Right now in America there is a huge divide between how the Republicans and the Democrats think about the world we live in. This can be seen in the contrast of Republican and Democrat positions on the Environment, Tort Reform, Labor Rights, Health Care, Education and many other issues. This divide, at its essence, may come down to a fundamental difference in opinion about the proper role of government.
This is what the
Declaration of Independence says about the role of Governement.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. --That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.
You see, in the end we want a world where we are able to live a happy and productive life. Goverment is here to help us do that.
Now on the conservative side of the isle there is the belief that the Government is immoral and evil. This way of thinking leads to beliefs like those of Texas Legislator Debbie Riddle (R-Houston)
"Where did this idea come from that everybody deserves free education, free medical care, free whatever? It comes from Moscow, from Russia. It comes straight out of the pit of hell. And it's cleverly disguised as having a tender heart. It's not a tender heart. It's ripping the heart out of this country." (Thanks to Ann Kitchen for that quote.)
Christian kindness to all, Debbie Riddle, do you think that Christian kindness came from the pit of hell? No, Debbie, the rhetoric of survival of the fittest with no limits on the powerful is what is ripping the heart out of this country. You don't care about justice and liberty for all, you care only for justice and liberty for the few.
So how can this divide be bridged?
- Morality must be returned to the politically rhetoric of the Democratic Party. It is immoral to not help the poor. The concepts of justice and fairness must be wrapped into morality and even religious rhetoric. Have you ever read the Sermon on the Mount? It doesn't have a word to say about the "Free-market", but it does say that we should help the poor.
- We must use the symbols of patriotism. We must quote from the Constitution, from Lincoln, from the Declaratioin of Inpendence. Raise the U.S. flag and celebrate Red, White and Blue.
- We must defend the rights of the lower and middle classes against the extreme wealth of the very rich. The tax breaks for the very wealthy don't spur investment, tax breaks for the lower and middle classes do. We have got to be for the majority of people, not for the few.
Government is for the people by the people. It is here so that everyone has a fair chance to lead a good life. It is our moral responsibility to fight to ensure that everyone has that chance.