Nobody but victims here

Drudge linked to this lame editorial, so it will probably get pretty well slammed across the conservative and libertarian blogosphere, but it's such a perfect example of all the rationalizations that accompany America's current Victim Nation status that I just have to throw in my two-cents worth.

MOVE OVER, RECKLESS CONSUMERS. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has outdone your irresponsible spending by racking up a debit card bill so outrageous it could have been created using Mad Libs.

FEMA was reckless and irresponsible in allowing hundreds of millions of dollars to be lost to con artists's fraud. Fine. But the Times is just getting started. Some "legitimate victims" were also sucked into criminal use of the money, you see, because "wasted money is an inevitable byproduct of providing rapid emergency assistance." Some misuse of the FEMA-issued debit cards "is hardly shocking" since the aim of the $2,000 cards "was to give individuals immediate aid to be spent according to his or her judgment, rather than earmarking items that the government guessed would be of greatest assistance." Bad spending decisions "are an unfortunate side effect of a clever and responsive policy."

Then, there is this conclusion, which is nothing short of priceless:

It's easy, and necessary, to criticize FEMA's across-the-board incompetence in responding to the largest displacement of Americans since the Civil War. But obsessing about the spending habits of refugees comes perilously close to blaming the victim.

So, I guess if somebody robs a bank, he is legitimately a thief. But if finds the same amount of money someone lost (or, like FEMA, just left lying around), he is a "victim." What an absolute crock. We are all moral agents, responsible for our choices and the consequences of our actions. That is the only way to keep a sane and civilized society.

To pretend otherwise is lunatic. To preach otherwise -- as this piece of editorial sludge does -- is despicable.