[...] Most weekday mornings I wake up, roll out of bed, shower, shave, get dressed, kiss the wife, and head out the door to work. Sometime during the day, I will usually suffer some pang of guilt about something I have done recently, but more usually over something that happened many years ago that continues to trouble my conscience. It passes quickly and I move on to try and discharge another of my myriad responsibilities. I can’t be sure, but I imagine that most people’s lives go more or less the same way, with occasional regrets over long ago transgressions or missed opportunities that we can do little about now and bear no further mention.

But if you are a bleeding heart illiberal, your day goes nothing like this. Exhibit A: Richard Cohen, who wakes up, but cannot immediately roll out of bed due to the omnipresent weight that rests on his shoulders from the cumulative shame of centuries of oppression and injustice committed on his behalf – or so he believes. After several hours of woeful moaning and virtual self-flagellation over his culpability for the sins of others long dead, Richard musters the strength to raise himself and set out to right these long passed wrongs with other people’s money. Richard has no qualms about using other people’s money since they both agree with him and will willingly hand over their money and freedom to assuage Richard’s guilt, or else they are heartless, compassionless, conservative racists who know they are guilty but refuse to accept their culpability for these sins of commission by their ancestors and their current responsibility for righting these past wrongs. They deserve to have their wealth confiscated to help Richard feel better about himself – because he cares! [...]