In the battle between human rights
and capitalism, I'm on the side of human rights.
Plain and simple, the purpose
of government is to maintain a peaceful society. A libertarian might say that
the government shouldn’t poke its head into anything unless it’s necessary. The
problem is that everybody thinks that exact thing. The issue is we don't agree on what is necessary. To be completely honest, we all need the government. However cozy
you think your life is, the government is what’s keeping it afloat.
Our nation has a very strong rule
of law. That means that the laws in our country are obeyed and enforced. If
somebody burgles my house, the police will try to nab the perpetrator and the
courts will bring them justice. The legislators will write laws that can then be broken. Our nation also has a strong sense of freedom. If
I want to do something, anything—I can do it. The balance of these two ideals
can be summed up thusly: I can start a business (capitalism), and the
government will make sure that I’m playing fair (human rights). The government
needs to maintain the safety of the populace (human rights) while allowing as
much free reign as possible for businesses (capitalism). Some meddling is
necessary in order to keep us free from threats such as monopolies,
counterfeiting, unsafe products, swindlers, and unsafe working environments.
When it comes to politics, the
media (and politicians) stick to hot-button issues on the whole. These are
questions in the running of our country that stir up emotions: birth control,
taxes, wealth, unemployment, healthcare, terrorism, etc. These issues have to
do with opinions as well as facts. The facts, by the by, are often blurred by
statistics, which the average person is unlikely to interpret correctly. This
means that each side can blur what actually happened to promote their cause. Take
for example the following statements: “Nearly 3,000 people died in the
terrorist attacks on 9/11. It truly is a sad day for our country.” On the
other, hand: “Only 3,000 people died in the terrorist attacks on 9/11.
Considering the population and the severity of the damage, it is a miracle that
figure is so low.” Both of these statements use the same numbers, but you can
see how we can be bamboozled by the way the numbers are presented. Politicians
lean on the emotions of their followers rather than on the cold hard facts. In
the same year as 9/11 there were 37,795 deaths related to police reported
traffic accidents according to the NHTSA: more than ten times the deaths in the
terrorist attacks. How many politicians used traffic safety as a platform in
the coming elections?
The point is, we really paid for
our emotions with 9/11. The war in Afghanistan and the war in Iraq were started
based on national sentiment rather on actual need (and possibly on racism), even though Al-Qaeda is
based and funded in Saudi Arabia. The thought of the United States going to war
with Saudi Arabia is laughable, considering our dependence on Saudi oil,
because of course, besides emotions, politcs is money. Politicians talk
about money because they have money, and because we have money and we want
more. We want our money protected. We don’t want to spend money (capitalism),
but we still want stuff (human rights). This is never going to happen because
it just doesn’t make sense. There’s no such thing as a free lunch. Somebody is
paying for food stamps (hint: it’s all of us).
Capitalism is always going to be at
odds with human rights. Human rights cost money and very rarely give a return
investment. Capitalism often skates over human rights for this very reason. The
problem is that those with enough wealth to even think about running for
president of this country are capitalists. These are men and women who got to
where they are by preserving their own capitalist interests. I can only try to
side with those with enough mercy and grace to also promote human rights. It’s
a narrow balance. How do you preserve freedom for businesses as well as for
individuals?
It may not even matter in today’s
political atmosphere. A politician is going to say whatever it takes to get
votes. The problem is that the nation on a whole has a very simple mindset.
Individually we may have great ideas, but what is going to get votes is simple,
psychologically important issues that affect all of us—instead of societally
important issues.
It also may not matter because the
president doesn't run this country—we do! If you think the 99% don’t have any
control in this country, think again. I may not be in a big room full of
legislators, but I know that I can write to Carol Shea-Porter (my house
representative) and tell her what I think. But still, I’m not thinking big
enough. The country does not reside in a single room, or in a single government
entity. The government may be the binding force to the country, but it is not
the steak and potatoes between two oceans. I am a part of this country and I’m
going to do my part. Like Kennedy said: “It is not what your country can do for
you, but what you can do for your country!” Not for your government, but for
your country. What does it matter who
is leading us? We are a democracy—ruled
by the people! We rule ourselves. We
have enough free reign to do what is necessary in order to bring about our
desired ends.
It is up to ALL OF US to bring the
economy back to where it needs to be. It’s going to take ALL OF US to promote
education. ALL OF US need to be honest when it comes to welfare. We don’t need
a government to tell us what to do—we just need the government to maintain what
we have worked so hard to produce. So vote!
Not just for the president, but for our actual lawmakers—the congressmen. Don't
listen to a millionaire tell you what he'll try (And mostly likely fail at) doing.
Tell them what we want! And they're
more likely to make it happen.
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