| Ducimus |
10-03-13 03:26 PM |
I just saw an interesting post on the comments section on a local news source here in Utah. It seemed well stated enough that I thought i'd repost it here.
Again, not my words, I just thought it an interesting read:
Quote:
Actually, we the people are to blame.
On the one hand, despite round agreement that incumbents become a problem, we tend to re-elect incumbents handily, and when we don't (Mike Lee ousting Bennett, Chafetz winning over Cannon), too many act as if the sky is falling and massive rule changes are needed.
On the other hand, the two parties are simply representing a deeply divided nation.
There are those who sincerely believe that government should guarantee to every citizen free healthcare. Whether they call this "single payer" or "socialized" or anything else, they believe government should guarantee free health care, which would have to be paid for by taxpayers at large. This same group believes that elective abortion on demand is a near absolute right and must be included in said free coverage. They tend to believe that private ownership of guns is a bad idea and should be greatly curtailed and what remains heavily taxed and regulated. They tend to believe that religion causes problems and should be pushed out of the public sphere and out of business practices, and that government must ensure that employers treat employees kindly, These folks believe homosexual couples must be given full marriage benefits, or that government recognition of marriage should end entirely.
On the other side are those who believe just as sincerely that obtaining and providing healthcare are private matters in which government involvement must be minimized. They believe that abortion is a gross violation of the rights of the unborn and so should be legally limited to a few extreme cases such as rape, incest, or grave risk to life of the mother; and that nobody should ever be forced to participate in or fund an abortion in any way (direct or indirect) contrary to conscience. They believe that private ownership of firearms is not only a constitutionally enumerated right on equal footing with freedoms of the press, speech, and right to an attorney, but that it is essential to the maintenance of a free society and so must be as protected from regulation and taxes as are the other enumerated rights. They believe that religion plays a key role in our society and that our laws must protect not only freedom to believe and to worship in a church or home, but also must protect peaceful religious expression in the public sphere, in how business is conducted, and so on. They believe that marriage is a union of a man and a woman and that homosexual conduct is not something government or society should encourage, condone, nor celebrate. They believe that within limits of worker safety, employers and employees should be free to negotiate for mutually agreeable terms--or to part ways peacefully--without government mandates.
These are fundamentally incompatible views of the role of government, and indeed, even the very nature of society.
An honest, mature man will recognize and concede that neither side is evil; both hold their views as sincerely believing they will lead to the best society in which to live.
But they are incompatible. There is very little room for either side to "compromise" with the other.
For those who want an absolute guarantee of free medical care, the ACA is nearly as offensive as it is to those who want government out of health care almost entirely.
Those who view abortion as a right are as offended by limits on late term abortion as are those opposed to abortion by mandates to pay for abortion via tax money or through insurance policies.
We are a people divided.
And our government reflects that.
Good luck even proposing, much less implementing any workable solutions.
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