Sunday, July 5, 2009
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Are Conservative ideas based out of paranoia, and liberal ideas based out of optimism? (from "Liberalandproudofit.com")
Most of the controversy about Liberalism is not about its goals but its methods. Liberalism’s old adversary, Conservatism, argues that Liberals are impractical, starry-eyed, and batty. They say that our proposals are foolish and doomed to fail. Conservatism also argues that action by government will always fail because government is like an idiot brother-in-law. No
matter what you ask him to do, he does it wrong. Additionally, according to Conservative speakers, government is just an embryonic form of tyranny – like an acorn is an embryonic oak tree – and it will grow into a dictatorship if it is not kept weak from lack of power and anemic from lack funds. Finally, Conservatives argue that taxation is a form of theft or extortion, that all taxes are bad, that no new taxes should be imposed, and that all old taxes should be
repealed. What Conservatives say, of course, is not what Conservatives mean. What Conservatives say they are going to do is not, of course, what they are
planning to do. We all know that, hopefully, from long years of unkept promises by Conservative leaders.
Liberalism wants all levels of American government - federal,matter what you ask him to do, he does it wrong. Additionally, according to Conservative speakers, government is just an embryonic form of tyranny – like an acorn is an embryonic oak tree – and it will grow into a dictatorship if it is not kept weak from lack of power and anemic from lack funds. Finally, Conservatives argue that taxation is a form of theft or extortion, that all taxes are bad, that no new taxes should be imposed, and that all old taxes should be
repealed. What Conservatives say, of course, is not what Conservatives mean. What Conservatives say they are going to do is not, of course, what they are
planning to do. We all know that, hopefully, from long years of unkept promises by Conservative leaders.
state, and local - to be impartial, efficient, and frugal. It is unproductive for a Liberal
federal government to be at odds with Conservative, reactionary, or racist local
governments. It would be best if all levels of government in America pursued Liberal
goals. The primary concerns of every level of government should be (1) the security of
Americans, (2) the freedoms and rights of American citizens, (3) the equality of
Americans, (4) the overall prosperity of American citizens, and (5) the expansion and
maintenance of the national infrastructure (roads, power grids, dams, water supply,
airports, railroads, national parks, etc.).
If some part of government is broken, then let it be fixed. If some part of it is too
bureaucratic, then let it be made more efficient. If it pays too much for something, let
purchasing procedures for that item be reviewed. If old remedies have not worked, then
let new ones be designed. Capable, active, efficient, frugal governments are needed at all
levels of the American republic.
The stance of American Conservatism - to declare that government is broken and that
it should not or cannot be fixed - is a dishonest argument. The idea that government is
inherently broken and cannot be fixed actually has a respectable ancestry. No less than
Thomas Jefferson said, "The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and
government to gain ground." He suggested that government is inevitably and unalterably
on one side and Liberty is always on the other. No one should ever discount Mr.
Jefferson’s opinions without careful thought.
In the age of monarchy, in which President Jefferson lived, this was true. But even Mr.
Jefferson’s massive intellect could not imagine the times in which we live. Neither he nor
anyone else of his generation foresaw the future power of global corporations over
human life. He did not imagine an America fed by foreign harvests, whose consumer
goods are being produced by Communist China, whose daily welfare depends on the
invisible and unfriendly processes of the global oil market, whose children fall ill from
the lead paint coating their foreign-made Christmas toys, and whose very dog food is
occasionally tainted with Chinese antifreeze. He did not foresee the issues associated
with Internet censorship, DNA manipulation, disease control, market manipulation,
global price fixing, currency manipulation, access to medical care, international
terrorism, nuclear proliferation, worldwide pollution, the extinction of thousands of
species, and global warming. He did not suspect that a single corporation in Texas
(Enron) could, would, and did manipulate the cost of power for thirty million
Californians. It did not occur to him, in the Age of Monarchy, that any institution except
government would have the power to threaten the rights of free men and women to life,
liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Modern Conservatives have hijacked Mr. Jefferson’s noble, principled argument, and
they use it now as a cover for their real purposes: deregulation of their corporate sugar
daddies and opposition to federal civil rights activities. Let no one be fooled.
