if a wharf rat came out? Where am I going with this?? Anyways..... I look back at the hospital pictures of my two babies and have to laugh out loud. To me, they were the most beautiful creatures on earth..... all scrunched up... But, you get my point.

We can be emotional about a 'thing' or we can maintain intellection about a 'thing' - and never the twain shall meet? Nope. You can never 'resolve' the complex intermeshing of the two, and who wants you to do that? No thinking person. We are not defined by ideologies. We are defined by the fine balance of emotion and intellection, and that is how it should be.

Okay.... I might need a ladder to get down off this soapbox...... :)

[a..incanada]

Thanks for the fantastic(this word hardly does it justice) article you have written with so much emotion, Dan. I agree wholeheartedly with many things you have written, and I also, would not put the seals ahead of the children. If it were possible to boycott the Social Service depts of the government, in order to save these at-risk children from being returned to risky situations, I would most certainly do that. Everywhere the situation seems to be the same, with Social Workers complaining their case loads are too heavy and children fall through the cracks. It should not be happening, as that is what they are there for to make sure it doesn't happen. I suppose the best place to begin to make changes is bombarding our elected officials with our concerns, and continue until they consider the problems the children at risk face. That I can do, and encourage others as well.
As for the seals, we'll have to wait and see how effective boycotts become. With the boycotting of fish products caught and canned in Canadian waters, I believe we may have sacrificed in other ways, and this I'm not certain of, however, fishing quotas have dropped considerably, and doesn't pay to drill holes in the ice and set up for a small catch. Not a big problem though.
I have nothing against hunting for sport as long as the animal doesn't suffer needlessly, and as long as the carcass is used and not left to rot. With the seal pups they have to work fast, so after clubbing the skinning takes place, and many are still alive at this point. Economically, the seal harvest is a small portion of the entire fish market really. One has to read the material put out by IFAW and other groups to have a clear picture. For those of us who care about the humane aspect of the harvest, we appreciate the signatures of petitioners greatly. Thank you!!!

[penelope]

About 8 or 9 years ago I went on an eco-torism trip to the Magdalene Islands north of Halifax Nova Scotia. As part of the trip, I was flown by helicoptor out on the ice to see the baby harp seals soon after they were born. These tours were set up to offer an alternative to the local people-- rather than being paid by corporations to hunt the seals, they were paid to bring tourists out to see them.

You have to see these animals in their natural environment to understand the horror of these hunts. These baby seals are truly helpless. They barely move. Their mothers spend time under the ice searching for food, then come up out of the seal holes on a regular basis to feed and check on their young. They recognize their babies by the smell of their breath and are very attentive to their needs.

I have had former hunters tell me first-hand how they would club the baby seals to death. I have heard personal accounts of how the seal hunters would skin a baby seal alive as the mother seal screamed, then leave the bloody carcus on the ice to rot.

At the time I journeyed there, Canada had instituted a strict quota on seal hunting and the Japanese were not allowed to bring their huge factory-like ships in and do mass hunting. That has changed now, and the quota has once again increased.

I ask all readers to research this further, then look into your hearts. My husband is Native American, and when he was young he hunted moose, deer and other animals. He was taught not to kill unless he had to and to use all parts of the animal he killed-- nothing was ever wasted (unlike these seal hunts, where only the pelt is considered of value). He was also taught to respect and honor the animal because it gave up its life so he and his family could live.

What is being done to these seals is disrespecful to life and inhumane. These are living creatures that deserve our protection. With the technology available to us today, there is absolutely no reason why anyone needs to wear a fur coat made of --or carry any item decorated with-- the fur of a baby harp seal.

[a..incanada]

Sp. in my previous article: humane, should be inhumane.

Also, thank you Penelope for thoughts so well written.

[always learning]

I believe that all living creatures should be considered sacred. Of course, child abuse is at the top of despicable acts, and we should do all we can to act against it and protect our children. And yes, ALL children are OUR children.

That said, I believe that those who have little regard for "humane" treatment of animals, may also show little regard for humans.

Many great minds have expressed this more eloquently:

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its
animals are treated”. Mahatma Gandhi

Saint Francis of Assisi, 1181-1226
If you have men who will exclude any of God’s creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men.

[penelope]

It is true. And we all know that some of the most sadistic individuals in our society (serial killers, etc.) tortured and killed animals in their youth.

The measure of a society is shown in how it treats its children and the most defenseless among it-- animals included. Yes, all babies are cute. And yes, maybe they are hardwired like that for their protection-- so no one or thing will want to harm them. So what does that say about a society that allows the cruel slaughter of innocent animals like these "cute" baby seals? It says that we are incredibly sick-- a moral sickness that is spreading to the torture and killing of human babies-- like what happened in Richmond on New Year's day. Sadly, it's all connected.

