Why Politics gets in the way of Effective Government

For over 200 years the great nation of the United States of America has enjoyed a platform of government, comparable to none anywhere else in the world.  The initial tenants, formulated by our founding fathers, morphed into what we have today – essentially a two party system with the common objective of providing liberty and opportunity for its citizens.  This platform was designed to be guided by prudent and objective rules and regulations, devised and implemented by a governing body, elected by the citizens of the Republic.

The present two party system came into being following the end of the civil war which gave birth to what we now know as the Republican party.  Prior to that, the government was essentially run by “The Democrats” with some challenges from what was then called the Whig party.  The Democrat party, prior to the civil war, was essentially the government support mechanism for the landed aristocracy.  Following the civil war, the Republican party – initially motivated by the anti slavery movement, quickly adopted a conservative stance, forming the baseline for what we know and have today.

Conceptually, our country benefits from a strong two party system.   In macro form, each party purports the following  ideologies:

Republicans:

• Less emphasis on government control and regulation
• Greater support for Corporations, the wealthy, innovators and entrepreneurs.
• Increased incentives – lower taxes and other benefits for entrepreneurs and business enterprises.
• Align with and support of emotional issues – religion, controlled immigration, abortion, etc.

Democrats:

• A more dominant role for government in crafting social behavior
• Support to indigent groups and those not able to care for themselves
• Greater oversight of business activities to ensure safety and reduce abuse.
• A more equitable approach (between the have’s and the have not’s) to taxation.

Strangely enough, these 8 elements – and obviously there are more, represent a simple macro view and could work in tandem with each other were it not for the political forces that drive them.   The last 100 years of history have shown us that no one platform – Democrat or Republican, has the solution to the issues and the needs of our country.  Those solutions lie in a combined approach – a blending of both ideologies to craft a set of processes, programs and tools to build a strong economy and a strong country.

Consider the GOP platform – smaller government with less oversight.  This is a valuable construct; it sparks creativity and innovation, fosters business growth and brings a broad array of products to market.  However, if allowed to go too far, that creativity will ultimately explode into deception, corruption and fraudulent behavior which ultimately weighs heavily on consumers across the board.  There are numerous examples of this.  Even with oversight in place, corrupt entrepreneurs devise products and services for the sole purpose of making a quick profit at the expense of ignorant/unaware consumers.  Manufacturers cut corners in building products, service organizations pull back on maintenance and repairs and food service companies play fast and loose with products they serve to their customers.  Now, the GOP will argue that Laissez-faire will ultimately rectify these problems; consumers will eventually identify these “bad producers” and flush them out of the system.   Theoretically true but, in reality, that is a long process over which time the corrupt business enterprise would have made it’s money, closed its doors and moved on. But even worse, thousands of innocent people would have been harmed – lost of critical funds, re-occurring health issues and even death, all because unscrupulous business entrepreneurs were allowed to run free with no oversight regulation.  Examples of these abound.

On the other hand, the Democratic platform, in providing broader financial and social support for those who struggle, runs the risk that, if taken too far, it could foster a level of unproductive behavior among its citizens.  This is the resounding cry of the GOP, delivered with passion and a sense of panic that drives fear into conservatively inclined voters.   However, this is not nearly as bad as they make it out to be. The reality is that people who are internally driven to succeed, will not be content to sit around and receive government support.  If someone languishes on government subsidies in lieu of forging forward, it’s because he/she is simply not able – in short those who can, will.  

I am a firm believer in two things – a) the strength of looking at issues at a macro level; b) the power of regression analyses.  Let’s take a minute to review the last 110 years.

