August 7, 2012 by David K. Sutton
Republican ideology of less taxes and small government is just selfish
So I’m just going to come out and say it: Republicans are selfish. How else to explain their policies? They advocate lower taxes, especially for millionaires, along with spending cuts that hurt people at the bottom of the economic ladder. And here’s how this works: Republicans have to tell themselves and the rest of us that it’s tough love and that they aren’t advocating these policies because they are mean, or greedy, or selfish. No, they will say everyone can achieve the American dream if they just stop taking free handouts, pull themselves up by their bootstraps, and make something of their life. OK, so add “disparaging” along with “selfish” as suitable words to describe the Republican Party and it’s policies. But I guess you have to believe they are genuine, because how could anybody live with themselves advocating such potentially destructive policies for the poor? Republicans have to believe that those who are harmed by their policies are deserving of that harm because they are freeloaders, and so the only way to solve this “problem” is to cut spending.
This is a fundamental difference between Republicans and liberals, and I say liberals not Democrats because, well, the Democratic Party doesn’t necessarily operate on a compassionate, empathetic level where liberalism resides, at least not full-time. Many conservatives think these qualities, while noble, are signs of weakness and naïveté, but I think advocating policies that are more self-centric and not group-centric is a better indicator of weakness. As for naïveté, it is conservatives who think small. It is conservatives who see the world in black and white. The world is large and the problems we face are complex, many times requiring equally complex solutions. There is no black and white, it’s just many subtle shades of grey. Conservatives can continue to believe liberals are naive, but liberals will continue to be on the right side of history and social change, every step of the way.
I can sleep well at night knowing that I’m not voting for or advocating policies that can destroy people’s lives, can people like Mitt Romney do the same? This is why I say Republican ideology is just selfish. / image by Randy Willis