American Liberalism, on the other hand, has used government – especially the federal
government – as a change agent. Federal law and federal enforcement have been used to
end slavery; improve workplace safety; increase wages; increase worker benefits;
provide unemployment compensation; give women the vote; give minorities the vote;
end child labor; end lynching; provide access to medical care for children, pregnant
women, and the elderly; end all-White hiring policies by employers; provide equal pay for
minorities, provide equal pay for women; desegregate the southern states, desegregate
the armed forces, enable minorities to go to public schools with Whites; enable
minorities to go to college; provide scholarships and student loans; set a
minimum wage; provide transportation safety; build a national highway system; build dams for flood control and power generation; create air pollution standards, create food purity standards, create a national park system, create the eight hour work
day, the forty hour work week, and overtime; create paid sick leave, and paid
maternity leave; create the right to consult an attorney; etc. Imagine what
America would be like today if all of those initiatives by the federal
government had never taken place! Conservatives fought against every one of these changes: even including the abolition of slavery*, the abolition of
child labor, equal pay for women, anti-lynching proposals, and all the others!
Many of these reforms were delayed for decades by determined Conservative
opposition, particularly by Conservatives in the Senate. Against every one of these
reforms or actions, Conservatives used Jefferson’s powerful argument that government was incompetent, that it was becoming too powerful, that it could not be trusted, and that it was stepping outside its constitutional boundaries. Their concern, they said, was only with the Constitution. Obviously, their concern was not with any Constitutional issue at all. In reality, they used Jefferson’s argument as a smoke screen to hide their real goals.
For example, southern Conservatives argued against civil rights legislation to prevent
lynching because, they said, the Constitution reserved the punishment of crime to each
state, not to the federal government. Yet, Conservatives took no action at the state level to
prevent lynching, which they could have easily done – if they had really wanted to
prevent lynching.
Liberals see democratic government as a powerful tool for good. If not government,
then who or what will represent the rights and welfare of the average American against
the powerful and distant forces that have such a huge impact on his daily life? Will
Exxon protect average Americans? Will China? How about oil exporting nations like
Saudi Arabia and Russia? Maybe the toy manufacturers – who imported those toys and
sold them to our children without testing them – will stand up for our rights? Or maybe
the dog food manufacturers who imported the antifreeze-contaminated pet food without
testing it? Will the corporate lobbyists in Washington stand up for our rights? Of course
not.
If not our own American government, then who? If we expect our governments to
solve national problems, then those governments have to have the money and the
authority to take bold actions. How can we prevent our governments from becoming
tyrannical, like Jefferson predicted? The only check on government in a democracy is
ultimately the voters. It is your responsibility and ours to elect capable men and women
to Congress, and that is something we have not done well at all.
Conservatives only argue for "smaller government" when they are against whatever government is proposing. Whenever there is an idea using governmental power that conservative's like (such as stopping gay marriage, or wiretapping phones) they never complain about "big government." The largest expansion of government ever took place under one of our most conservative presidents, George W. Bush. Conservative's also argue against government spending, however if you look at each individual presidents on average, Conservative presidents have been known to spend more than Liberal presidents. There are 2 things conservative policies are based on: Paranoia and hypocrisy.
On top of all this, there is one area where conservatives want to use big government and liberals want to stay silent:
What should each person do and how should each person think and live?
Every American citizen will have to provide his or her own unique answer that question.
This is the single topic on which Liberalism is silent.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Liberal Ideals that will help improve society:
I made this list before Obama was elected. Fortunately, Many of these policies are already starting to be established thanks to democratic leadership...
• Stop spending wastefully. (I believe that some spending, however, is necessary such as Obama’s stimulus package). If government cuts back programs that do not work and starts to relieve its debt, we will all be able to pay less taxes
• Have government focus more intently on smaller areas than trying to dabble in almost everything. Spend only on a few select categories so government can run more efficiently.
