The discussions this week really made me realize that the welfare state is one of the main principles of my political beliefs. Many people brought up good points about our country. A lot of people believe that our government needs to stay out of our lives. The problem with this belief is that our country was never meant to be that way. Our founding fathers didn't believe in less government. They believed that the states should govern, not the federal government. The original idea that we shouldn't be taxed was never what the founding fathers believed. They just believed that the states should decide what and who should be taxed. Our government, including at the state level, needs the tax dollars in order to exist. It is a common misconception that our country could survive without taxes, but it can't.
With the battle over the budget this week, the differences between Republicans and Democrats was really highlighted. Republicans want cuts in spending. Democrats want more spending. Sadly the Republicans won this round. The reason I say sadly is that if politicians would look back at history whenever our country has been in a recession or depression government spending is what begins the process of recovery. In our warped Keynesian capitalistic society government spending creates jobs which gives our citizens money which creates higher demand for products which creates more jobs. It is basic economics. I think many politicians actually don't understand economics or believe that they can change the way our economy works. Good luck with that.
The welfare of our country is (as it should be) controlled by our government. A friend of mine asked me this week if I thought the "government should take from some to give to others." I have always stated on this blog and on the discussion boards that I don't believe we should redistribute wealth. I have always said that I just think people should be given equal opportunities. Wealth gives the opportunities to a small portion of our population. It doesn't bother me that the top 1% of our population controls 50% of the wealth. It does bother me that very few people will ever be given the opportunity to reach that position.
Corporations control our country and that includes the wealth. They would prefer that the wealth distribution stay exactly the way it is. If people actually have more say in our government then they might lose some of the power that they have worked hard for (not really). Our country has never been about the people. Our country has always been about business. Because of this, the welfare of the people have never been given any consideration. If big business had their way we would not have 40 hour work weeks and we would not have child labor laws. We would not have overtime and we would not have a minimum wage, and our economy would be screwed up more than it already is.
The welfare of our country is not only about the poor. It is also about what is beneficial to the people of this country. As far as the poor are concerned, there are a few people that take advantage of the system, but the majority of people don't want to be poor. The programs we have set up are a stepping stone out of poverty. And what about Planned Parenthood? If you think there are too many poor children in our country now, think about if there wasn't a place to receive free birth control. Social security? If it hadn't been pillaged by the past few Republican presidents it would work the way it is supposed to. It is basically a savings plan for seniors except people my age won't receive any benefits from the money we paid in because it is almost gone. These are all part of the welfare state of the U.S.
Now as far as how these are part of my beliefs, big government became necessary a century ago when America chose to be a part of the global community. State control would have been perfect if we had maintained an isolationist stance. That is not what our leaders chose. I believe that the only way we can compete with the world is for our country to take care of its people. We should increase the amount of money that is spent on education in order for us to keep our jobs in America. We should work on eliminating poverty to increase our place in the world economically. We should have universal health care like every other industrialized nation in this world. It is a governments job to take care of its people because unhappy people rebel. Look at what is happening in Africa and the Middle East. Are we next?
We continue to fall behind in every category because we are not truly represented in our government. When our politicians are making ten times the poverty level and four times the national average in salary not including what they were worth to begin with, there is something wrong. Our politicians are elected to serve us and somewhere along the way that idea was lost. EVERY politician is or will be corrupted by power and wealth (including yours Turtle). They may all start out with the best intentions, but Washington changes everybody. It is time to lower the salary of all politicians to the same level as the national average; it is time for the wealthy to be taxed properly (is $50,000 here or there really going to hurt them?); and it is time for us to retake our place as the wealthiest country with the most opportunities.
With the battle over the budget this week, the differences between Republicans and Democrats was really highlighted. Republicans want cuts in spending. Democrats want more spending. Sadly the Republicans won this round. The reason I say sadly is that if politicians would look back at history whenever our country has been in a recession or depression government spending is what begins the process of recovery. In our warped Keynesian capitalistic society government spending creates jobs which gives our citizens money which creates higher demand for products which creates more jobs. It is basic economics. I think many politicians actually don't understand economics or believe that they can change the way our economy works. Good luck with that.
The welfare of our country is (as it should be) controlled by our government. A friend of mine asked me this week if I thought the "government should take from some to give to others." I have always stated on this blog and on the discussion boards that I don't believe we should redistribute wealth. I have always said that I just think people should be given equal opportunities. Wealth gives the opportunities to a small portion of our population. It doesn't bother me that the top 1% of our population controls 50% of the wealth. It does bother me that very few people will ever be given the opportunity to reach that position.
Corporations control our country and that includes the wealth. They would prefer that the wealth distribution stay exactly the way it is. If people actually have more say in our government then they might lose some of the power that they have worked hard for (not really). Our country has never been about the people. Our country has always been about business. Because of this, the welfare of the people have never been given any consideration. If big business had their way we would not have 40 hour work weeks and we would not have child labor laws. We would not have overtime and we would not have a minimum wage, and our economy would be screwed up more than it already is.
The welfare of our country is not only about the poor. It is also about what is beneficial to the people of this country. As far as the poor are concerned, there are a few people that take advantage of the system, but the majority of people don't want to be poor. The programs we have set up are a stepping stone out of poverty. And what about Planned Parenthood? If you think there are too many poor children in our country now, think about if there wasn't a place to receive free birth control. Social security? If it hadn't been pillaged by the past few Republican presidents it would work the way it is supposed to. It is basically a savings plan for seniors except people my age won't receive any benefits from the money we paid in because it is almost gone. These are all part of the welfare state of the U.S.
Now as far as how these are part of my beliefs, big government became necessary a century ago when America chose to be a part of the global community. State control would have been perfect if we had maintained an isolationist stance. That is not what our leaders chose. I believe that the only way we can compete with the world is for our country to take care of its people. We should increase the amount of money that is spent on education in order for us to keep our jobs in America. We should work on eliminating poverty to increase our place in the world economically. We should have universal health care like every other industrialized nation in this world. It is a governments job to take care of its people because unhappy people rebel. Look at what is happening in Africa and the Middle East. Are we next?
We continue to fall behind in every category because we are not truly represented in our government. When our politicians are making ten times the poverty level and four times the national average in salary not including what they were worth to begin with, there is something wrong. Our politicians are elected to serve us and somewhere along the way that idea was lost. EVERY politician is or will be corrupted by power and wealth (including yours Turtle). They may all start out with the best intentions, but Washington changes everybody. It is time to lower the salary of all politicians to the same level as the national average; it is time for the wealthy to be taxed properly (is $50,000 here or there really going to hurt them?); and it is time for us to retake our place as the wealthiest country with the most opportunities.
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