What if the republicans got their way? What if an evangelical, fundamentalist theocratic corporatocracy became the law of the land? What would this America, that repubs are fighting so hard to bring about, really look like? Utopia or dystopia, who wins and who loses? Since no republican has really discussed their vision of future America, here a sampling of what I see (note: I do not claim to be a futurist).
The two things repubs hate more than anything, aside from a black man in their White House, are taxes and regulation. Their mantra is to reduce or eliminate both. So let’s really cut back on taxes, corporate taxes to less than, say, 10%, individual taxes to 10-15%. Get rid of all those expensive regulations that just eat up profit. Gotta get God, the evangelical, fundamentalist Christian God only mind you, into everyone’s life. What goes, what stays?
Repubs love the military, so more of the money to them. With the McCains’ in charge, expect to have military action anywhere somebody does something they don’t like. To make sure there are enough boots, restart the draft with a $100,000 permanent deferral option. Since the VA system is expensive and money is tight, set up soldiers with private insurance that they’ll use in case of on-the-job injury. Gotta spread that democracy and develop more potential profit centers.
EPA – goes without saying, literally..., goes. No more money spent on preventing potential profits from drilling anywhere they want. Pollution control cuts further into profits, gotta go. I mean, how do you know what you’re breathing if you can’t see it? No more having to hide leaking storage tanks with a stew of chemicals from inspectors. Restrictions on pesticides -- a lot of cost and can’t use the cheap stuff. The birds and bees are over blown anyway.
OSHA – gone. All those pesky regulations to protect hearing, breathing, livers, and kidneys are too expensive and intrusive. If someone takes a job, they take the job with it’s risks, their problem. Worker’s compensation costs employers too much, again, you take the job with its risks, if you get hurt, you lose the job, now go away.
Department of HHS – reduced. CDC is a real cost center, all that science type stuff ya know, besides, all the diseases are gone (except that ebola coming across the border with those Mexican kids, but can stop that with a 2nd amendment solution!). We all know that TB just happens to those people.
Abortion – gone. If a woman gets pregnant when she didn’t want to, it’s her fault. Besides, if God wanted her pregnant, who are we to argue with God? Remember, though, that God still wants her to submit to her hubby.
Minimum wage – gone. If they can’t live on it, they’re spending too much on something else, right? Besides, if they don’t like being poor, they should stop being poor. Oh yes, kids should be able to work as much as someone else wants them to as well.
Pre-marital sex – forbidden. Furthermore, any sex that doesn’t result in pregnancy is forbidden. Sex is the work of the devil, besides, it just wasn’t fair that God gave the only human organ whose sole function is sexual pleasure to women!
FDA – inspectors are expensive and just slow down the whole process. Getting drugs out fast and cheap, then sold at high prices, is worth a few side effects, (hey, I’m not taking the damn drugs, I get mine from Canada). If folks get ill from tainted meat, they should learn to cook their meat well done.
Medicare and Social Security – eliminate. If folks aren’t rich enough to have a pension on their own or have their own health insurance they shouldn’t get old or they can keep working. ("Hey grandma, what's for supper?" "Cat food")
Department of Education – gone. Leave education to each state. Since the states won’t have much money either, education will be bare bones. If someone lives in a state with poor education, they can always move to a state with better schools. The worthy people can still send their kids to a private school, the other folks, well, society does need garbage collectors, people to pick up trash and to tend lawns. Besides, all the technical jobs are going to kids coming over from India or China.
Infrastructure rebuilding – too expensive. Each home owner should be billed for fire and police services, why should they get something for nothing. The wealthy can set up their own private armies to protect them should the rabble start making a fuss.
Department of the interior – changes to Department of Mining and Environmental Exploitation. Gee, all that land with its lumbar and minerals tied up as National Parks, what a waste. Drill, baby, drill. Consider the profits from setting up energy systems at Old Faithful, dazzles the mind.
While this is just a little of what may happen and some of this is tongue in cheek, there has been little, if any, in depth discussion as to the long-term consequences of what the republicans are pushing for our country. They look at policies like a child looks at toy (or an uzi), they want it without understanding there might be associated problems. Armies and soldiers are great, hoo-rah, but really a nuisance having to take care of them after they leave the battlefield. Tax breaks sound good but what services are they willing to give up or take away?
We need to demand that every republican (all politicians, really) touting this or that policy to explain, in detail, what that policy will result in 5, 10 , or 20 years down the road, who it helps, who it hurts.