There are Limits to Compassion

The Limits of Compassion

Properly applied, "compassion is a virtue;" however, when concepts of compassion are allowed to romp beyond their legitimate boundaries, the results can be less than fruitful.

For example, "The Scarlet Letter" presents those demonstrating a lack of compassion for human frailty as villains. Yet while that point bears merit, our nation's yearly crop of over a million out-of-wedlock births (most of whom will join the 59 million individuals already on the welfare rolls) begs a broader perspective of the issue.

And while many Utah residents would boastfully present their compassion for the illegal alien as proof of "goodness," at some point it must be admitted that we cannot absorb the entire mass of the world's poor, and that border security is therefore a necessity.

To suggest that one's "compassion" should be allowed to trump the law is to endorse anarchy and the absence of justice.

As for the plight of the poor, we insist upon instituting various wealth redistribution schemes (social justice, a.k.a. socialism, Fannie and Freddie, etc.) upon America's citizenry, with the same disastrous results which have occurred repeatedly since the days of Aristotle.

From the eco-terrorist to the Bolshevik, those claiming compassionate self goodness have killed to prove their point.

• Frank Gardiner, Provo