• Some areas government should intently focus on are areas such as: education, health care, and the environment.
• Reform the education system, pay teachers more, put more government investments into the education system so public schools in poorer areas are the same quality as public schools in wealthy areas.
• Make health care available and affordable to everyone. It is a right, not a privilege.
• Government needs to be involved with environmental regulations. It cannot be left to the private sector.
• Instill a progressive tax code giving a large tax cut to the middle class that will strengthen our overall economy and eventually help both the rich and poor.
• End the war in Iraq by having a timeline. Close Guantanamo Bay and put convicted terrorists on trial while holding them in super-max prisons. Stop torture and stand up to American Values. Try to reach back out to our allies and restore our standing in the world.
• Continue fighting the War in Afghanistan and support Pakistan’s fight against Al Queda.
• Uphold personal freedom and liberties. Do not let government involved with over-censorship, and wire tapping phones.
• Put gun control laws in place but always uphold the second amendment.
• Remove religion from policy. Give equal rights to everyone and allow gays to marry. Do not let government take away a women’s right to choose.
• Have respect for the global world. Do not become the "world police" unless our security is in definite danger.
• Keep our borders secure and stop illegal immigration while opening more legal paths to citizenship.
• Elect people who are social servants and not politicians. Bring a new attitude to Washington and start helping American citizens, not political parties.
If you ask me, all of these things would eventually lead to a better America and a better world. These ideas will obviously not be easy to implement ... especially because of the conservative opposition. It will obviously take many years to truly change the way we approach politics and policies. Obama in office is a start. We should all do our parts to do the little things, such as community service, to make this more caring, prosperous, and free society a reality.
• Stop spending wastefully. (I believe that some spending, however, is necessary such as Obama’s stimulus package). If government cuts back programs that do not work and starts to relieve its debt, we will all be able to pay less taxes
• Have government focus more intently on smaller areas than trying to dabble in almost everything. Spend only on a few select categories so government can run more efficiently.
• Some areas government should intently focus on are areas such as: education, health care, and the environment.
• Reform the education system, pay teachers more, put more government investments into the education system so public schools in poorer areas are the same quality as public schools in wealthy areas.
• Make health care available and affordable to everyone. It is a right, not a privilege.
• Government needs to be involved with environmental regulations. It cannot be left to the private sector.
• Instill a progressive tax code giving a large tax cut to the middle class that will strengthen our overall economy and eventually help both the rich and poor.
• End the war in Iraq by having a timeline. Close Guantanamo Bay and put convicted terrorists on trial while holding them in super-max prisons. Stop torture and stand up to American Values. Try to reach back out to our allies and restore our standing in the world.
• Continue fighting the War in Afghanistan and support Pakistan’s fight against Al Queda.
• Uphold personal freedom and liberties. Do not let government involved with over-censorship, and wire tapping phones.
• Put gun control laws in place but always uphold the second amendment.
• Remove religion from policy. Give equal rights to everyone and allow gays to marry. Do not let government take away a women’s right to choose.
• Have respect for the global world. Do not become the "world police" unless our security is in definite danger.
• Keep our borders secure and stop illegal immigration while opening more legal paths to citizenship.
• Elect people who are social servants and not politicians. Bring a new attitude to Washington and start helping American citizens, not political parties.
If you ask me, all of these things would eventually lead to a better America and a better world. These ideas will obviously not be easy to implement ... especially because of the conservative opposition. It will obviously take many years to truly change the way we approach politics and policies. Obama in office is a start. We should all do our parts to do the little things, such as community service, to make this more caring, prosperous, and free society a reality.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
The top 10 most annoying conservative commentators
# 10 - Laura Ingraham
She is nasty, annoying, and uninformed.
#9 - Glenn Beck
More paranoid than anyone in the world. He should go hide in his bunker and stop freaking out (and crying) about his delusional fears. I will admit that I do think he is a good guy (unlike the rest of these people) but he is just an idiot at times.
#8 - Michael Savage
A radio talk show host who thinks "liberals have a mental disorder."
