How you see the world, what motivates your policy decisions, and which party you support, depends deeply on your personal perspective on the basic assumptions of society’s mores and responsibilities. I wanted to take some time to address these assumptions and to provide you a way to try to probe your own predispositions.
I have tried to lay out two differing perspectives on a set of core issues. Each begins with “I believe…”. You can choose which one best reflects your own position. I hope that this will lead to a healthy discussion of how we determine policy.
IMAGE
What is the image of this country that you would like other people in other countries around the world to see when they think of the U.S.A.?
Strength and Authority.
I believe that other countries need to respect the U.S.A. They need to understand that we have the strongest, best equipped, best trained, and technologically superior armed forces in the history of the world. They need to understand that we are willing to employ those forces in defense of our own national interests. It is only through the respect of our ability to enforce our positions that other nations and the people within them will comply with our goals, and it is only in that way that we can insure peace and prosperity for all countries.
Moral Exemplar.
I believe that other countries look to the U.S.A. as a bastion of freedom, morality, and fairness. Other countries, and the people within them, have always held up the American model of freedom and non-discrimination as the ideal to which they aspired. The “shining city upon a hill”, is the core value that the U.S.A. must always adhere to. It is only through the demonstration that Moral and Social justice can accompany financial and military strength, that this country can acquire the respect and admiration of people around the world.
DOMESTIC SPENDING
What should the priorities be for spending taxpayers’ money? Where should the bulk of the money spent be directed? (think of this as a “more-than” or “less-than question”, not an absolute)
Protecting the Country.
I believe that the chief purpose of the Federal government is “to provide for the national defense” - the protection of the country and the people from dangers within. Money collected from taxpayers should be focused on these goals. We should focus on spending on all branches of the Military. We should focus on providing material, logistics, surveillance, and personnel to strengthen the domestic police departments. We should focus on those governmental agencies that enforce our laws such as the DOJ, the INS, the FBI, the CIA, and the NSA.
Protecting the People
I believe that the responsibility of the Federal government is the protection of the rights of the citizenry, regardless of their status or political affiliation. Only the government can protect the less powerful from the more powerful. Money collected from taxpayers should be focused on social services such as Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Childcare, aid for the disabled, protections from discrimination, and reducing the effects of poverty. We should focus on those governmental agencies that provide those services to the citizenry like HUD, CMS, HHS, USDA, SSA, WIC, and the sections of the DOJ that address racial and religious discrimination.
TAX POLICY
The Federal government collects money from the public to fund the services that are needed. What should be the underlying principles directing the procurement of revenue for the government?
Taxation is not a Right of Government.
I believe that taxes damper economic development because they take money away from those who have earned it and, therefore, have the right to spend it as they please; therefore, taxes should be kept to a minimum. People who have been successful and have accumulated wealth are far better able to judge where investment will lead to economic growth than governmental bureaucrats. Cutting taxes increases economic growth.
Everyone should pay some taxes, so that they have “skin in the game”, no matter what their income level is.
Taxes Support the Population.
I believe that taxes serve purposes other than just providing revenue for the government; they also illuminate the priorities of the citizenry. There is a growing wealth gap in this country that must be addressed to protect the economic well-being of everyone. Taxes are a good tool to reduce that wealth gap. Those who have taken advantage of the benefits provided to them from the spending of the Federal government on infrastructure, R&D, and trade regulations, have a responsibility to repay their country. Centralized tax revenue provides the resources that can protect the powerless from the powerful.
ECONOMIC MOBILITY
Democracy and Capitalism, it is argued, provides a pathway to success for all citizens. Is this true?
Every Citizen has the Ability to Succeed.
I believe that this country has always been and continues to be the greatest source of individual advancement in the world. Anyone of any means or status of birth has the opportunity to create a business, grow their personal wealth, and attain upper class status simply by hard work, initiative, and perseverance.
Class Mobility is a Myth.
I believe that the story of class mobility has become a myth. Although there are always examples of success, there are actually less chances for someone born in poverty today to advance to the middle class in this country than there was a century ago, and less than exists in many other countries in this world.
IMMIGRATION
How should we view immigration in today’s world?
Immigration Must be Controlled.
I believe that immigrants have built this country, but only those who were willing to adopt the culture, language, and traditions of this country. People who enter this country illegally or attempt to subvert the American culture by refusing to learn English; who want to install their own cultural heritage and laws in their communities or impose them upon other citizens should not be welcome here. Our border must be secure from illegal migration that brings disease, disorder, and economic burdens to the rest of our population.
Immigrants are the Fuel that Drives the Economy.
I believe that immigration has built this country. I understand that, historically, every immigrant group is regarded as dangerous interlopers when they first arrive; but, as each group assimilates into the American culture they add value to our country and expand our art, food, and culture, making this a far richer country than before they arrived. Our border should be secure, but it must also be open to the “tired, the poor, the tempest tossed.” Our laws should be supported by our regulations that provide asylum and shelter to those who suffer in foreign lands. We remain the only country in the world in which every citizen is an American first, and ethnically affiliated second.
R&D
We invest the peoples’ money in NASA, the NSF, the NIH, and other research institutions. How do we ensure that money is spent wisely?
Tax Revenue Must be spent to Drive Profits.
I believe that the government’s money is the people’s money and it should not be spent wastefully on projects that have no economic return. Current priorities and political direction should be used as a yardstick to determine where the peoples’ money is spent. Wasted spending on supporting companies that have no valuable future is a dereliction of the power granted to the government. Return on Investment (ROI) should always be a high priority of any investment the government makes in research.
Only the Government can Invest in Discovery.
I believe that the greatest economic benefits come from basic research into the fundamentals that underlie all scientific problems. No ROI can be calculated from this research since the discoveries cannot be predicted in advance. It is precisely because these discoveries cannot be predicted that private industry will never do it, and that the underwriting of the research needs to be funded by general governmental funds.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
What should the U.S. require from its relationships with other countries?
We can No Longer be the World’s Rich Uncle.
I believe that we need to have relations with other countries that are based solely on the mutual benefits provided between them and us. There should be strict controls on how much money, services, and support the U.S. gives a foreign country based on what they can give us in return. We have too long provided services gratis, out of some misguided sense of paternalistic responsibility, and although that may have been the case in the past as countries emerged from WWII, it is no longer true, and we need to reevaluate our relationships.
Relations need to reflect American needs. We need to redefine who our “friends” and “enemies” are. Those who will allow for American growth should be rewarded; those who oppose American growth should be punished. It will always be in our interest to deal with countries with strong leaders, as those relationships will be most easily measured. This may include increasing ties to Russia and China. For those countries that make it more difficult to predict their response to the U.S., such as a majority of countries in the EU, we need to be more circumspect with our relationships and the ties that bind us to them.
Our International Relations are the Greatest Force for Peace.
I believe that international globalism, for all its faults and difficulties, is the only path forward for world peace. The more countries that are integrated into the global economic community, the less likely they are to go to war with their neighbors. Allowing countries to develop unique manufacturing, material mining, resource availabilities, and skilled and unskilled services is the best way to insure the U.S. place in the world economy.
All countries have governmental systems that are unique, some align more with the cultural and political designs of the U.S. We need to acknowledge our similar values as links between our countries.
IN CONCLUSION
If I have been successful in laying out the arguments on the two sides of these issues, you will see that there is substance to both. Agreeing with one side does not preclude understanding the validity of the other. If we can understand that both sides of an issue are reasonable, we have made the first step in trying to find a synthesis of ideas, and this would be the greatest outcome of thinking about these matters.