Political ethics question

[Kopefire]

[ QUOTE ]

One question though, if you everyone is voting self-servingly, why do people mask it? Why are people ashamed to say, "I'm voting Republican because I'm loaded"?

[/ QUOTE ]

It's a very common, but false, perception that the rich people are all Republicans.

Indeed, more truly wealthy people are Democrats, and by qutie a large margin.

CEO's and Corporate Executive types of big companies like a very highly regulated economy. Such regulations ensures their continued positions of wealth and influence. Whereas a less regulated economy will tend to provide a breeding ground for smaller companies that are usually more mobile in the market place and therefore a serious threat to larger corporations. Thus they tend to be democrats, as democrats more closely align with their market philosophy.

Almost all of the New England old-money rich are Democrats.

Most lawyers are Democrats. They want a party who is for large bodies of complex laws and against torte reforms.

Many Doctors are Democrats, at least until recently. Medicare and Medicaide were initially great benefits to physicians pocket books, and they tended to support those programs.

Most elderly are Democrats . . . and while many elderly are poor, it's also true that a huge number of the elderly own substantial property and investments, and properly qualify as "the rich."

The members of the "rich" who tend to be Republicans are not the corporate types riding around in Limos and thumbing their noses at the poor. Rather, they tend to be small business entrepeneurs who became rich after significant personal sacrific to do so.

There are of course, exceptions to these generalizations. But by and large, the "rich" Republicans are really the "millionaire next door" typse, who slaved away 16 hour days building their own small business and finally are seeing the fruits of their labors.

[Diplomat]

...and don't forget compromising individual rights/minority rights.

-Diplomat

[nothumb]

Hey flush,

Interesting response as always. You and I do not actually disagree so much even as we so far appear to. You'll notice that I have not advocated any government program to assist the poor or the disenfranchised because, well, I'm an anarchist, so I don't advocate many government programs.

You and I both believe that individual, or small-scale, mutual aid is most effective, because it is flexible, responsive and local. (At least, that's why I believe it, I'm guessing you do for the same reasons.) My trouble with capitalism (one of my troubles, I should say) is that while many capitalists are happy to describe how private charity achieves its objectives so much more efficiently, you do not hear nearly so much talk about the obligation of those who are able to provide it, or an acknowledgement that providing a modicum of aid is even in the long-term best interests of those in a wealthy position. In other words, charity is, as of now, a tax write-off and a political tool for many of the nation's most prominent capitalists.

I won't make blanket statements to the effect that capitalism itself fundamentally tends away from charity, but I think the capitalist discourse in this country has diverged significantly from that idea.

Your segment about being turned away from unionism by witnessing the failures of a blue-collar town was interesting and enlightening. I would gently remind you, however, that even life in a failing blue-collar town in America is far more comfortable than the average life of people in countries to which capitalism has not been so kind. Again, I won't press the moral charge against capitalism here, but it's something to consider. (In fairness' sake, some of the world's most ambitious capitalists have come from such desperately poor countries, and describe their motives similarly.)

I won't get into the semantics of 'engineering' vs. fostering equality, teaching egalitarian mindsets, etc, because it's another thread and this is a long post already. Suffice it to say that you know how much I value individual decision-making and I think there are a lot of ways we could better prepare ourselves and our children to live in a fair, free world.

NT