We are all voters, but at the same time we are also consumers. Being the wise shoppers we are, we know that making the right choice calls for a careful study of the options. Two options are being offered to us, the Republican Option and the Democratic Option. Let’s be wise consumers of government. Let’s check out the special features of each option.
For the past twenty months we have been bombarded with messages about one of the current political packages. We have heard a lot about the Republican Option, but little has been said about the other option, the Democratic Option. Why? Perhaps it’s partly because hyperbole, scare tactics and outlandish behavior have hijacked, distracted and manipulated our mainstream media. Be that as it may, it’s time we acted like the sensible consumers we are, and made some side-by-side product comparisons.
The Republican Option promises a return to the past. Yes, it’s comforting and nostalgic to talk about returning to the good old colonial days, when life was simpler and we didn’t know what we know today. That’s a nice dream, but if we buy it, we are just indulging ourselves in a wash of maudlin sentimentality. A return to the past is not reality. It’s a dream, a fantasy. It’s wishful thinking. Besides, the good old days weren’t really all that good.
That was when the form of government was the old, failed, Articles of Confederation-style government -- our first. It had a weak, limited, central government with no power to tax, no judiciary system and no unified, central armed force.
And so, for the last twenty months we have been hearing about a Republican Option promising us only pipe dreams. Maybe some of us felt a bit frightened by the scary stories they told. That’s part of the Republican Option—permanent, unrelenting fear. They want us to put aside our common sense, our rational mind, our powers of reason, our intelligence, and go along with a raw, uncontrolled emotional rush (pun intended!).
The Democratic Option, on the other hand, urges us to go with facts. First, look at the actual numbers. Start with the big picture, the country as a whole. Look at the oft-quoted bikini chart. These numbers document something that has already happened. It’s all verifiable fact. It’s all recorded history. It shows that, during the time of the previous Republican Option, the country underwent a steady eight-year downward slide into ruin and collapse, the worst financial catastrophe since 1929.
The same bikini chart shows a steady growth under the present Democratic Option. Clearly, a catastrophe was averted, and a recovery was begun. It’s a verifiable historical fact. The numbers confirm it. The wild predictions of doom and destruction that were made by proponents of the Republican Option have proven to be false and woefully inaccurate. Recall if you will, the imagined consequences we would all suffer if General Motors where to be saved. “Let it collapse,” cried the proponents of the Republican Option.
Remember, their objection to the plan was that it was a socialistic power play on the part of an oppressive and untrustworthy government, and would lead to rampant socialism. It was not, and it has not.
Looking back, we can see how foolish and partisan those objections were. Events have shown that the Democratic Option did what was right for the country. Saving GM was the correct decision, and it did not lead to a socialist takeover of the auto industry, as the Republican Option predicted. It saved jobs. The same objections were raised with the financial bailout, and those fears have also proven to be totally unfounded. The Republican Option promises to return us to the failed policies that put us on that downward slide in the first place.
The Republican Option will hand the country over to the people who finance and promote the Teabaggers, Birthers, Death Panelists, people who wear guns in public places, militias, and people who can’t spell the words on their own signs. Big corporations and their lobbyists created these movements. They also wrote the legislation that brought about the great collapse of 2008. Behold the Republican Option.
The present Democratic Option has reversed the downward economic slide. The markets have recovered, total collapse was prevented, and we are experiencing a return to order and progress.
Let’s think about the options. Let’s use the logical side of our brain. The Democratic Option encourages rational thinking, whereas the Republican Option does not. The Republican Option demands a strict adherence to a party line, one that places Party agenda above the constitution, and flies in the face of common sense. Failure to hew to the party line results in ostracism and expulsion from the party. It’s the party’s way or the highway. It’s been that way since the days of Tom ‘The Hammer’ DeLay. That’s what we get if we choose the Republican Option.
The Republican Option promises everything to the top 3% of the country, and as little as possible to the other 97%. The Democratic Option, on the other hand, addresses the needs of 100% of the country. If you are not part of the top 3%, and if you live on a strict budget, you would definitely be better off with the Democratic Option. I know I would. Think about it.