As with all movements that get started, there is usually a seed of disappointment that nudges someone to look for alternatives. Looking for different solutions has been a characteristic of humans throughout history. Dissatisfaction with a condition sparks a change that usually leads to doing things differently and reaching different consequences.
During these conditions the American people seem to polarize themselves in such a way that leads to taking stands in opposition with each other. Groups in opposition begin to form and arguments ensue that sometimes births a movement that reaches out to people to join their respective cause. The most recent movement was the Tea Party Movement that seemingly was the antithesis to the liberalism that resided in the Democrat Party.
The country seemed to formulate a stand against the trend toward the growth of the Federal Government under the Democrat Party’s leadership in the White House and the Congress. Liberalism undergirded positions that led to creating the largest debt in the history of the United States. That was seen by the following actions from the Democrat government control:
• Taking over private industries from the private sector under the notion they “were too big to fail” and needed the support;
• Raising taxes to pay for social programs that depended on the federal government taking money from the so-called rich people to give it to those who were not rich;
• Further establishing so-called “bail-out” programs to give to banks to ensure that they did not fail;
• Growing the federal government to the extent that government job growth exceeded private sector job growth when unemployment hovered around 10% nationally;
• Establishing a nationalized health-care process that many believed mimicked European socialized medicine; and finally,
• The Democrat Administration and Congress allowing an earlier established federal tax reduction under the former Administration to expire at the end of 2010 thereby returning to a substantially higher tax rate for all Americans.
Part of the motivation for the movement that created the Tea Party was non-partisan behavior exhibited by the Democrats in passing legislation formed in closed-door fashion without the active involvement of Republican House and Senate members and without a single Senate Republican vote. The citizen outside the political fray began to feel isolated and unrepresented by their leaders. Consequently both Presidential and Congressional confidence from “We the People” plummeted.
Another contributing factor to the movement was created by the liberal media and political forces’ negative reactions to the conservative voices of the “Talk Radio” group like Rush Limbaugh, Glen Beck, and Sean Hannity. Likewise to the conservative television Fox Network that was charged with bias against progressive ideas and the Democrat’s leadership.
In a reaction mode the conservative voices began to blend in unison to counteract the liberal voices that continued to call for more spending, more takeover of private industry, more federal control of people’s lives, higher taxes and more distribution of wealth from the so-called “rich” to the “poor.” From that set of voices across the land the Tea Party Movement was born.
A time for listening
Perhaps now is a time for dialogue with listening. The mid-term elections are now over and there has been a slight shift in the balance of power in Washington, D.C. The Democrats are no longer in total control, the Republicans have achieved the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, and the American people are continuing to be polled by the pollsters who say the sentiments remain strong for a turn toward conservatism.
From an American citizen’s perspective I would like for the loud voices trying to speak over everyone else just to sit down and listen to sound rationale and logic as it is spoken from both sides. Rush, Glen and Sean speak rationally and cogently from the conservative side. We now need someone from the liberal or progressive side to enter the airwaves and speak rationally and cogently from the liberal side.
The American people would like to hear someone bring logic and reason to the table and state the advantages to our National Interests from both philosophical positions.
From the Liberal side of the issue the Democrats, or progressive persuasion of that Party, should rise up a spokesperson to articulately state in understandable terms the advantages of the liberal implementation of various policies. For example:
• Explain in a logical fashion the advantage to the American National Interest why it is a good thing to have the federal government assume control over private industry and fire the Chief Executive Officer of that company. It needs to be explained why America’s Capitalism with its free-market economy will survive if the federal government chooses what to nationalize, when to nationalize and the reasons for assuming control.
• It needs to be explained from the liberal perspective the advantages to our National Interest why there has to be a build-up of more massive governmental bureaucratic social systems to increase debt, redistribute wealth and grow government.
• It needs to be explained from the liberal perspective the advantages to our National Interest what a massive federal debt that goes beyond generations of resources will provide for us to make us more prosperous. In our individual families we have discovered that high debt tends to lead us to a point of losing everything through bankruptcy but never brings prosperity. How does a collection of individuals use that economic method and remain solvent over the long term?
• Lastly it needs to be explained from the liberal perspective the advantages to our National Interest how individualized medical care will be enhanced by the federal government taking individual choice away and replacing it with a decision-making board to decide all aspects in individualized health care.
I believe it would be beneficial if there could be a group of liberal, progressive spokespersons who would launch their own free-market, advertisement-based talk radio shows to articulately explain the practice of liberalism and how it would be an advantage to the National Interest of America and her individual citizens. Likewise it would be beneficial if the major networks would counter Fox News by rising up liberal voices to quietly, articulately, logically and thoughtfully espouse the liberal perspective to each of the conservative positions they believe come from Fox News.
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