So Romney recently said this:
If a kid makes the honor roll, I realize that he got to school on a bus, and the bus driver got him there, but I don’t give the bus driver credit for honor roll I give the kid credit for the honor roll.
At first blush this seems like a reasonable statement. I give the kid credit for making the honor roll, too. How could Obama possible want to rob credit from decent, hard-working school children for their own accomplishments? Obama is such a socialist jerk!
Behind the straw man argument, what Romney is suggesting here is that a person’s success is entirely due to her own initiative. And this is bunk.
Could the kid have made the honor roll without… how about… TEACHERS?
Or without a SCHOOL?
Or without TEXTBOOKS PAID FOR BY THE STATE?
Back to the bus driver. If the kid had no other transportation to school, then don’t you think the bus driver at least played some role in the kid’s success?
Yes, of course the kid who makes the honor roll deserves credit for her accomplishment. She was the most important factor in her achievement. She decided to work hard and apply herself. No one wishes to detract from that.
But there are great kids in Nigeria who are willing to work hard and apply themselves, but they never get the chance to make the honor roll. Their country has much worse infrastructure and a much worse education system.
Romney is making an either-or fallacy. It isn’t either individualism or collectivism. Both elements are required. The success of the individual relies upon both her individual initiative and the support she receives from her society. Her success is aided by having good schools, good teachers, and, yes, bus drivers.
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