A Good Life

We are a lot alike actually. We all want the same thing – a good life. But the D’s and R’s just have very different ideas about how to make that vision come true.

We all want to be safe from foreign enemies, thus a strong military. Sometimes our elected decision-makers gauge threats incorrectly, erring on both sides. I think we’re getting better at it.

We all want an incredible public education system available for children to become whatever they desire, and be able to contribute to society. This isn’t working so well right now – we totally agree. Will throwing more money and regulation at it fix it? I think we’ve tried that.

We all want jobs, food, shelter. The economy makes that happen. And the individual, if the economy is healthy. Interestingly enough, some believe deficit-spending under Kennedy led to a period of prosperity late 1960s. Others point to different factors as the cause. Some believe the government should give individuals jobs, food, shelter. Others believe the government should stay out of it, and let the economy naturally operate, and individuals get what they earn. Those are extreme positions, and reality is a crazy mixture, a constant tug-of-war between government involvement and natural economic responses.

I do support governmental involvement in economic development in certain areas. I’m okay with the idea of collecting the society’s taxes and using it in ways to boost certain businesses that represent progress and improved quality of life for the society (alternate energy sources, infrastructure, severe weather detection).

This see-sawing between the extreme positions results in times when D’s are in control, then R’s. Now it’s time for the R’s to come back in power and strengthen business. We’re out of balance. Government spending is too large and can’t be supported by weakened Business, unemployment is high. When you tie the hands of Business, you just eliminated the tax revenue for another social program. We’re so out of balance that the government is spending a lot more than what it’s collecting in taxes and still can’t pay for the social programs it’s promised. It’s time to say no, and figure out how to help Business get off the ropes.

Business itself is not evil. Profit is not evil. Business is what naturally happens when one real live human being helps another real live human being solve a problem. “I’ll give you a coin if you’ll help me haul my fruit to market.” “I can pay you after I sell my fruit to the people who have a problem, they need to eat.” Is this evil? We want our fruit vendor to do very, very well so he can grow more fruit, hire more help, feed more people, even give his remains to the poor at the end of the day. I want him to MAXIMIZE his profit – he is the key to a good life for many of his fellow man. Profit is a great thing…a company stays in business, people get to keep their jobs, more taxes are paid to the government by the business and the employees.

Is he a good, fair man? If he stays in business a long time, he probably is. Most people are a mix of good and bad, externally and internally motivated, simply acting on obtaining pleasure and avoiding pain in the moment.

You can see many “evil” business owners and many “good” ones around us today. Many billionaire businessmen are forming a coalition to do good works with their fortunes. Others prey on their fellow man until their industry collapses, and they are revealed.

Good, evil, mixture – they’re everywhere, and the fact is we need them and their businesses to be the engine that runs America. More than ever, right now.

So, just because an R says no to government spending does not mean he doesn’t want a good life for all. He/she wants everyone to have the life they deserve, and he is trying to get us there according to his beliefs. That means letting business happen…and get the money flowing.