Black and white thinking is easier, and can be more satisfying, than sorting through gray areas. But it's a shortcut to assessing political belief systems. After a burst of popularity among right-wingers and Tea Partier's following the election of Barack Obama, the label of "socialist" rightfully faded in usage - it doesn't have much application in a democracy like ours and I felt like people began to see it for the inflammatory conversation-stopper it was.
But with the American Jobs Act on the table and Occupy Wall Street in full swing, you can hear conservatives picking it back up right and left as a rallying cry. But come on people, "socialist" is not an accurate name for people who think that balancing the excesses of capitalism with the oversight of government is good for the country. There are certainly people on the left who are happily self-identified as socialists. But I think for most of us it's more complicated. Personally, I feel that seeing individuals rise up and achieve great success is a beautiful thing. I love concepts like "the sky is the limit" and "you make your own destiny". I myself dream of one day having enough money to travel, buy cool clothes, eat great meals, and spend big bucks at Barnes & Noble and World Market and Pottery Barn. I think hard work should be rewarded.
But we wouldn't have Pottery Barn without infrastructure like highways and bridges and air traffic controllers and we wouldn't have anyone around to enjoy it without the protection of Defense and we wouldn't be excited about going shopping if we couldn't breathe the air on the way to the mall. And I want EVERYONE to have an equal shot at getting out there and doing what they like and love to do. Their right to do so is guaranteed by the Constitution. Until you can convince me that anything close to equal opportunity exists in this country, I will continue to maintain that we have a lot of work to do to level the playing field, and the federal government is absolutely a legitimate body to do some of that work.
It doesn't solve anything for conservatives to lean on the crutch of calling liberals socialists. Yes, there is frustration with corporate corruption. Yes, we have a commitment to keeping good federal regulations in place. Yes, we are dedicated to the hope that eventually everyone will have an equal chance to get to an income level that allows disposable income. Can you take all that in and consider it, without lapsing into thinking that this means we want you to give up what you have for someone who wants a handout? That is an oversimplification of basic leftist beliefs, and throwing around labels like "socialist" is a dead end.
But with the American Jobs Act on the table and Occupy Wall Street in full swing, you can hear conservatives picking it back up right and left as a rallying cry. But come on people, "socialist" is not an accurate name for people who think that balancing the excesses of capitalism with the oversight of government is good for the country. There are certainly people on the left who are happily self-identified as socialists. But I think for most of us it's more complicated. Personally, I feel that seeing individuals rise up and achieve great success is a beautiful thing. I love concepts like "the sky is the limit" and "you make your own destiny". I myself dream of one day having enough money to travel, buy cool clothes, eat great meals, and spend big bucks at Barnes & Noble and World Market and Pottery Barn. I think hard work should be rewarded.
But we wouldn't have Pottery Barn without infrastructure like highways and bridges and air traffic controllers and we wouldn't have anyone around to enjoy it without the protection of Defense and we wouldn't be excited about going shopping if we couldn't breathe the air on the way to the mall. And I want EVERYONE to have an equal shot at getting out there and doing what they like and love to do. Their right to do so is guaranteed by the Constitution. Until you can convince me that anything close to equal opportunity exists in this country, I will continue to maintain that we have a lot of work to do to level the playing field, and the federal government is absolutely a legitimate body to do some of that work.
It doesn't solve anything for conservatives to lean on the crutch of calling liberals socialists. Yes, there is frustration with corporate corruption. Yes, we have a commitment to keeping good federal regulations in place. Yes, we are dedicated to the hope that eventually everyone will have an equal chance to get to an income level that allows disposable income. Can you take all that in and consider it, without lapsing into thinking that this means we want you to give up what you have for someone who wants a handout? That is an oversimplification of basic leftist beliefs, and throwing around labels like "socialist" is a dead end.
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