#7 - Mark Levin
well, just watch this:
#6 - Michelle Bachmann
An idiot clown. How did she end up in our government?!?
#5 - Karl Rove
Do I even need to explain? He created the worst president in history.
#4 - Sean Hannity
A coward. Someone who searches to dehumanize anyone who has different views than him
#3 - Bill O'Reilly
Someone who claims to be "independent" but is clearly a staunch republican who is so ignorant that it is not even funny- He lives in the No Sense Zone. He also has anger management problems... enjoy the video:
#2 - Rush Limbaugh
No comment. Not even one.
#1 - Ann Coulter.
I really think she is evil.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Where I stand Politically
I am the red dot on the graph and apparently a Liberal Democrat/ Moderate Libertarian
Find out where you stand
Black, White, and Gray
Ive been reading a lot of conservative books lately and one that really stood out for me was
"Liberty and Tyranny" by Mark Levin
This book is a perfect example as to the way many conservatives think. It has been often said that conservatives see the world in Black and White and Liberals see the world in many shades of gray. This is extremely true, and is clearly seen through this book. Almost everything seen through the eyes of Mark Levin (and many other conservatives) are:
Good vs. Evil
Morality vs. Immorality
Liberty vs. Tyranny
Victory vs. Surrender
With us or Against us
etc...
In other words, in the eyes of many conservatives, there is NO middle ground (as stated recently by Dick Cheney)
The war on terror under Bush/Cheney also had an "us vs. them" mentality. Bush once stated that you are "either with us or with the terrorists" ... obviously this is not true. There are many people in other countries who do not respect the U.S. for its choices but would never support the terrorists. These people would end up in the "middle ground" or in the gray area (the area not seen by conservatives).
Even Bush believed he was on a religious crusade against evil and he thought he was acting as "good." The world is not as simple as just 2 sides. There are many facets, views, perspectives, and opinions. There is more than "I am right and you are wrong."
Unfortunately, I do not think Mark Levin sees the world or society in this way. He instead believes that if you are not successful you must be "lazy" and that if you do not believe in torture, you must agree with the terrorists. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to better understand the perspective of many conservatives:
http://www.amazon.com/Liberty-Tyranny-Conservative-Mark-Levin/dp/1416562850/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1243480703&sr=1-1
"Liberty and Tyranny" by Mark Levin
This book is a perfect example as to the way many conservatives think. It has been often said that conservatives see the world in Black and White and Liberals see the world in many shades of gray. This is extremely true, and is clearly seen through this book. Almost everything seen through the eyes of Mark Levin (and many other conservatives) are:
Good vs. Evil
Morality vs. Immorality
Liberty vs. Tyranny
Victory vs. Surrender
With us or Against us
etc...
In other words, in the eyes of many conservatives, there is NO middle ground (as stated recently by Dick Cheney)
The war on terror under Bush/Cheney also had an "us vs. them" mentality. Bush once stated that you are "either with us or with the terrorists" ... obviously this is not true. There are many people in other countries who do not respect the U.S. for its choices but would never support the terrorists. These people would end up in the "middle ground" or in the gray area (the area not seen by conservatives).
Even Bush believed he was on a religious crusade against evil and he thought he was acting as "good." The world is not as simple as just 2 sides. There are many facets, views, perspectives, and opinions. There is more than "I am right and you are wrong."
Unfortunately, I do not think Mark Levin sees the world or society in this way. He instead believes that if you are not successful you must be "lazy" and that if you do not believe in torture, you must agree with the terrorists. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to better understand the perspective of many conservatives:
http://www.amazon.com/Liberty-Tyranny-Conservative-Mark-Levin/dp/1416562850/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1243480703&sr=1-1
Liberal Books I Highly Recommend...
"40 More Years" by James Carville
James Carville explains why Democrats will be the party that will represent the next generation. Carville also explains through statistics, graphs, and pure evidence why the Democrats have always been better on the economy, and more. Definitely Recommended.
