Friday, November 5, 2010

my little political post


image via http://www.old-picture.com


Now that the furor of and the aftermath of the recent elections has ceased and the small government party has the House again (though they had it for 8 years and only managed to produce an unprecedented deficit), I have a few thoughts.

I'll agree that the economy out there needs some fixing. And I'll agree that this country spends money on things that it needn't, although what those things are, we may disagree on. I'll even agree that I would like less government. I don't claim to have any kind of solution or even to really understand the problems. I do, though, find it simplistic to just say spend less, tax less, less government.

OK then, given that's the answer, what are you personally willing to give up? You, the one who voted for the politician that ran on the 'less government' platform, what are you willing to give up to make this happen? Your disability check? Your pension? Your social security? The grant you may have benefitted from directly or indirectly? No? What about funding for highways and infrastructure, for education or research to find cures for disease or technology to advance or just feed our civilization? What about the inspectors that keep our restaurants and food supply uncontaminated? No? So what then are you personally willing to give up in order to have a smaller government with a balanced budget and lower taxes?

It would be so much easier for me to take these people seriously, the ones who vote for less government, less spending, less taxes, if they would start with themselves. But they don't. They always want to start with the programs that help the most vulnerable among us, the demonized 'social' programs. Because these voters had the good luck to be born into a situation where they weren't faced with the kinds of debilitating social conditions that makes it nearly impossible to succeed, because they themselves never needed that kind of help, because they pulled themselves up by their boot straps they think that everyone can and should. But tell me, how deep was that hole really they were pulling themselves out of?

This is what I would like to see. All those people who voted in representatives and governors intent on dismantling the government should start with themselves as should the politicians elected. My republican cousin should start by refusing his disability checks (he has a droopy eyelid) and his social security checks. The legislators should start by refusing more than a basic wage for their services. They should refuse the ridiculous retirement package that they have voted in for themselves and the privileged healthcare insurance they get for life. They should have to rely on the same retirement and healthcare options available to the rest of us. Then they should start with their constituencies by refusing any and all government money. Only then should they cast their eye afield.

I wonder, if we Americans could choose what programs to fund with our taxes, what would we choose. If our tax returns included a list of government programs and departments and we could select which and who we wanted to fund and how much went where, what would we select? I wonder which ones would get the big payoffs and which would not be funded.

If you could choose, what would you fund?


24 comments:

  1. Everyone wants less government, as you say, but no one wants to give anything up.

    Pearl

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  2. As a Canadian I was a little slow in finding out what the tea party movement was all about: less government, lower taxes, more freedom. Your post is so poignant.

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  3. I like the way you get right down to the point. Of course, if the government had so much to give away in the first place, why did they give it to those who already had so much? Also, not too thrilled to see that Rick Perry is still trying to become Emperor of Texas. Glad to be here again! EFH

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  4. This is exactly what is happening here too, the cry for small government has gone up and the big society is the slogan of the day.

    Naturally, the poorest are being asked to make the greatest sacrifices.

    Oh Ellen, it is a sick world we live in.

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  5. Wait a minute, wait a minute! The election furor is not over. Here in CT we still don't have a Governor declared. It was that close of a race, and now all types of squabbling and arguing are ensuing :/

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  6. Right on Ellen, I love the way you stated it.

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  7. Right on Ellen, I love the way you stated it.

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  8. A cogent summary of a sorry state of affairs. It's hard to watch what is happening down there from up here in Canada ... scary too.

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  9. Excellent post! I wonder if the Tea Partiers who are now "Washington insiders" will turn down the federal employees' health care (government sponsored and therefore socialist) benefits? Maybe they'll just wing it.

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  10. Well I don't know what all I would fund, but I know where my biggest cuts would be - military spending. I know I'm naive & we can't abandon the military altogether - & I definitely want to shore up the programs we have for returning military folks - but I can't believe we REALLY need to spend that much on that line item.

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  11. Ellen, can I just say I love you. We need to have coffee and throw things at FOX TV - or something. hee

    Seriously. You are my new girlfriend.

    Nicely said. :D

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  12. You hit the nail on the head. In fact, I would argue that things are in the state they are because none of us, me included, have the time or the will to keep an eye on our government. We want what we want when we want it and aren't willing to sacrifice our time, leisure or not, to make sure our government is doing a decent job. So how can we expect them to behave any differently. They just have the ability and the access to do more damage than the rest of us.

    As for what I would fund, that is an excellent question. I think I would fund education. However, what am I willing to sacrafice to make that happen? I would say social security, but that's already gone. (I would be willing to help out my dad financially.) I might say we should stop the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, but then we'll have unemployeed military on our home turf which might not be such a good thing. I know, we could pay $5 a gallon for gas like the Brits do. Actually, I think it's 5 pounds, but probably now Euros and that was years ago, so let's just say it's closer to $10 a gallon. Oh, wait, that would never fly either. You are correct, there are no easy answers.

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  13. I think a lot of the loudest whiners, er, voices come from those who would oppose Obama even if he came out in favor of puppies and kittens. The utter absence of all this outrage when their moron, er, candidate was in office, and indeed, their protestations that anyone opposing his policies was "unpatriotic", just gives the lie to everything they say. Spending like crazy is okay of it's their guy doing it, and evil when it's the other guy. Please.

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  14. Yes. Yes. Yes. That's just the way to approach it. Even the most liberal among us, who fund and encourage politicians while they establish the platform they run on, get bent out of shape when they don't get what they insisted on when they supported the candidate. There is an intolerable amount of intolerance of the viewpoints and needs and everythings in this country and world.

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  15. You said beautifully what frustrates me so much. My husband is addicted to talk radio and I have learned a lot by listening (when I am not screaming at the radio). It is too easy to say less government, less taxes. There is a disdain for those who need help and an underlying belief that they are lazy and selfish. I admire grass roots action. It is what America is all about, but I didn't stop to think about all those tea partiers with their newfound importance and all those cushy government perks. Interesting to see what happens. I am praying for gridlock.

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  16. There is too much that we do not know, we can not really make well informed decisions- it rests on uninformed opinions...and that is how we are controlled.
    Personally I know how to give up stuff- how to live frugally and honestly. Under the radar pretty much, it is a comfortable place to be though doing without can become tedious , mostly due to comparison...

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  17. I would fund programs that make sure hungry people are fed, homeless are sheltered, and sick people are cared for.

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  18. I think... I plan on working my way up to being pissed off about all of this. I am convinced that the current House of Representatives has aboslutely no interest at all in helping out the country. They just want their boys and girls in the seat of power. Such short-sighted selfish infantile behavior is making me angry. I figure by the 2012 campaing season, I'll be cracking diamonds with my teeth and setting people on fire just by looking at them. You do not want to be from Kentucky while I am around...

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  19. Well said. Yes, I want less government. Less wasteful spending. Less taxes. But I'm willing to pay my fair share to a government who will use the funds wisely. And that includes defense, but not ridiculous wars and loss of life in pursuit of a handful of crazy people.

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  20. P.S. I think this election is going to backfire bigtime, and Congress is going to get less done now than they did the last two years -- or if we do get anything done, bills will be as watered down as our new healthcare reform because we wanted to include the loudest-yelling conservatives. And since the conservatives don't want to compromise, let me go back to my first point. Nothing will get done!

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  21. It's difficult for me, working in government, but I'd cut money from defence - not troops, but nuclear weapons.

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  22. YOU GO, GIRL!!! Brava!!!!!!!

    And Skippy Mom--can I join in the Fox-TV throwing? Pretty Please!!

    I would fund Education and the Arts.

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I opened my big mouth, now it's your turn.