One of the big arguments that keeps coming up from those on the right, whether it is health care or education or infrastructure or stimulus or whatever other issue they are railing against is one that to me is eminently selfish:
"I don’t want to pay for someone else’s [operation, health care, etc."]
Well, excuse me, but I don’t recall having the option of not paying for the illegal and immoral invasion of Iraq, or the continuing occupation that was funneling hundreds of billions to Halliburton, Blackwater and other waste or fraud. I never got to reduce my federal income tax by the amount that I didn’t want going towards the ridiculous "investigation" by Kenneth Starr of a blowjob. And I certainly didn’t get to say "no fucking way" when it came to giving major tax loopholes to big oil, giveaways to big pharma or big insurance.
I wrote yesterday about how some people view America as theirs to take and take as much as they can for themselves, while others view America as a place where everyone should have a chance to succeed regardless of their luck. And in the comments section, there were a number of points raised about how church and charity, not the government, should be able to take care of that. And while a noble thought, I don’t agree with that at all because there is only so much help that a church or a charity can do for someone without a house or without a job or with an illness that requires many procedures or surgery.
A big misconception is that liberals (or progressives, whichever term you prefer) want more and bigger government. Not true – we want SMART government that will be there for those who need it – NOT for those who take advantage of it, regardless of whether the one taking advantage is rich or poor.
Unfortunately, there is no way to opt in or opt out of what your own tax dollars get to pay for. But for those who are selfish, we hear tangents and sidebar arguments about "why should I have to pay for an illegal immigrant’s education or healthcare" or that health care is not a right, or that investing in pre-k or urban areas or national service is something that is a waste of their money.
When the Iraq diversion invasion came along, the millions of people in the street protesting got no coverage or got mocking coverage, while these fake funded protests based on lies and selfish motives are treated as legitimate and "a groundswell".
The difference is that one side here is destructive and selfish, the other is constructive and will actually help this country and its citizens over the long term.