Tuesday Book Blogging: Jeet Heer on Robert A. Heinlein's Navy Disability Pension and Social Insurance
Jeet Heer (HeerJeet) on Robert A. Heinlein's Navy Disability Pension:
- A little essay on Robert Heinlein's pension and the invisible welfare state.
- When he turned libertarian in late 1950s, Heinlein started mouthing off about welfare state, loafers, Aid to Dependent Children etc.
- Heinlein's complaints about the welfare state were more than a little hypocritical given crucial role of navy pension in his life.
- Heinlein got into Annapolis as naval cadet thanks to political connections (his family had pull with Pendergast political machine).
- Heinlein became naval officer in 1929, served till 1934, was mustered out because of TB, received lifetime pension at 2/3rds of naval pay.
- Heinlein's naval pension allowed him to survive Great Depression and try hand at different careers (grad studies, architecture, mining).
- In 1938/1939, Heinlein decided to take up writing. Pension again underwrite this career.
- Heinlein was a big hit as a pulp writer from the start but even so naval pension was crucial for his careers.
- Being a freelance writer is an unstable job. Markets dry up, editors turn cold. Having a naval pension was a crucial safety net.
- Heinlein's peers -- Sturgeon, Hubbard, even Asimov -- had to take other jobs (or start religions) when pulps dried up.
- Heinlein was able to reinvent himself several times as a writer thanks to security of having pension.
- 1939-1942 Heinlein mainly pulp writer. Then war work, then 1946 tried hand at nonfiction, then wrote for slicks and juveniles.
- Heinlein had the luxury of reinventing himself as a writer because his base salary was the naval pension.
- And when Heinlein went through a dry spell or personal crisis (i.e. break up of menage a trois leading to divorce) pension was there.
- As a young socialist, Heinlein knew how crucial pension was for him and wanted to have same benefit for everyone (Social Credit).
- Robert Heinlein 1941: "This country has been very good to me, and the taxpayers have supported me for many years.”
- Once he turned libertarian Heinlein forgot his gratitude to taxpayer. In Glory Road (1963) he mocked paying taxes to "Uncle Sucker".
- So: Robert Heinlein, that great hero of libertarian culture, was the complete creation of the invisible welfare state.
- The invisible welfare state is like white privilege: its whole power comes from the fact it is not talked about. Not seen as welfare.
- To understand the American right, we have to understand the process of forgetting that allowed Heinlein to suppress memory of pension.
- Point isn't that he didn't earn it. Point is that he first wanted to share social insurance broadly & then didn't.
- Main risk Heinlein faced as a sailor was getting v.d. from his visits to brothels.
- He didn't "earn" anything. As I said, he became naval cadet thanks to political connection. You're ignoring that fact.
- To say he earned position ignores fact political connections (not available to most) gave him crucial help.
- Question isn't paying for service. Question is Heinlein became officer with help of political connections.
- My argument isn't that he didn't deserve pension. I'm glad he got it. And in 1930s & 1940s he understood his debt.
- He was free to spend as he wanted. But "earned" implies meritocracy. Navy wasn't meritocracy.
- I think language of "earning" is wrong here. Society should provide disability pension to disabled. Social insurance.
- Civilized society should do. And 1930s/1940s RAH thought so too. But later he became more Social Darwinist.
