(reprinted from the StoryBlog; it feels relevant now that another election is upon us)
SOUNDTRACK: “Tippecanoe and Tyler Too” by They Might Be Giants
A few years ago, during the ’04 presidential campaign, when virtually everyone in the country was venting about the ineptitude of the opposing party’s candidates, I had a sort of epiphany regarding the underlying philosophies of the Democratic and Republican parties. My realization was based on my perception of where each party places trust in who should be granted power and money…
Republicans:
We trust the corporations with money and power because, while they are entitled to grant themselves luxuries for capitalizing on the American way to gain their fortunes, they will by and large proportionally distribute their gains to the lower classes, because doing so goes hand in hand with healthy business practices (to deny their employees those benefits would only encourage them to move to a competitor’s work-force, so the corporations would therefore be hurting themselves). We recognize that some less scrupulous corporate leaders will take advantage of the system, but we believe that those individuals are far outnumbered by the more virtuous whole.
We also believe that the lower classes are less deserving of this power because of both their misunderstanding of how best to manage it wisely and efficiently, and the predilection of a large proportion of them to take advantage of the system in order to maintain a comfortable lifestyle without contributing to society as a whole.
Democrats:
We trust the common people with money and power because, unlike the wealthy, they need it for their very survival. The corporations, who already have massive intrinsic benefits keeping them on top (and, by extension, the lower classes at the bottom), cannot be trusted to disperse their gains proportionally to their employees or otherwise act in the best interest of the people who depend on their honesty. Capitalism is an inherently flawed system of commerce that encourages greed, deception and foul play, and the individuals at the top of the corporate ladder know better than anyone how to take advantage of their position. We recognize that some less scrupulous members of the lower classes will take advantage of the system, but we believe that those individuals are far outnumbered by the more virtuous whole.
Anyone who knows me can tell you that I fall in the latter category. I’m sure I’m not the first to come to this realization, and for all I know it is in one way or another misguided, but it feels accurate enough to me. Comments and criticism welcome.
BONUS: John McCain: “I am an Astronaut” (QuickTime required) >
:: “>whit