Message of Hope Not Pessimism

This post is a response to the essay posted for roundtable discussion at the Democratic Strategist.

My first reaction to reading this essay was disgust. If Democrats don't counter the Republican generated and mass media spread message of good cheer, who will? I don't mean to sound like a grouch but who will talk about the disenfranchised, the disabled and the down and out if not the Democrats? Who will speak for those who lack the voices and checkbooks to make sure they are heard?

The answer, not surprisingly, is the same Democrats. The same policies that will benefit the poor, the sick and the down and out will benefit the middle class. The main thing that needs to change is what the candidates say about these policies. The same policies that will help the disadvantaged make it will also help the middle class get ahead.

One of the reasons why I consider myself to be a centrist Democrat is that I have no problem with a lot of people being richer than I am. I have a problem with people who use their wealth to hurt and hold down other people but there's nothing inherently wrong with having money. In fact, I would like to become a member of the middle class someday.

When I get there, something strange will happen. I'll dream of getting further ahead. At that point, I'll want a better idea of how to get there. What do we Democrats say to those people who want more? It seems that we don't say a whole lot other than "welcome to your new tax bracket."

I'm not attacking the idea of progressive taxation here. In all honesty, I believe that the needs of the desperate outweigh the needs of the mere dreamers. If I get to the point where I only want more instead of needing it, I hope I'll still believe the same things. After all, I believed them when all my needs were met by my middle class parents.

People who don't believe in putting the needs of the less fortunate first need to be told what most of us already know. Many benefits to the poor and sick will trickle up to the better off. For example, Social Security is designed to assure a minimum standard of living for those who are too old and/or sick to work. The Bush Administration has been attacking Social Security for some time as a bad deal for the middle class and above and we Democrats defend it as a good deal for the elderly, infirm and poor.

We should defend it as a great deal for the middle class aspiring for more. Why? Since the middle class is guaranteed a minimum standard of living later, they can accept more risk now. Instead of putting their savings into an account with a low guaranteed return, they can include stocks with no guarantee in their portfolio. Some will win and make more money but others will lose and the safety net called Social Security will catch them.

There are other benefits from Social Security for the middle class even before they get older. They know that their parents will have a guaranteed minimum standard of living. Before Social Security, it was common to have three or four generations of family living in one home. It still happens but it is more likely to be a choice now.

We centrist Democrats believe in you. We want you to reach for the stars and make it but we want government to be there to catch those that fall. Right now, too many people fall through the safety net and so it needs mending. There are pitfalls left uncovered because FDR's generation didn't know they would ever exist. It is our obligation to extend our nets to make those safer as well. We cannot guarantee that everyone will achieve their dreams but we can guarantee that everyone gets the chance to try.

What of those who claim not to believe in a safety net? What of those people who claim that they don't want any help even if they do fall. Not all of those people are hypocrites. In some sense, the impulse to make it on your own or fail is admirable but there are other things to consider. The safety net is part of the fabric of society. Without it, society may crumble.

Those who claim that they do not need government should consider the full implications of that idea. Government programs do not just benefit the poor. Without the stability of our government, your wealth and health would be in danger from all sides. Our government is responsible for law and order that goes far beyond law enforcement and the military.

What is a dollar worth on its own? I'd imagine it wouldn't be much. Dollars don't do anything. You can't eat them and they don't make very good fuel or mattress stuffing. Obviously, I'm getting at the point that our currency is worth what it is because it is backed by the stability of our government. This is why some conservatives want to go back to a currency backed by gold. Even then, the value of each gold backed dollar would be set by government.

That has nothing to do with the social safety net. It may or may not depending on how you look at it but the safety net limits desperation. In the days before modern government, desperate men banded together to rob travelers. It was unsafe to travel anywhere because these men were willing to risk death if caught because they were poor. Disease used to run rampant through cities because the poor lived in such squalor. Such conditions still exist in other countries and even a few places in the United States but our social safety net has eliminated most of it.

Suppose you are wealthy enough to stay at home having people travel to you. Suppose you are wealthy enough to pay a doctor by the hour to keep you healthy. Where did this doctor learn medicine? Who certified that he or she actually learned anything? Who paid for the technology that he or she used to treat you? Were you bled by the use of a leech so that your humours went into balance?

The fact of the matter is that we have it good here in the United States. The other fact is that we can get better. Any true patriot must understand both of these facts. You want to get rich and I want to get rich so I'll wish us both good luck. Let's get together and improve on what we have. Let's find a tax credit or some other subsidy for those struggling to care for parents or children. Let's extend the benefit of our health care system to every citizen in case that a citizen wants to venture out and start a business or falls ill and cannot work. It's time for us to realize that we are all in this together.