"Don't Think of an Elephant" by George Lakoff
Lakoff, a professor of linguistics, analyzes framing and conservative think tanks that influence the perception of political views in our everyday lives.
James Carville explains why Democrats will be the party that will represent the next generation. Carville also explains through statistics, graphs, and pure evidence why the Democrats have always been better on the economy, and more. Definitely Recommended.
"Don't Think of an Elephant" by George Lakoff
Lakoff, a professor of linguistics, analyzes framing and conservative think tanks that influence the perception of political views in our everyday lives.
Progressives: The True Protectors of Capitalism
Most Democrats and Republicans believe in the same ideals:
• Hard work should be rewarded
• People who take initiative and are motivated deserve to be successful
• The free market should be free
• Government should not interfere with personal lives
• Government should stop wasteful spending
• We should have a strong military.
Yet, somehow, those ideas have been labeled as “republican” when they really are AMERICAN ideas that are shared by both the left and the right. The reason for this is because conservative Think Tanks took ideas that most people agreed with and decided to label them as “republican” to make people think that democrats believed the opposite. This of course is not true. Most conservatives and liberals believe in the same principles, yet disagree on how to apply them and protect them in today’s society.
Here is where the liberals and conservatives disagree:
Conservatives believe that there is a ladder of success located in the middle of the room, and anyone who works hard enough and is disciplined enough can climb up the ladder and reach success.
Liberals believe that there is also a ladder in the middle of the room, however, in today’s society there are many obstacles blocking the ladder, and the steps of the ladder are not currently secure. In order to ensure that we have the best and most competitive free market, there needs to be some changes to ensure the reality that conservatives believe already exists.
In other words, liberals and conservatives believe in the same ideal (hard work leads to deserved success), they just disagree with the current reality of our society.
So how do we make this ladder stronger? How do we create a society where anyone who works hard can ultimately reach success? How do we remove the obstacles that block the ladder from anyone who deserves success? Our society and our economy will fail when the people who take the most initiative and work the hardest are not able to make the money they deserve. Liberals believe that in order to protect the “American dream” of being successful there are important things that need to be done.
First we need a strong foundation. Government only provides the framework and conditions for our economy, but it is individual initiative and people who provide the rest. First off, the health care system needs to be improved. Health care is a right- not a privilege. About 1 in every 5 dollars are spent on health care and we are the only major country with a free market that does not have a health care system that works for everyone. It is government’s responsibility to do the things that we, as individuals, cannot do for ourselves… ensuring health care is one of the things government needs to be involved with. If the money that was spent solely on health care were spent in the free market (businesses, corporations, investments, etc…) our economy would be much stronger. It would be a stimulus package in of itself.
We should also be able to live in a clean and safe environment. Global warming is not something that is arguable. 99% of scientists agree that it is real and that we are directly impacting it. Government needs to take an active role in making sure that we are helping the environment and ensuring a safe world for future generations. This means regulating businesses that overly pollute. This is not something that can be regulated by the free market- it is something that government needs to be involved with and it is crucial for our future.
Education is an area that also cannot be completely trusted to the private sector. For example, if all education was privatized, schools would only be built in wealthy areas and the few schools that would be built in poorer areas would suffer because they cannot bring in any income.
Both democrats and republicans also believe that government needs to stop spending on useless projects. Obama’s stimulus bill was necessary and smart- but the key word is NECESSARY. The truth is both sides spend too much money. The conservatives argue about spending only when the liberals are spending money on things they disagree with and vice versa. If we cut spending significantly, everyone would be able to pay LESS taxes. Government needs to focus intently on a few areas instead of trying to be involved with everything- once again this is something both liberals and conservatives agree about. The main areas that liberals believe government should be actively involved with are :
Foreign and domestic safety (police, fire department, military, etc..),
General Social services (social security, postal service, Medicare, Medicaid, etc…)
Environment (as shown above)
Health Care (as shown above)
Education (as shown above)
The areas above are what government needs to focus on, and the areas government should spend efficiently on. Almost everything else should be left to the free market.
