Recent Political party wrangling has re-introduced us to old terms. Without taking any side in the debate, we hear terms like “socialism”–even “communism” from the GOP. Dems are portrayed as trying to “give the ship away” with all kinds of welfare programs like free community college tuition, free pre-K services, extended child care credits and so on. Republicans cry “fiscal responsibility” is in jeopardy. Bothe sides–as usual–have some valid points. Coming through the COVID era, experiencing supply chain shortages, inflation along with mask and vaccine controversies–all complicate and distort any single path to success. The real question here is: what do you consider “success”? We need to live within our tax revenue budget; but many citizens are currently in desperate financial situations. And without any willingness to compromise in the US Congress many issues remain unsolved. You decide which priority to pursue—live “within the budget” or deficit spend to put food on tables and roofs over heads. A sad footnote is the huge inequality of wealth distribution in the US. Less than one percent of the population owns/controls more than the bottom 40%. An “out-of-balance” economy is a dangerous pre-curser to a serious threat to democracy. The rich will only get richer because they control the legislators who can protect and grow their wealth. Maybe the national motto “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” compared to the Canadian national motto of “peace, prosperity and good government” says it all. Just maybe the answer to our priorities lies somewhere in the middle.
Comments are closed