Putting the law of the instrument to work, anti-gun Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) previewed the latest target to whack the hammer of government against after picking out a new nail — loneliness.
In the sixties, variations on the notion, “If the only tool you have is a hammer, it is tempting to treat everything as if it were a nail,” predated President Ronald Reagan’s 1986 statement, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.'”
Murphy may well have proven himself to be the personification of quotes Monday when he took a break from efforts to erode the Second Amendment and teased “a national strategy” to handle a personal problem afflicting many Americans.
“I believe loneliness is one of America’s great modern social and political problems,” the senator tweeted with a link to an op-ed he wrote for The Bulwark in December. “And so I’m drafting legislation right now to establish a national strategy to combat isolation and promote connectedness. Stay tuned for more details.”
Murphy’s piece presented as a thinly-veiled push or the government to become the gatekeepers of the internet as he wrote, “First, for all the promise of technology to more seamlessly connect us to peers and new friends, it has in fact left many Americans–especially young people–feeling more alone than ever.”
“Put simply,” he continued, “we have learned that digital communication cannot replace the value of in-person experience.”
Naturally, the senator tread into “existential threat” territory as he contended, “The newly isolated become supple targets for demagogues who offer up scapegoats to blame for the decay of these traditional sources of meaning,” among which he listed, civic groups, sports clubs and churches.
The Connecticut lawmaker even acknowledged, albeit without taking blame, the damage wrought to society by draconian lockdown measures. “The erasure of local businesses, local social clubs, and local news has dried up traditional sources of connection to friends and peers as well as traditional means of non-political, non-ideological identity.”
That reality, and that of the myriad problems faced daily by Americans due to government ineptitude and overreach, was savagely highlighted in Murphy’s replies by incensed social media users.
“Look at you… helping to create the problem with lockdowns, quarantines, masks and instilling fear. Now you want to use the power of [government] and tax payer dollars to fix it? No,” one wrote.
Another chimed in, “Government could muck up a way to sell water in the Sahara, but yeah, sure. Try to legislate this.”
Meanwhile, one of NYC Mayor Eric Adams’s (D) latest proposals to handle the problem of illegal aliens was also alluded to in a comment that read, “If you live alone, the government will provide you with an unhoused companion. Yes we will need to raise taxes to cover administrative costs. No it’s not a free service. Also, it’s mandatory.”
Look at you… helping to create the problem with lockdowns, quarantines, masks, and instilling fear. Now you want to use the power of govt and tax payer dollars to fix it? No.
— Pam D (@soirchick) June 12, 2023
Government could muck up a way to sell water in the Sahara, but yeah, sure. Try to legislate a solution to this.
— Write Girl Problems (@WriteGrlProbs) June 12, 2023
You’re not competent, the government isn’t competent and you have business dealing with this. You’re going to end up like providing a dozen cats to any old, single woman that wants them at like 436k per cat or some other similar nonsense. Just stay in your lane.
— John Hawkins (@johnhawkinsrwn) June 13, 2023
If you live alone, the government will provide you with an unhoused companion. Yes we will need to raise taxes to cover administrative costs. No it’s not a free service. Also, it’s mandatory.
— Amanda Jean (@AJAmmirabilis) June 12, 2023
Of course, that added problem of administrative costs could readily be handled by another government-provided cure for loneliness proposed, “Gonna send those 87,000 new IRS agents to visit people?”
Gonna send those 87,000 new IRS agents to visit people?
— WC Varones (@wcvarones) June 12, 2023
Others took out their frustration by pointing to problems seemingly ignored by the federal government, like human trafficking and the border crisis.
Or….you could do something that’s actually helpful such as stopping child trafficking.
— Mark (@JungleDonkey) June 12, 2023
How about legislation to deal with the border first
— Mary Coulombe (@forest_mary) June 13, 2023
Maybe you should just get rid of all of the laws that undermine the freedom of association and property rights.
— (@EyeTheHorizon) June 12, 2023
— Wynn Duffy (@WynnDuffyOG) June 12, 2023
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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