In other words: A discussion of The Bush Administration
Enough with helping people already
Democrats, humanitarians, liberals, etc. seem to be hung up on announcing their intentions: Helping people. That populace likes that, but not as much as we would like to think, and it does some harm to some very valid proposals and reforms.
Remember back in the Reagan era when Americans were happy with the idea that hundreds of intelligent but needy people would be denied affordable loans that would make it possible for them to go to college rather then have a few students purchase stereos with the loan money?
People seem to be happy with the idea of locking people up, but unhappy of programs that could prevent them from turning into criminals in the first place. Helping humanity as a marketing point doesn’t really work. I know it is hard to admit after growing up with Star Trek, but humanity isn’t really all it is cracked up to be.
Helping people can and always should be framed as a smart move for your tax dollar. Save money with the added bonus of helping people. People will go for that.
So many things we want our nation to be about: a fair justice system, healthcare, humanitarian aide, education, alternative fuels etc. can be correctly painted as initiatives that aide the economy, programs that increase the wealth for the whole nation and over time reduce the size of the government (less taxes). Other great achievements these programs provide that would benefit in marketing them: they reduce abortions and teen pregnancy, they reduce crime, they make America safer, and the truth is America finally becomes a true pro-life nation (while keeping abortion legal).
Reforming America’s health care system isn’t about providing coverage for America’s poor; it is the right thing to do for businesses big and small. Compute the amounts that businesses pay for covering (even partially) the health insurance of their employees. Compute the loss of productivity because HR and employees must wade through purposefully Byzantine HMO rules. Compute the loss of productivity due to employees being out sick because they didn't take preventative doctor visits (for fear of the cost). Compute the cost of the governments covering hospital bills of the uncovered. Etc. You will see that billions will go back into the economy and into people’s pockets if the health care system is completely revamped and perhaps even nationalized. And the minute someone says that America’s health system is the envy of the world just do a spit take. Show them our infant mortality rates vs. the rest of the developed world. Suddenly we’ll turn green.
The Democrats need to scratch everything when it comes to healthcare. The present system is gamed so that any healthcare “program” the government comes up with is just a band-aid on a huge gushing wound that needs to be cauterized.
Pre-natal care, infant and toddler care and assistance, and head start programs all have a positive impact on the economy (more jobs and more money into the economy while reducing federal expenditures in the long run). Availability of pre-natal and infant care would not only have a small reduction in abortion rates, but would definitely have huge reductions in later medical expenditures that the government would have to help with. Money spent on young children is worth ten times more then what is spent on teens (it is almost too late then). Programs like this actually increase test scores in later life, while reducing crime and teen pregnancy (really, a happy and secure toddler has a dramatically more healthy teen life both in body and in mind no matter what later befalls them). You save tax money in the long run (actually not even that long).
After school programs, youth groups, and job training programs reduce crime. Crime costs money. A large portion of your taxes goes to feed, shelter, and cloth people for years and years. Imagine if you spend money on programs that actually lead to a reduction in crime. It actually works out to tax dollars being saved, plus you get the added benefit that these people not in jail get jobs and pay taxes themselves. Sounds like a no brainier (helping people is just a side benefit).
International and humanitarian aide – looks a lot cheaper then a war in Iraq. Seriously, international aide should be shown in economic and security terms. It boosts America’s standing dramatically; this increases international responsiveness to our calls for assistance (imagine more aide in Iraq… that’d save us a LOT of tax dollars). It also decreases hatred towards America. This actually will impact risks to our security. Less risks - less expenditures. Humanitarian aide is about saving money.
Curb arms sales. Companies involved in trading weapons increase our tax burden. We spend money (our tax dollars) buying weapons to defend or attack people who are using weapons bought from the same companies we purchased ours (maybe not directly). An international decrease in arms is about saving money on our defense.
Democrats have allowed themselves to be painted anti-business, when they are not. Something that the Repugs preach but do not practice is the truth that one of the best ways to help folks is to make a vibrant economy (rising tide and shit). However, their definition of a vibrant economy is wrong (as is their means of reaching even their definition). Repugs (and too many democrats) consider huge multinationals as business, as the drivers of the economy. They are not; they are the source of much of America’s business woes. Small businesses are where it is at. You get innovation, you get local employees, you get companies that buy supplies and services locally, they almost never outsource. A million in small companies boosts our economy better then many millions in a multination. Repugs talk small business, and effectively, Democrats need to actively and publicly assist small business. Action and Talk.
Alternative fuel creates jobs. Lots and lots of jobs. Alternative fuel can be sold both as increasing our national security (for reasons that really should be obvious to everyone but often is not) and making America an innovation and business leader. Massive infrastructures will need to be updated and revamped to adapt to new fuel sources. Talk about an economic shot in the arm. This won’t be the government’s monies. This will be from businesses adapting to energy models that offer long-term benefits. Clean and alternative fuel sources lessen the very real risk of oil dependency (peak oil is real), and lessen their environmental clean up costs.
Good business is not about good profits; it is about sustainability. Look at all the good investment advice: buy long term. Almost all the large corporation strife and intrigue has been by companies who sought only short term profits. They were addicted to the quick buck, and their raises depended upon them. Our political process is addicted to the quick fix. Short term solutions to obvious long term needs. It is less work, and an easy talking point for re-election. Sustainability shouldn’t be a new age ideal, but an obvious economic benefit. Democrats often have sports cars that they market simply as useful means of transportation. Market them as fast, sleek, and sexy that doesn’t mean they aren’t useful means of transportation.
Sorry for the long bit. I think it is actually a companion piece to this post: We need a radical, which makes it quite long.
- rob 3:36 PM - [PermaLink] -
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