I’d hardly call myself a Trump supporter, but I do have some conservative political roots. It is difficult, no maybe impossible, today to have a reasoned discussion of conservative vs. liberal ideas without the emotion surrounding Trump swamping the discussion. The screaming comes from both sides.
For example, the ACA. The liberals are screaming about millions of people losing health care! The conservatives are screaming to repeal the horrid law! I wish there was a way to have a reasoned discussion. There are two sides. We want better health care for all, but that requires subsidizing those who can’t afford it, so someone has to pay for it. This is a difficult, but fair discussion to have. I’d like to see the liberals talk about why they think it’s OK for healthy individuals and small companies to pay for that subsidy? I’d like to see the conservatives talk about a desire to expand health care to those who can’t afford it.
For example, the EPA and other governement programs that put constraints on business. One side is screaming to protect the environment, without care of the cost, the other screaming to let business to it’s thing, without care of the cost. There are real tradeoffs to be discussed here. The environment is what we live in. It’s important. Businesses are how we all, either directly or indirectly, make our livelihood. We really need a balance between a healthy environment and healthy economy. So where is the line? Has the EPA gone to far in some cases? What are the costs of various regulations? And the other way, has the EPA gone far enough? These are debates reasonable people could have, but simply not possible today.
One of the liberal positions that drives me nuts is the constant claim that the corporations can pay for it, whatever ‘it’ is. Like health care. I know corporations. They won’t pay for it. They’ll pass the cost on to us. They are soulless algorithms, income needs to exceed expenses by a certain percentage. It always will. It’s stupid to ask them to provide health care, because that’s just a tax on all of us in the cost of goods and services and lower salaries. Let’s just come out with it and tax the people directly for health care (yay universal health care) and let Exxon concentrate on energy, Applepees on crappy food, and all the small companies, selling furniture in your downtown, running a lawn service, etc. not have to worry about becoming health insurance providers as well.
The thing is, corporations are good for us. It’s how all of the wealth in our country is created. We all benefit financially, either directly or indirectly. But they have no soul. So again, there is room for a reasoned discussion on how much they need to be regulated in order to preserve the economic engine we all rely on, and yet have an environment that provides us all a good quality of life. They gets into income redistribution, how much is good? how much is needed? Could be a reasoned discussion. NOT.
