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The question is not what anybody deserves. The question is who is to take on the God-like role of deciding what everybody else deserves. You can talk about 'social justice' all you want. But what death taxes boil down to is letting politicians take money from widows and orphans to pay for goodies that they will hand out to others, in order to buy votes to get re-elected. That is not social justice or any other kind of justice.
Thomas Sowell
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Interpretation

What this quote means

This quote critiques the concept of social justice by questioning who decides what people deserve.

Thomas Sowell's quote challenges the basis of social justice by emphasizing that the act of determining what individuals deserve should not be left to a select few in power. He implies that when politicians distribute resources under the guise of justice, they often exploit vulnerable populations to gain support for their own electoral ambitions, ultimately undermining the true essence of fairness and justice.

Themes

Social JusticePoliticsDeserveFairnessPower

In practice

Example use cases

In a debate about tax reforms, this quote could be used to argue against heavy taxation policies.

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