In 2001-2006, I was a part-time adjunct instructor at the
Ozarka College in Melbourne and Ash Flat, Arkansas. One of my students once
asked me what the difference was between Democrats and Republicans and regular
people. This seemed like a strange sort of question, especially since I only taught
computer courses.
I don't quite remember my answer, but it was short and got a
laugh from the rest of the class.
Of course, there really is a difference between Democrats
and Republicans and regular people.
Democrats depend on government to care for them from cradle
to grave. They think of government as a charitable welfare organization and feel
they are entitled to a redistribution of wealth, which includes plundering
those who prosper and rewarding those who don't (through a progressive income
tax, estate taxes, etc.).
Republicans believe government's main purpose is to
stimulate economic growth (by supporting corporate interests), and anyone not
contributing to the economy should be rebuked or incarcerated. They also
believe in maintaining a superior (expensive) military force to protect their
global economic interests, by force if necessary.
Democrats think of Republicans as greedy money-grubbers who
don't care about the welfare of others. They see themselves as champions of the
common people and don't consider stealing from the rich to be stealing.
Republicans think of Democrats as a drain on economic
resources. They see themselves as champions of the greater good, by prospering
from the labor of others and by being a self-appointed global police
force.
Between them, the Democrats and Republicans have continually
spent more money than they have taken in and have driven this country into a deep
financial hole. We now have a national debt exceeding $17 trillion that keeps
growing with no end in sight. Future generations will be required to pay for
our current exorbitant, reckless spending habits.
Regular people try hard to ignore Democrats and Republicans,
but every four years they're forced to endure months and months of campaigning
by the two political parties that have each selected one of their own to be one
of two choices they will bestow on the public to become our next president. To
regular people, a choice between two candidates doesn't seem like much of a
choice but they go along with it because they understand they're only one voice
in a country of several hundred million people and assume their voice will not
be heard.
So the Democrats and Republicans fight it out while masses
of regular people bang their heads against the wall and wonder if there isn't a
better way of doing things rather than being overpowered by those in control. Most
regular people figure there probably is a better way of doing things, but they
also realize that the Democrats and Republicans have a stranglehold on a power structure
that they will never relinquish.
Some regular people take a more realistic approach. They don't
bother to bang their heads against the wall because they don't allow themselves
to be affected by the system. They've resigned themselves to the notion that the
world isn't exactly fair, and probably never will be fair, so they'll just try
to make the best of it without getting involved. If you mess with it, it will
mess on you -- if you ignore it, maybe it will go away.
Democrats and Republicans don't respect regular people. They
believe everyone should be involved in the political process and fail to understand
that excessive government is often the problem rather than the solution.
Regular people don't respect Democrats and Republicans
either. They would rather go through life without being monitored by a gaggle
of lawmakers (mostly lawyers) in Washington;
most of whom are so far out of touch with regular people that they actually
believe they deserve every salary increase they vote for themselves.
Regular people just want to go through life without too many
hassles. Getting an education, earning a living, raising a family and putting
food on the table is hard enough without interference from a system that seems
to be dominated by special interests and maintained by people who create more
problems than they're able to solve.
If it weren't for regular people, I'd move to another
planet.
___________
Quote for the Day -- “I predict future happiness for
Americans, if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the
people under the pretense of taking care of them.” Thomas Jefferson
___________
Bret Burquest is the author of 10 books. He
lives in the Ozark Mountains with a dog named Buddy Lee and where more
government always means less freedom.
___________
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