Liberals also believe that the key to a stronger economy is a stronger middle class. I will use the ladder example again to describe our social classes. The bottom of the ladder is the poor, the middle of the ladder (the largest part) will represent the middle class, and the top of the ladder will be the rich or the most successful. The republican philosophy (which usually proposes giving large tax cuts to the top 5% of people) creates a gap between the middle class and the rich and ultimately shrinks the middle class. This of course leads to a ladder that is missing some steps in the middle making it harder for a lower or middle class person to climb up and achieve success. To understand why this is, let’s look at the alternative (or liberal) tax plan:
The wealthy rely on the middle class because they are the majority of consumers who buy products from the larger corporations. In order for the rich to be doing well, the middle class must have more money to spend buying products. In other words… people need jobs.
Most people are employed by small businesses, and almost all small businesses and their owners fall into a middle class tax bracket. If the middle class is given a substantial tax cut, small businesses will have more money to pay their employees and expand their business. Once the employees have more money, they will be able to buy more products from the large corporations, invest more in the stock market, and circulate more money into our economy. In other words, once the majority of Americans are doing better (the middle class), then the entire economy will be doing better. Even though the rich are having their taxes raised, when the middle class gets a tax cut, the rich end up making more money because the economy (stock market, businesses, corporations) are doing better. A rising tide lifts all boats.
Even if you look back historically, it is statistically proven that when the middle class got a larger tax cut even when the rich had more of their taxes raised, the rich still made more money than if they were given a tax cut. This is because giving the wealthy a large tax cut at the expense of the middle class weakens our overall economy. (See "40 More Years" by James Carville to see the independent statistics and research that proves this)
The progressive tax plan grows the middle class, makes the steps of the ladder more secure, and ensures that more people will be able to climb up the ladder to reach success.
Now of course there are those who say that they earned all of their money and they do not owe any of it to the government. This is a flawed statement because there is no such thing as a “self-made man.” Because of the free market system that the government protects, that person was able to make a lot of money. That person therefore owes money to the American system which allowed them to get wealthy in the first place. He also owes it to society who invested in him, bought his product, and helped him grow his business. No one reaches success on their own, they reach success because society and the free market that the government protects helped to create wealth for that hard working person.
In conclusion, the democrats and republicans both believe that people who are motivated and work hard should be successful without government intervention. The difference is the way to create this reality, or rather if this reality currently exists. The democratic ideal is that a foundation and framework secured by government with a larger middle class makes it easier for people who work harder to be successful and leads to more opportunity in the free market.
The conservative alternative weakens the middle class and makes the steps of the ladder unstable. The hypocrisy continues with conservatives who complain about welfare without investing more into education, and believing that anyone who does not achieve success is “lazy” while supporting policies that weaken the middle class and make it harder to achieve wealth in the first place.
Personally, I believe that democrats are the true protectors of the free market. In order for capitalism to work, anyone who works hard and is motivated must have the opportunity to achieve the American dream regardless of race, ethnicity, or social class that they were born into... this is the idea that America was founded on. We are the land of opportunity. Yet, by having policies that favor one class over another, we are making it harder for more people to fulfill their own personal potentials. The republican policies lead to less people from the middle or poor classes being able to reach success and ultimately ends up hurting the idea of capitalism.
To me, it is clear that the progressive movement leads to a stronger ladder and a stronger foundation- hopefully the American people will vote for leaders to make this a reality.
• Hard work should be rewarded
• People who take initiative and are motivated deserve to be successful
• The free market should be free
• Government should not interfere with personal lives
• Government should stop wasteful spending
• We should have a strong military.
Yet, somehow, those ideas have been labeled as “republican” when they really are AMERICAN ideas that are shared by both the left and the right. The reason for this is because conservative Think Tanks took ideas that most people agreed with and decided to label them as “republican” to make people think that democrats believed the opposite. This of course is not true. Most conservatives and liberals believe in the same principles, yet disagree on how to apply them and protect them in today’s society.