[Jim Hathorn]

Child abuse will never be dealt with as long as women are not held as accountable as men. For more women are guilty of child abuse than men;but, instead of holding them accountable, we find reasons/ways to excuse them for what they do. The news is full of broadcasters who search high and low for mental escapes for women.
Men who abuse childrens should be feverishly brought to justice and punished;but, so should women...then we could do something more about he poor children we claim to care for and want to protect.

[Jim Hathorn]

Surely a civilized society disdains the wanton killing of baby seals! I cannot believe a national outcry of help has not been forthcoming on behalf of these babies...yes, they are animals but they fit nicely into their place in the operation of the ecological system from which we all draw our existence. Surely, the inhuman way of killing these babies for the luxurious outfitting of people angers enough people to find a solution to these massacres.

[Phoenix]

Jim,

Would you be so passionate if the 'wanton killing' was of rats? Or lemmings? Or prairie dogs? Just what distinction are you making between these animals?

I, too, find it revolting that these seals are hunted for pelts. I cannot imagine someone proudly showing off a baby-seal fur coat. But there are farms raising mink to be killed for their exquisite fur. Salmon farms. Shrimp farms. Chicken farms. Not that we wear the latter three, but it still amounts to raising animals for our purposes.

The outcry against this practice of killing seals has been in full throttle since the '70's. National Geographic did a dissertation on it, and turns out the bludgeon was the most humane method of killing as one stroke broke the neck. The suffering was left to the mother and whatever cognizance she could place on the event. Is there any doubt that natural predators fed on the bodies left behind? Somehow the eternal food chain manages despite our intermittent 'invasions'.

[always learning]

Phoenix, Yes I am offended by the torturing of any animals, even those we consider pests. Some may have to be controlled for health purposes (such as rats), but there are humane ways of dealing with the problems. I know people who have pet rats, and they consider them quite loveable. I love watching prairie dogs. They are amazing. I've had a groundhog living under my front porch for 2 years. While I would rather he'd go live somewhere else, I don't want him hurt, and I do enjoy watching him. There is something to be said for all living creatures, and we are all part of a whole.

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its
animals are treated”. Mahatma Gandhi

Saint Francis of Assisi, 1181-1226
If you have men who will exclude any of God’s creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men.

[Phoenix]

Always learning,

I don't believe I even remotely suggested that I like torturing animals, nor that I think it is okay for others to do so.

I like your quotations.

[a..incanada]

Jim, I would have to agree with your stance, at least partially. I have seen it myself, where excuses have been made for female abusers, when in my opinion, I felt it was totally wrong. There is definitely something terribly wrong with the picture. In domestic violence, it seems it is most often the mother/child. In the little Poutre case it was the father. There's many more cases in the news, where the offenders against children are non related male offenders; I suppose the serial offenders that are released from jails for "good" behaviour?? In my opinion it doesn't matter how well caregivers are paid, or how well Social Workers are paid, the problem is not one of money. Children are vulnerable, and there's far too many perverted individuals in our midst.

[a..incanada]

In a previous post I mentioned that I condoned Sport hunting, and I believe I gave the wrong impression. I was talking about Big Game hunting, and although it is something I wouldn't do, I'm not saying anything against people who do so with the most humane procedure, that is a quick kill, the way of the natives. I don't understand why people would continue now, with the dangers of animal wasting disease ever present. In years gone by, many farmers lived off wild meat to save domestic for the market, with the proceeds going to further the farming, etc. There was no waste at the time as even the entrails went back to the soil for fertilizer, as well as the burned feet.
With the seal pup slaughter resurfacing again in recent years, the seal skins are used for vanity sake, and the bodies are left to rot or feed other scavengers, and in my opinion there is more waste than not. The clubbing of these babies is totally inhumane, as the death is often not quick and the pain of being skinned alive is tremendous to the pup and the crying mother. I don't think I would be able to watch this horror in person, however I have watched documentaries which captured the horror. I do hope that many visit the IFAW website and petition to stop this heinous butchery.

[always learning]

Phoenix, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to imply that you did condone torturing animals. I was simply trying to respond to what you said to Jim: "Would you be so passionate if the 'wanton killing' was of rats? Or lemmings? Or prairie dogs? Just what distinction are you making between these animals?"

I guess I get carried away on this subject. :)

I'm glad you like the quotations. Those are some of my favorites.

[always learning]

Phoenix, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to imply that you did condone torturing animals. I was simply trying to respond to what you said to Jim: "Would you be so passionate if the 'wanton killing' was of rats? Or lemmings? Or prairie dogs? Just what distinction are you making between these animals?"

I guess I get carried away on this subject. :)

I'm glad you like the quotations. They are some of my favorites.

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its
animals are treated”. Mahatma Gandhi

Saint Francis of Assisi, 1181-1226
If you have men who will exclude any of God’s creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men.