Our Threatened Freedom

Who Gets the Benefits These Days

Professor: Dr. R.J. Rushdoony

Subject: Political Studies

Lesson: 139-169

Genre: Conversation

Track: 139

Dictation Name: Vol. K - Part 09 - Who Gets the Benefits These Days

Location/Venue: Unknown

Year: 1980’s – 1990’s

[Dr. Rushdoony] Who gets the benefits these days? This is R.J. Rushdoony with a report on our threatened freedom.

Recently California Magazine carried an excellent report on the burglar cops of Hollywood. The Los Angeles police department caught some men in the Hollywood division breaking and entering stores to rob them. Several officers had developed a profitable sideline in stealing. Two incidents followed, which tell us how vulnerable and foolish our system of protection for workers can be. One of the bad cops involved was caught carrying cash and merchandise out of a store. He was taken to headquarters for a lengthy interrogation. Because he was on duty when arrested, he asked for, and in terms with the rules, was paid overtime for the hours of interrogation. But this was not all. Now, one of the officers allegedly involved in the break-ins and burglaries has apparently found the experience of arrest traumatic. His doctor claims that the experience has created problems for the suspected officer, and that he is therefore entitled to a disability pension.

I wish incidents like this were a rarity, but they are not. Our laws and regulations seem to favor the persons out to exploit the system.

For example, Charles Peter in the Washington Monthly reports that in a sex discrimination case, the woman was awarded 100,000 dollars, but her lawyers were awarded 2 million dollars by the federal judge. I submit that this woman suffered more discrimination in court than she ever did before she went to court.

In the past generation we’ve had many pieces of social legislation passed to provide benefits where benefits are needed. Many people resent any criticism of such legislation. My answer to all such is simply this. If you believe the food stamp program is a good one, then you should lead the movement to rid the program of abuses. Otherwise public disgust and protest will kill the program. If you believe that overtime pay and disability benefits are necessary, then work overtime to clean up the abuses, before angry people destroy these benefits. If a program is designed to meet needs and becomes a means to help exploiters, in time no one will tolerate it.

This has been R.J. Rushdoony with a report on our threatened freedom.