1. 1901 – 1909: President Theodore Roosevelt (GOP) BUT a strong Progressive advocate, pulled apart 40 monopolistic Corporations – Trust Busting, as he styled it.  Considered these organizations to be illegal and corrupt.  In retrospect, he was absolutely correct.  Teddy, although a Republican, supported the principles that espouse the Democrats – the same principles  that motivated his “namesake” 20 years later.
2. 1921 – 1929: Calvin Coolidge (GOP), billed out as the most active “Do Nothing” President, ever;  vowed not to upset the delicate balance between business and government.  Essentially, allowed free enterprise to be FREE.  He left office in 1929 and launched the decade of the Greatest Depression this country has ever known.
3. 1933 – 1945: Franklin D Roosevelt (Dem), spawned legislation and set in place policies and programs that launched the growth and prosperity for this country over the next 25 years.  Today, many of FDR’s programs still resonate strongly in our nation, providing the much needed safety nets that were non-existence prior to him taking office.
4. 1961 – 1967: the Kennedy/Johnson years (Dem) the most sweeping legislation presented and passed to launch racial equality in our nation.
5. 1968 – 1975: Richard Nixon (GOP), Watergate.
6. 1976 – 1980: Jimmy Carter (Dem), recognized the value and benefits of renewable energy.  Set in place a platform to reduce dependency on foreign oil – fuel efficiency standards for Detroit, research and development for solar and wind energy.  However, Carter was not a politician and he failed in his efforts to be effective in Washington.
7. 1981 – 1992: The Reagan/Bush years (GOP), total abandoning of all fuel efficiency standards; complete dismantling of the renewable energy platform.  Laid the foundation for the decline of unions and the Middle Class.  Launched the tax reform acts of 1985 and 1987.  Host of Black Friday – the third worst economic collapse of the nation.
8. 1993 – 2000: Bill Clinton (Dem), clearly a period of growth and expansion, albeit not entirely of his own doing.  Ended his terms with a budget surplus and a national debt lower than it had ever been in the past.
9. 2001 – 2008: George W. Bush: (GOP) deemed to be the worse President of the century.  Started with a budget surplus, ended with a deficit, an exploding national debt, pull thru spending from 2 wars, aggressive tax cuts for the wealthy, a collapsed real estate and financial markets due to relaxed regulations. Owner of  the second worse Financial collapse in the last 110 years..

The question that springs from this synoptic analysis, is what exactly has the GOP contributed to this nation over the past 110 years.  Well, let’s see:

• The initiators and stewards  of 4 wars (Korea, Iraq 1 & 2 and Afghanistan)
• Creators and owners of all 3 major financial collapses this country has experienced in 110 years.
•  Initiated policies that created growth in the country’s poverty rate and a widened disparity in wealth and revenue among citizens.
•  Less than adequate attention to environmental issues – a) dependency on fossil fuels as our primary energy source; b) minimal attention to the aspects/impact of global warming; c) a retrogressive approach to the country’s social issues.
•  Under Reagan, they did create a platform for innovation, creativity and development which ultimately launched an explosion of new ideas, extraordinary product and service development and a national wealth, beyond expectations.  This should not be discounted, however, as the nation exploded in wealth, the concentration of this wealth skewed unfairly to one side – even those who were responsible for making the products that drove this explosion, were excluded from sharing in benefits.

The Democrats owned the Vietnam conflict, albeit that the first steps were initiated during the Eisenhower administration. However, over the 110 year period, Democratic Administrations initiated a wide range of regulatory standards, designed to balance and provide oversight.  They advocated the formation and growth of labor unions and created a range of social programs, including a platform for racial equality.  These programs and initiatives have served the country well, however, the continual push back and reversal tactics of the GOP have created a growing gap among the citizens of our Nation.  This has never been more visible as it is today – within the past 5 years of the Obama Administration.

The results are undeniable.  Over the past 30 + years, the wealthy have become even wealthier – the top 5% now own 70% of the nation’s equity; up from 49% in 1980 (beginning of the Reagan era).  Revenues for the rich have increased by more than 400% over the same period, even as the middle and lower echelons of our society have experienced minimal or no growth in income.

Currently our nation is shackled to the most mean spirited and divisive rhetoric never before experienced – not even Abe Lincoln, in abolishing slavery, was faced with such vileness.  Many would argue that Barrack Obama – the country’s first black President, is the catalyst that launched this outburst.  Others look for reasons in other arenas.  However, it matters not.  In six years the Right has systemically roadblocked the Administration on just about every issue raised.  They have used sound bites and Spin to distort every event and  disrespected the Office of the Presidency – POTUS, in an attempt to discredit the sitting president.  And the word compromise is all but absent. Without a collaborative approach to the nation’s issues – of which there are so many, we will continue to stagnate in this political quagmire.  Nothing gets done, even as the anger among citizens continue to grow and the divisive behavior spreads.  Wake up America, it’s time to get our country back on track.