Why Do Conservatives Say “We Hate Government?

I have heard this ‘we hate government’ from the political right and one time when Rush Limbaugh criticized what he considered to be ‘group think’ by African Americans. He accused us as a group of ‘loving government’. Of course, I love order and parity, who wouldn’t?

Are these people mad? Even the strict interpreters of the Constitution have to acknowledge that a provision was made for the creation of a government for the young republic. How can anarchy be preferable to the orderly conduct of the people’s business? Do we not prefer that foundation for civilization as preferable to barbarism? If you say that you hate government is that not saying that you hate the rule of law and by extension, America itself? A function of Government is for people to live and interact without the threat of force or coercion. I have noted that:

1. Conservatives loathe the government regulatory and oversight role.

2. Conservatives seem to be unwilling to pay taxes, regardless of amount.

While the conservative celebrates ‘the individual”, we have to recognize that there are over 300 million individuals in America and it goes without saying that everybody cannot just do as they like. Is that an unreasonable assumption? Every sports contest between competing teams requires a referee. One team cannot just change the rules, the object of the game and obtain an outcome advantageous to itself by threatening to ‘knee cap’ team members of the opposing side. That sounds a lot more likeDodge Cityor Deadwood thanAmerica. Is not a referee obligated to watch and call ‘foul’ when one side is cheating? You remove the referee and you have a brawl between opposing sides. The Rightwinger wants to be able to exploit the other side in extralegal, unethical ways and not be identified and held accountable to pay any penalty. What better way is there to do that then to dispense with the referee? Who is going to accept that? The conservatives say that regulation places undue burden on business and increases their costs. They say that the “invisible hand” of the free market will make corrections to all imbalances. Well, the American consumer has been slapped by this invisible hand. Often times pummeled when the ‘hand’ goes for its brass knuckles. Capitalism has a foundation of human greed and selfishness, much of that is necessary to prod initiative and risk taking which is a positive thing. When it gets out of hand and threatens mutual interest of citizens with abuse outside of the purview of the profit motive that is where the referee steps in. The Rightwinger would love to create an environment where those with the most guns or most money are free to impose their will on everybody else, removing your right to any recourse or even to have your grievances heard. Sounds like something right off aHollywoodmovie set, Liberty Valence intimidates an entire town because he is the “fastest gun”.

Who is going to cry foul when?

An industrial firm pollutes the river rather than clean up its effluent as a way of cutting costs?

Short cuts are taken by airlines in aircraft maintenance by outsourcing to firms having mechanics with questionable credentials. How does that adversely affect being able to fly and arrive at your destination in one piece? Are planes falling out of the sky on a daily basis? No, but this is just one concession and compromise on a slippery slope that could prove dangerous for the flying public.

The financial markets are so corrupt that they take your mothers lifetime nest egg and squander it all inLas Vegaskinds of investments, in the wink of an eye. For these gluttons, that lifetime of savings is no more than a toothpick with which to clean their teeth. What about insider trading and the other vast examples unethical behavior that they want to shroud from the public view? This run away train is in my opinion the catalyst for the meltdown of 2008, which we are still reeling from today. These markets are determined not to be placed in a position of accepting more oversight of its activities, so how many other ‘Madoffs are still operating and making off with the hard earned savings of the unsuspecting? When the money changers and corporations complain, we must say ‘too bad’. It is the price of doing business within a society that has rules as to how the game is to be played.

My progressive inner voice tells me that no man is above the law and that there can be no man that cannot be held accountable for his behavior. That goes for the women, too. It is difficult to make those calls without anyone being assigned as a referee, but for the Rightwinger, this is all chocolate custard.

Truly, the only difference between an employee and a slave is a referee. So, I don’t have to tell you how the ‘right’ feels about employee unions. Nothing less than your total capitulation and unconditional surrender is acceptable to them. This is dangerous as they and their ideology must be treated as ‘dead on arrival’ by educated citizenry.

Yes, Virginia, Government costs money

We all have an aversion to taxes, but reading the conservative blogs, I get the distinct impression that they believe that they should not pay any taxes and that taxes are, rather then being a natural component of government, an imposition.

When I listen to the anencephlatic bimbo, Ann Coulter, the other day say that Public School teachers were leaches on the tax payer; I lost all of my ‘cookies’. Who does she think she is, better yet, who do these ‘people’ think they are? I suppose that the labor of these teachers is to be provided by them at no cost? This person, Ann Coulter, who it is obvious that I strongly dislike, is just throwing verbal bombs as the ‘high steppin’ strumpet that she is.

There is an abiding principle that everybody needs to pay their fair share. I am not saying that there is not waste in government use of our tax money, far from it. I am saying that you cannot “throw the baby out with the bath water”. I have to listen to Thurston Howell III complain about the tax rates on upper income earners, which have been the lowest in decades, as still too much. I have to offer cheese with the whine of those corporate entities, 66% of which pay no income tax because of endless deductions complain about taxes sapping their competitiveness. I just tend to think that they do not want to pay their fair share for services for which we all benefit.

I take so much for granted, I can go to a grocery market and pick up products that I can be reasonably confident won’t poison me. I can take solace in the fact that I can have a drink of water without picking up any number of waterborne diseases. How many alphabets can you find in your soup, EPA, USDA, FDA? Who are these public servants that work quietly on my behalf everyday? After all, I am fresh out of Geiger counters and portable bio-chemistry labs.

Who is it that makes sure that my flight from one destination to another remains safe, not just in screening passengers, but in the mechanical soundness of the aircraft? Who maintains the stop lights that operate without incidents, hundreds of times a day?

Without Underwriters Laboratories, I could never be confident that the electric appliance that I recently purchased would not electrocute me in its use.

At one time it was said that Thomas Jefferson was so well versed that he had a total understanding of the knowledge available in the world at that time. Who can say that today? Most of us are neither qualified nor have the time to be experts in so many disciplines which intersect with our lives daily. So there is your need for a referee. The Rightwinger is more than willing to take advantage of your lack of knowledge to pull ‘a slight of hand’. They also seek the ability to do this while not being held accountable in anyway.

I could go on forever with this, but you get the general idea. The job I once had involved keeping the private sector from overpricing in negotiated government contracts that would have to be paid by the taxpayer. I visited Kellogg’s ofBattle Creekone time; did you know that there are standards as to how much superfluous material is allowed in your corn flakes? We all open that box of corn flakes and expect to find only the flakes and the toy inserts, you don’t expect to find rat hair and droppings, now do you? Kellogg’s, in order to remain commercially competitive, would make certain that material discernable to the naked eye is screened. But, what about the materials that you cannot see, we all know that what you can’t see can hurt you. It goes without saying that the more screening for these materials that you are required to do, the greater the cost. The Government provides a minimum standard that may well exceed the exclusion of material that can be identified with the naked eye. This standard is universally applied across the industry, so that General Mills does not get a competitive advantage because Kellogg’s is in compliance. There is your referee doing the job we intended him to do.

As to the areas where each of us stares at each other over the ideological divide, we can argue indefinitely. The Rightwinger has problems with Social Security and related programs, while I have problems with the extent of our military, its strategy and associated costs. This includes some of the problems that Secretary Gates touched so well in his address to NATO last week. I complain about tax subsidies to major industries, when the advantage of providing such is not so apparent.

This is my opinion of why conservatives hate government, thanks for your attention.