The Problem with America

With the recent passage of healthcare reform, Conservative Americans are up in arms, saying everything from "Obama is turning the US into a communist dictatorship" to the less articulate "I'm going to leave the country if this passes".

This is the type of ignorance that upsets a logical person. Here we have a small portion of the population who truly grasp an understanding of government, the Constitution and the issues of the day, yet the loudest people are those who get 95% of their knowledge from Fox News.

I feel that, as someone who possesses a Political Science degree, it is my duty to educate the uninformed.

I am a liberal and as such, I do not agree with conservative ideology. However, those with a true understanding of government, are not social conservatives (I'll explain this later), but fiscal and economic conservatives.

Let's get started class.

1) Social Conservatism

One ideology that most intelligent liberals refuse to recognize as valid is social conservatism. Throughout history, social conservatives have been those who were Pro-Slavery, Anti-Women's Rights, Anti-Abortion, Anti-Civil Rights, and Anti- Gay Marriage, among others. The idea of social conservatism is essentially rooted in religious (usually christian) thought, which would be absolutely fine in a Theocratic Christian government. The problem with the thought process however, is that the United States is a secular government, which is explicitly stated in the constitution. Therefore, regardless of how hard they try, social conservatives will never win out.

Slavery ended, Women can vote, All skin colors have equal rights, women are allowed to choose whether or not they can have an abortion and, soon enough, homosexuals will be allowed to be officially married. Thanks to the brilliant founding fathers, progressive thought will always win out, eventually.

Social conservatives represent what is considered a powerful political ideology, however, they are not a political ideology at all. Once logic is included in the discussion, a social conservatives argument is rendered null and void, no matter how passionate he or she may be. Sadly, these people make up about half of the country. Thankfully, they matter very little.

2) Economic and Fiscal Conservatives

Now this is what a conservative truly is. Though i do not share their viewpoints, I respect these conservatives and their understanding of political thought. Many of these conservatives do not share the views of social conservatives because they understand the latter have no true grasp on reality, and are, usually, bigots.

Fiscal Conservatives believe in smaller central government, States' rights, a reduction, and gradual elimination, of state welfare, and they are usually pro-business.

Many social conservatives also adopt this platform because the Republican Party has adopted the social conservative platform. However, try not to confuse the two. Fiscal conservatives have a true understanding of government and it's functions, unlike the other group.

3) Communism and Socialism

I hear many uninformed morons constantly calling the president a socialist and a communist, with little-to-no understanding of what these actually are. Many of these idiots immediately think of Russian dictatorships and, some, even think of Nazi Germany.

First off, Nazi Germany was Fascist, which is completely different. Hitler was about as Anti-communist as they come.

Now, Communism and Socialism are not types of government. They are economic systems. Communism is not the direct antithesis to democracy. Democracy is a form of government. Capitalism and communism are both economic systems. Neither work very well, but that's a different story.

Communism is the belief that everyone in the country makes the same amount of money and shares everything. Nobody is worse or better off than their neighbor. Everyone is equal. It's a very nice thought, however it doesn't work because human nature will not allow it to work. nobody is going to work hard if they have no monetary motivation to do so. Why go to school for 8 years to become a doctor if you can make just as much money as a janitor? Therein lies the problem. A communist economy can function in a democratic government, just as a capitalist society can function in a dictatorship. They're not mutually exclusive.

Socialist capitalism is popular in Europe. Tax rates are very high, (Around 50%) but your income depends on what type of job you have, which in turn, depends on your education level. The thing is, Education, Healthcare and social services are all 100% paid for by taxes in those countries. They also have a democratic form of government with all the civil liberties that we enjoy here in the US.

Still, uninformed idiots consider this un-american. That may be the problem.

4) Kevin's Solution

So I have talked a lot about what I think is wrong with the country, and why I don't believe in Social Conservatism, but I have offered very few solutions. Well, Here you go:

Healthcare - I believe 100% in Universal Healthcare, however, the current bill is not the answer. Mandatory healthcare is a bad idea. My solution would include government-run free healthcare for those who choose it. If you are happy with your current health insurance that you pay for, keep it! There should be the ability to choose, however, as government healthcare improves, it offers a smarter choice to many consumers.

Education - This is another area in which the government should take care of it's citizens. College should be free to all US citizens. Student loans should be a thing of the past. Look at the literacy rates, test scores and success rates of people in France, Sweden and Finland compared to the US. It's embarrassing to any true American. Do the research yourself if you don't agree.

Business - Green technology, Alternative energy, Maglev Trains and Hybrid car plants are all the wave of the future. My belief is that any domestic company who decides to outsource their jobs to another country, thus taking jobs away from American citizens, should face tax penalties and tariffs so high they end up spending more money than if they kept the jobs in the US. If politicians truly cared for the american worker, this would be a no-brainer.

Gay rights, abortions, prostitution, legalization of marijuana - Since the argument of morality and religion have no bearing on a secular nation, they are null and void with no place in a political discussion. Homosexuals are humans, thus are entitled to marriage rights, abortion is a choice for a woman to decide, prostitution and marijuana should be legalized and regulated by the government to ensure safe usage and to extract taxable income, thus reducing the need for higher income taxes.

I don't want this to turn into an argument for my presidential nomination or anything like that, just an informative argument for those who want to understand exactly what is currently going on in the political landscape.