We hear reference to the “Founding Fathers” whenever any politician wants to win a debate. But the sad truth is we don’t begin to follow the political prescription handed down from the Washington-Jefferson-Lincoln eras. The ethical conduct displayed in Washington these days cannot be compared favorably to the original intent of the US Constitution. In all fairness to politicos today’s issues are much different than those of the 1770’s. But it should be noted also that basic rules of ethical conduct like fair play, honesty, integrity, self respect, compromise and faithfulness to one’s oath are never out of style. It seems like our leaders are distracted from the nations priorities to their own selfish interests….beating the opponent. The traditional GOP and Democratic differences in platforms seems to define viewpoints that over time have grown miles apart. The GOP favors individual freedom to be creative, imaginative and resourceful so that progress can be made…kind of the ” build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door” mentality. But the Democrats seem to support more of a socialistic (dare we use the term?) spirit where the resources of a rich nation should allow all its citizens to enjoy “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. In the last 250+ years those two paths have split and the fork in the road is getting further apart with each new Washington power grab. If history is an accurate teacher, industrialists like Henry Ford, Vanderbilt, Carnegie and others often included the economically challenged society benefits of their own personal wealth. These were days when “robber barons”–as they were called–were few in number. Today we have less than 1% of all Americans controlling 38% of all US wealth. Unlike past years, they keep what they have except for shelling out a pittance for appearances. Is it a coincidence that 60%+ of the Federal Budget needs to be directed to the poor? We’re not saying that the rich are causing the poor to suffer. We are saying that the GOP seems more interested in building its campaign war chest from the wealthy than addressing the woes of the underprivileged. Conversely, the Dems seem bent on spreading the wealth by taking the honest gains of the super-rich in the form of progressive taxes. This will provide more tax revenue to fund the programs for those underprivileged. So what is the answer? Like beauty, the answer to what is the government’s role is in the eye of the beholder. Both parties are right in theory. We should encourage innovators but we should also find ways to support the lowest income group in our rich economy. How you answer the question reflects on your priorities and tells you more about yourself than you might like to know.
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