Dan has a post referring to the lead in polls that Democrats currently have, and how he thinks eventually they will squander it. I think he is right. He states
But knowing the Democrats, they'll mumble and bumble around, fail to come up with a definitive voice that sets them apart from the Republicans, and the races this fall will be closer than they ought to be.However, I disagree with the statement that the Democrats have no "definitive voice". Sure they do. It's called faith in government. Just say no to Social Security Reform. Just say no to School Choice. Democrats say that Republicans do not care about the poor, about helping people out. Sure they do, they just believe in helping out in a way that reforms broken government systems. Bush's Social Security plan is far from the privatization that libertarians dream of, and it is hardly that revolutionary. Yet the thought of privatization and the free market scares the crap out of Democrats. And to be fair, rightly so, because Democrats believe that such reforms change what Social Security is meant to be. But maybe what Social Security is meant to be is a bad idea. Democrats put their faith in the current system of public schools, Republicans believe in having the money follow the parents. They believe in school choice. Democrats believe in government knows best. Ironically though, the Democrats believe so heavily in the government being involved in so many aspects of our lives, but when it comes to the most important job of government, protecting innocent life, that is when the Dems say the government should step away ("my body, my choice"). Well, not actually step away. They want to ensure that government forces me to pay for an abortion (so much for the idea of not imposing morality on others).
I am not referring to every single person who votes Democrat, or Republican. I am speaking to the overall trend within the parties, with Democrats placing more faith in government, and Republicans putting more faith in people (social security privatization and school choice). Republicans are kind of a compromise between Democrats and libertarians when it comes to government programs. However, in my view, Republicans still put too much faith in government and even betray their principles at times (i.e. regulation of gas prices).
I know this post sounds harsh, and my whole point is not to go Democrat-bashing, because I respect the Democratic Parties concern for the environment and respect for civil liberties. My whole point of the post is to illustrate that Repubs are not all heartless gray-haired white men that care only about keeping more of their money (as opposed to getting more of other people's money, now there is a noble ideal, just ask your local class warfare type). Republicans and libertarians care about helping people, they just believe in doing so outside of/by reforming existing government systems.
2 comments:
I know that you're not saying the opposite in your post... but I think that the majority of both parties means well. They just have different philosophies and methods to their approach.
One thing to consider... Comparatively, the U.S. is a relatively young country. I don't think we've been here long enough to really know what works definitively. But one day after we're long gone, maybe the U.S. will come to its senses and finally keep the country as a Libertarian country... Lol!
Yes, Chance, I said it. Hope that makes your day better.
I know. I know the Democrats mean well, and they have genuine compassion for people. I just get sick of people saying that Repubs are heartless and don't care about anyone.
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