Those who oppose social spending on grounds that it is just spending money on some else and not on themselves, should realize that the kind of society they live in is not something that has nothing to do with them.  Their children will have to live in a society damaged by their parents' lack of social responsibility.

In his speech to South African MPs, excerpted in a Toronto newspaper on May 25, Nelson Mandela made the following points, among others:

(1) "My government's commitment to create a people-centered society of liberty binds us to the pursuit of the goals of freedom from want, freedom from hunger, freedom from deprivation, freedom from ignorance, freedom from suppression, and freedom from fear . . ."

(2) "Consequently, we are assured that the business sector can and will make a significant contribution toward the structuring and management of such reconstruction and development funds, toward the effective identification and implementation of projects and by supporting the financing of the socioeconomic development effort."

(3) "We must end racism in the workplace as part of our common offensive against racism in general.  No more should words like 'Kaffirs,' 'Hottentots,' 'Coolies,' 'Boy,' 'Girl,' and 'Baas' be part of our vocabulary."

The "people-centered society of liberty" will pursue negative liberties -- freedom from hunger, deprivation, and so on.  Goals of communal liberty appear to be beyond the program's self-imposed limits.  In fact, such liberties may be excluded by the positively liberal nature of the slogans -- "people-centered society of liberty"!  Give me a break!

The people will not be given a chance to determine the direction of social development.  Decisions about what is good for them will be taken by the business elite, who will be in charge of determining the goals and nature of the reconstruction program.

But as no-one will be called a Kaffir anymore, society will obviously have undergone a revolutionary transformation!