The United States was not founded on the ideal of each man for himself. Our nation was founded on the ideal that united we stand and divided we fall. Over the decades we have proven that we are at our best when we work for the greater good than for individual interests. When we look out for each other we fulfill the vision laid out by our founders.
There are those who don't feel that we need to look out for each other. They feel that we should make it a crime to carry cash on you if you are receiving welfare, carry a scarlet letter in your wallet if you are on food stamps and that your family shouldn't have heat in the winter because you are poor. They circumvent laws to remove collective bargaining for public employees. They refuse funding for popular public works projects in the name of ideology.
Those same people are dividing us. Pitting private sector employees against public employees. Pitting the employed against the unemployed. Pitting religious against non-religious. Pitting straights against gays. It’s divide and conquer at its finest.
This is not what our founding fathers wanted. They wanted us to work together and to take care of each other. I think they would have been very proud of us for creating Social Security and then expanding it. I think they would have been wowed that we created Medicare and Medicaid.
They would be ashamed that we are defunding NPR, the NEA and Head Start. They would be ashamed that conservative governors are doing all they can to destroy public education. They would be ashamed of conservatives around this nation giving massive tax breaks to corporations while eliminating Medicaid.
It is past time that we live up to the ideals of the founders of this great nation. It is time to remember that it does take a village.
Have you read the Constitution? The Federalist Papers? What you advocate is a complete government takeover of all aspects of life, the very thing the Founding Fathers were escaping. I think they would be horrified at the unabated intrusion into liberty and private property rights as to advocate rebellion -- just as they did when this country was first formed.
ReplyDeleteThere is no such thing as compassion at the point of a gun, which is exactly the system you approve of (try not paying your taxes and see what happens). Social Security, Medicare, all rank right up there with the Patriot Act in theft of liberty.
Your blanket accusation of conservatives as heartless is as ridiculous as it is wrong. The argument stems from the role of the government in morality, and conservatives don't see the government as morality's steward. Your writing used to be better and more thought out. If this Ed-Schultz-like diatribe is the best you can do, then you should stop.
Great readinng your blog
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