It is the fifth of July in the United States… the day after “Independence day” and we should remember… what? That not everyone was independent when the declaration was conceived? That independence brought more problems than solutions? That the war raged on for some time after we said, “Yep… Step off George. We’ll take it from here.” ? What should we keep in mind the day after Independence Day? I think we should think about or current system of government and how representative democracy has been corrupted and how maybe we need to re-think and state aloud in plain English what it is we actually believe. I know, cheery thought after a night spent with hotdogs, apple pie, and bombs bursting in air.
My political views don’t really align with a specific party. I wrote down all of the things I actually believe and I plugged it all into an AI model to see which parties I align with out of curiosity. I’m all over the place. Primarily, I identify with people like Eisenhower on defense, Roosevelt minus the global war stuff, Bernie but with less economic radicalism, and… I shudder to think, Gabbard on military restraint in favor of diplomacy. How’s that for a spread?! It truly sucks that there’s not a moderate-progressive, home-first, diplomatically realist, socially compassionate, and environmentally responsible party. If it existed, it would be something like the Common Good Party… all policies tailored to best impact the entire “community”.
So, what is it I believe that so confounds our political machinery?
Home focused domestic policy – Basically an order of importance placed on food (sustainable farming and protecting farmers), medical care (physical and mental for everyone who needs it), education (so we know how to farm and do medicine), and housing for veterans and the vulnerable. This is, a mix of progressive, centrist, and populist ideas. Protect and provide for the wellbeing of our people. Seems like a no-brainer.
Energy – Sustainable, cost-effective, and protective of the environment because without it… we can’t live here anymore. That would render the first policy moot. We have to power the community in a way that doesn’t destroy it. Very “Green Party” ideas, but good ideas.
Defense – Strong but restrained military, focused on defense and aid, not global policing. We are not the world police, and we should keep our hands to ourselves. We should not be bullies and we have been in the previous decades. We shouldn’t be allied with bullies and we should be able to call out our allies when they’re being bullies. It’s giving “Eisenhower Republican”. Don’t get me wrong… we have a bloated military that does not do nearly enough pro provide for the retired service people we have.
Social Programs – Safety nets that are practical and compassionate. I count this with health.. we need to provide for the wellbeing of our community, our children, our service people, and so on. I won’t bring a specific religion into this, but many of them say you should take care of those who can’t take care of themselves. Do that.
Foreign Policy – Friendship based on mutual interest and peacekeeping, not domination; diplomacy first, strength when needed. This is some Centrist Democrat and Old-School Republican with humanitarian undertones. I go back to my previous point about bullies. We should help our allies defend against bullies, but not support them when they’re being bullies. We should also be self sufficient enough not to depend on those allies. Mom always said, “Never rent an apartment you can’t afford on your own” and that truism can be applied to every aspect of life and even politics.
The checks and balances we have in place are good but representation is bad. Our politicians are career politicians who buy and sell stock based on insider information and who live in the pockets of the lobbyists. Hell, some of our politicians were lobbyists! Only term limits, harsh punishments for insider trading, and age restrictions on politicians would clear out the old and bring in the new. Use sites like OpenSecrets.org or GovTrack.us to see what your politicians are up to. We need more transparency and we need an easier way to remove those who are not doing what we want them to do. These days, most politicians represent corporations or their own bottom line.
I may be railing against late stage capitalism. It’s in its death throws and that makes me uncomfortable. It is good, though, from time to time to take stock in your own political views and see where you fall on the spectrum. Where do you fall?
“Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly, and applying the wrong remedies.”
— Groucho Marx