I am a Republican. Why? Do I like the Republican Party? Not particularly. Because I love Trump? No, I think Trump did some good things as president, but he is petty and obnoxious as a person. Because I am for the slogan of the day? No, the slogan of the day is usually just a petty simplification of an issue designed to make people angry. I might even agree with some of them “Cut Taxes!”, but I like reasoned discussion over screaming at the other side.
I am a Republican because I believe in the core principles of small government, lower taxes, free enterprise, and liberty for all. Unfortunately, our modern-day Republicans have not lived up to those principles. The only reason I stick around is that they do a marginally better job than the Democrats on these core ideas.
Are the Democrats better? I like many of the underlying ideas of the Democratic Party as well. Concern for the less fortunate, equality regardless of race, gender, national origin sexual preference, etc., and government involvement in many important societal endeavors such as Social Security (conflict of interest alert – I get I check every month).
In fact, I think the core principles of both parties are a compromise between the principles of each. Republicans believe in free enterprise but have always supported a safety net for the less fortunate. The debates, sometimes fierce, have never been should we help out, but about how much.
In a way, the difference between Democrats and Republics comes down to a core conflict in human nature. We are a species that has succeeded because of individual thinking and effort, but also cooperation. And these come into conflict all the time. The extremes have never succeeded. On the all cooperative side, Communist and Fascist regimes have been total disasters for their subjects. A truly Libertarian society never has, nor, and I would argue, ever could exist.
So, some people might say I am a moderate or undecided. No. I definitely am inclined to the side of individual liberty. I see the great things that have been created for mankind by people going off in their own direction, taking risks, and creating great things. In fact I don’t think the great accomplishments of our society, such as wealth (yes, compare the poorest American today to any person in the world hundreds of years ago), art, music, business, charity and so much more. Does that mean cooperation has no place? No, without it would we have the pyramids of Egypt, the Great Wall of China, getting a man on the moon? When I watch a Ballet, I cherish the great skill and expression of the soloists and the pas de deux, but also the immaculate coordination of the entire troop. So, I am bipolar. I am pulled in both directions. For me though, these days we are erring too far on the side of Big Brother – that benevolent all-powerful state that can take care of and decide everything.
What I would really like to do is take this Republican Party and shake it up and say stop mouthing slogans to win elections and really stand for what we believe in. And live in a world where some people are going to disagree with you and they are not evil, they are just people in your community who have different solutions and you need to sit down together and work things out. And Democrats, I’m not letting you off, you have to do the same thing.
Let’s take some real-world examples. Racial equality is a very current issue and one I care about very much. I’m old enough that I marched in some of those civil rights marches way back when. Now, I know I am over-generalizing here, but Democrats think more welfare is the answer. That the problem for the black population is systematic racism by a white majority. This leads to protests against the police and the legal system and for more government programs. Republicans react by supporting the police and the legal system as it is.
I say there is still great inequality between the races in America and we need to do something about it and right now we are doing nothing about it. There is much rage about police brutality which I agree is a bad thing, but it is a very small part of the problems of black America. The main problems are education, jobs, and the result of these, poverty. Let’s take a look at education which is perhaps the deepest of root causes. It is a fact that on average, black Americans receive an inferior education to other Americans. A large proportion of black American children are stuck in dysfunctional educational systems in our major cities. The politicians rage about the hot button issues but ignore what really needs to be accomplished. Maybe because it is hard to do.
What do we do about that? Education is a local responsibility, not a national issue so you don’t hear talk about it on the nightly news. When we do debate the issue the Democratic position is usually more money, the Republican position, more choice – charter schools, and school vouchers. Maybe we need both but usually more money goes to bailing out teacher pension plans, and choice programs only help a few. I don’t claim to know the answer other than to stop shouting at each other and sit down like rational adults and without bias and come up with ideas and solutions. It’s a tough problem but one we can solve if it is important enough to us. One thing I do know is that I would rather have a solution to that problem than who can use which bathroom or which statue we should tear down next.