Here is where the liberals and conservatives disagree:
Conservatives believe that there is a ladder of success located in the middle of the room, and anyone who works hard enough and is disciplined enough can climb up the ladder and reach success.
Liberals believe that there is also a ladder in the middle of the room, however, in today’s society there are many obstacles blocking the ladder, and the steps of the ladder are not currently secure. In order to ensure that we have the best and most competitive free market, there needs to be some changes to ensure the reality that conservatives believe already exists.
In other words, liberals and conservatives believe in the same ideal (hard work leads to deserved success), they just disagree with the current reality of our society.
So how do we make this ladder stronger? How do we create a society where anyone who works hard can ultimately reach success? How do we remove the obstacles that block the ladder from anyone who deserves success? Our society and our economy will fail when the people who take the most initiative and work the hardest are not able to make the money they deserve. Liberals believe that in order to protect the “American dream” of being successful there are important things that need to be done.
First we need a strong foundation. Government only provides the framework and conditions for our economy, but it is individual initiative and people who provide the rest. First off, the health care system needs to be improved. Health care is a right- not a privilege. About 1 in every 5 dollars are spent on health care and we are the only major country with a free market that does not have a health care system that works for everyone. It is government’s responsibility to do the things that we, as individuals, cannot do for ourselves… ensuring health care is one of the things government needs to be involved with. If the money that was spent solely on health care were spent in the free market (businesses, corporations, investments, etc…) our economy would be much stronger. It would be a stimulus package in of itself.
We should also be able to live in a clean and safe environment. Global warming is not something that is arguable. 99% of scientists agree that it is real and that we are directly impacting it. Government needs to take an active role in making sure that we are helping the environment and ensuring a safe world for future generations. This means regulating businesses that overly pollute. This is not something that can be regulated by the free market- it is something that government needs to be involved with and it is crucial for our future.
Education is an area that also cannot be completely trusted to the private sector. For example, if all education was privatized, schools would only be built in wealthy areas and the few schools that would be built in poorer areas would suffer because they cannot bring in any income.
Both democrats and republicans also believe that government needs to stop spending on useless projects. Obama’s stimulus bill was necessary and smart- but the key word is NECESSARY. The truth is both sides spend too much money. The conservatives argue about spending only when the liberals are spending money on things they disagree with and vice versa. If we cut spending significantly, everyone would be able to pay LESS taxes. Government needs to focus intently on a few areas instead of trying to be involved with everything- once again this is something both liberals and conservatives agree about. The main areas that liberals believe government should be actively involved with are :
Foreign and domestic safety (police, fire department, military, etc..),
General Social services (social security, postal service, Medicare, Medicaid, etc…)
Environment (as shown above)
Health Care (as shown above)
Education (as shown above)
The areas above are what government needs to focus on, and the areas government should spend efficiently on. Almost everything else should be left to the free market.
Liberals also believe that the key to a stronger economy is a stronger middle class. I will use the ladder example again to describe our social classes. The bottom of the ladder is the poor, the middle of the ladder (the largest part) will represent the middle class, and the top of the ladder will be the rich or the most successful. The republican philosophy (which usually proposes giving large tax cuts to the top 5% of people) creates a gap between the middle class and the rich and ultimately shrinks the middle class. This of course leads to a ladder that is missing some steps in the middle making it harder for a lower or middle class person to climb up and achieve success. To understand why this is, let’s look at the alternative (or liberal) tax plan:
The wealthy rely on the middle class because they are the majority of consumers who buy products from the larger corporations. In order for the rich to be doing well, the middle class must have more money to spend buying products. In other words… people need jobs.
Most people are employed by small businesses, and almost all small businesses and their owners fall into a middle class tax bracket. If the middle class is given a substantial tax cut, small businesses will have more money to pay their employees and expand their business. Once the employees have more money, they will be able to buy more products from the large corporations, invest more in the stock market, and circulate more money into our economy. In other words, once the majority of Americans are doing better (the middle class), then the entire economy will be doing better. Even though the rich are having their taxes raised, when the middle class gets a tax cut, the rich end up making more money because the economy (stock market, businesses, corporations) are doing better. A rising tide lifts all boats.
