Somebody recently asked me, "As a therapist, how can you be in favor of capitalism and limited government, and against the welfare state?" My reply was, and always is, as follows. I write columns, books and essays on the psychology of a healthy life. Central to emotional health is a willingness to set boundaries. For example, I write of how people are not entitled to your time, nor are you entitled to theirs. I write about how self-assertion is a necessary skill to "enforce" boundaries in one's life. All of this contributes to a sense of serenity, a core belief that one is entitled to live for one's own sake, not feel guilty about it and to enjoy everything life has to offer, while still being productive and self-responsible. If I actually believe all these things I write, then why would I adopt political views that undermine all of these points the moment legislators go into session?

I don't agree with "liberalism" or "conservatism." Liberalism is the view that the central purpose of government is to transfer wealth from some members of society who have earned it to others deemed needy by politicians. Liberalism utilizes the force of law to literally steal from one individual to give to another, to take from members of one group to give to another. They call this "compassion," while evading the fact that no such thing is true. If I broke into your house and took some of your money, claiming that it was for someone more needy and deserving than you, and that I had the police on my side, would you call this compassion? Liberals would howl louder at this act of tyranny and intrusion than anyone, especially if it happened to them. As for "conservatism," it's nothing more than liberal-lite with religious belief thrown in. According to conservatives, the welfare state should exist, but it shouldn't grow as fast as liberals want. Further, according to conservatives, all people should be religious and the force of government should be used as a means to promote religion.

As a therapist who advocates boundaries, self-determination, individualism and self-esteem, why on earth would I ever subscribe to either liberalism or conservatism? If I advise people to value their lives and their selves, why would I ever endorse a political system that sacrifices half the population for the alleged sake of the other half? Politicians under today's system are the abusers. Quite frankly, so are their supporters. I'm on the side of their victims -- specifically, those who don't want to be their victims.

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Maxine Waters, a powerful Congresswoman, is under fire for her husband's financial gain from TARP money that went to save his bank. What's surprising to me is why this is a surprise. When government subsidizes private industry, there's always a natural and logical conflict of interest for those who obtain that subsidy. With TARP, it happened on a massive and unprecedented scale. When government is the primary stockholder in any "private" entity, those who pull the political levers for obtaining that government handout will benefit directly or indirectly, overtly or covertly. Does a recipient of Medicare refuse to utilize the coverage? Does the recipient of a welfare payment fail to cash the check? Are we outraged or surprised when he does?

There's no such thing as "fairness" or "ethics" when government initiates the use of force against peaceful citizens, seizes trillions of dollars in private wealth, and then hands it over to the politically connected. The face of Maxine Waters is the face of what philosopher Ayn Rand referred to as "the aristocracy of pull." Under TARP, and other wealth-transfers like it, those who are too connected to fail will not fail. That's why it won't change when you replace Maxine Waters with Republican counterparts who believe the same thing; that government must transfer private income from those who earned it to those who can compel it through the political process. Corruption won't go away until government stops being corrupt by robbing honestly productive Peter to pay politically connected Paul.

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