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In his speech yesterday, Bush said:
"The American people will decide between two visions of government: a government that encourages ownership and opportunity and responsiibility, or a government that takes your money and makes your choices."
In other words, Republicans favor the individual, whereas Democrats favor government.
Let's look at the Republican "vision." Do Republicans encourage "ownership and opportunity"? You bet they do - for those who have money, for those in business, for those with the proper connections. Yes, they get tax cuts. Yes, they get deregulation. Yes, they get corporate welfare. Have you heard of Halliburton? Have you heard about Enron? Have you heard of Adlphia Communications? Have you heard of.........?
What "ownership and opportunity" is encouraged for the average worker? Whenever the subject of jobs comes up, Bush talks of tax cuts. No matter what the problem, the answer is "tax cuts." Tax cuts will help business invest and grow and thus produce more jobs, he says. This is that old "trickle down" theory: first we must help business, and eventually workers will prosper.
If you can believe the DOW, business is booming. But there are no jobs. It is obvious that helping business does not necessarily help workers. Our government helps business and business downsizes and gets rid of employees. The government helps business and business goes overseas to get cheap labor. The U.S. helps business and business goes to the Cayman Islands and avoids paying taxes.
But Republicans say, we offer training. Training for what? Most new jobs that are produced are low-wage jobs that do not require training.
The Republicans agree that each person, whether he is a billionaire or a pauper, is free to achieve "ownership and opportunity."
The other "vision" according to Bush, that of Democrats, is "a government that takes your money and makes your choices." As always, Bush is trying to separate American citizens from their government. And here I thought that the party of Lincoln believed in "a government of the people, by the people, and for the people."
A government is supposed to take citizen money - taxes - and make choices. Without taxes, how would you run a government? When you dish out tax cuts to the rich, who will eventually pay for the activities of the government? The rest of us, of course.
The big difference between the two parties is not that Republicans favor individualism and Democrats favor government. They both favor individualism and they both need government. The difference, as I see it, is how the government is used: Republicans believe in helping business and Democrats believe in helping the average guy.
Republicans will object. They will say they are for laissez faire: allow business to thrive and don't stymie it with regulations. Of course, they are for free enterprise, free trade, free everything. But it is not beyond them to lobby for special treatment, special tax breaks, special subsidies, and special dispensations to become monopolies. Via their PACs, businesses pay good money for these special favors.
It is obvious that under this Republican administration, whatever business wants business gets. This is the reason Bush finds it easy to raise funds for his reelection campaign. Business interests are grateful.
In contrast, Democrats believe in helping workers, the unemployed, members of minority groups and in general, those that are not doing so well in our economy. This is the vast majority of people.
In sum, Bush's "vision" is to make it easy for those who already have money to make more, while the Democratic "vision" is to help those who do not have money make some.