Even if you look back historically, it is statistically proven that when the middle class got a larger tax cut even when the rich had more of their taxes raised, the rich still made more money than if they were given a tax cut. This is because giving the wealthy a large tax cut at the expense of the middle class weakens our overall economy. (See "40 More Years" by James Carville to see the independent statistics and research that proves this)
The progressive tax plan grows the middle class, makes the steps of the ladder more secure, and ensures that more people will be able to climb up the ladder to reach success.
Now of course there are those who say that they earned all of their money and they do not owe any of it to the government. This is a flawed statement because there is no such thing as a “self-made man.” Because of the free market system that the government protects, that person was able to make a lot of money. That person therefore owes money to the American system which allowed them to get wealthy in the first place. He also owes it to society who invested in him, bought his product, and helped him grow his business. No one reaches success on their own, they reach success because society and the free market that the government protects helped to create wealth for that hard working person.
In conclusion, the democrats and republicans both believe that people who are motivated and work hard should be successful without government intervention. The difference is the way to create this reality, or rather if this reality currently exists. The democratic ideal is that a foundation and framework secured by government with a larger middle class makes it easier for people who work harder to be successful and leads to more opportunity in the free market.
The conservative alternative weakens the middle class and makes the steps of the ladder unstable. The hypocrisy continues with conservatives who complain about welfare without investing more into education, and believing that anyone who does not achieve success is “lazy” while supporting policies that weaken the middle class and make it harder to achieve wealth in the first place.
Personally, I believe that democrats are the true protectors of the free market. In order for capitalism to work, anyone who works hard and is motivated must have the opportunity to achieve the American dream regardless of race, ethnicity, or social class that they were born into... this is the idea that America was founded on. We are the land of opportunity. Yet, by having policies that favor one class over another, we are making it harder for more people to fulfill their own personal potentials. The republican policies lead to less people from the middle or poor classes being able to reach success and ultimately ends up hurting the idea of capitalism.
To me, it is clear that the progressive movement leads to a stronger ladder and a stronger foundation- hopefully the American people will vote for leaders to make this a reality.
Small Government Hypocrisy
No one wants government interfering with their everyday lives, so conservatives took it upon themselves to state that their party stands for “small government” when almost every Democrat also believes that Government should stay out of people's personal lives.
The idea that republicans believe in small government can be described in one word… Bullshit!
For example:
Is using bureaucracy to tell a woman what she can and cannot do with her own body “small government?”
Is telling people who they can and cannot marry “small government?”
Is telling scientists what they can and cannot study and research “small government?”
Is telling teachers that they must teach religion with science at school “small government?”
Is telling schools that they must set aside separate prayer time for religious students “small government?”
Is cutting taxes to the top 5% of income owners at the expense of the middle class “small government?”
Is violating freedom of expression by telling people that they cannot burn the flag of their country, even if it is in a non-violent way “small government?”
Is over-censoring T.V., radios, and movies “small government?”
Is wire tapping citizens “small government?”
There are obviously many more examples of republican “small government” hypocrisy, and if you would like to add any to the list, simply comment on this post.
The idea that republicans believe in small government can be described in one word… Bullshit!
For example:
Is using bureaucracy to tell a woman what she can and cannot do with her own body “small government?”
Is telling people who they can and cannot marry “small government?”
Is telling scientists what they can and cannot study and research “small government?”
Is telling teachers that they must teach religion with science at school “small government?”
Is telling schools that they must set aside separate prayer time for religious students “small government?”
Is cutting taxes to the top 5% of income owners at the expense of the middle class “small government?”
Is violating freedom of expression by telling people that they cannot burn the flag of their country, even if it is in a non-violent way “small government?”
Is over-censoring T.V., radios, and movies “small government?”
Is wire tapping citizens “small government?”
There are obviously many more examples of republican “small government” hypocrisy, and if you would like to add any to the list, simply comment on this post.
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