The 2012 Democratic National Convention held in Charlotte, N.C., centered on a theme of the Democratic Party as the last hope for the US economy and a struggling middle class. The slogans “change and “hope” have seemed to fallen out of style in favor of “middle class first.” Both parties have been caught up in a feud of negative campaign ads, but the GOP is guiltier of this dishonorable tactic.
The highlight of the convention was no doubt the speech given by former president Clinton. A fine orator, he is championed by the Democrats as the savior of the US economy in the ‘90’s. It is not surprising that Clinton did some bragging about just that. He mostly focused on the apparent greed of Romney and like-minded neo-cons who have overtaken the Republican Party’s agenda.
The Republicans have always favored business, but in the past few years this ideology has been taken to the extreme in favor of giving the ultra-rich loopholes for tax evasion. Undoubtedly, the Democratic Party has favored tax breaks for middle class Americans and government programs that help the poor and disadvantaged over those of the GOP. However, Obama’s latest slogan “middle class first” is a far cry from the reality of what Democratic doctrine really is.
The US left is perhaps a step in the right direction as far as tax breaks for the poor and middle class go, and in improving education and government programs, but most of its efforts in this regard are simply lip service. It seems to me that the Democrats aren’t really all left wing, but more in the center, and that the Republicans are so far to the right, they have convinced a great many people that the term “liberal” is akin to a curse word.
Both the Democrats and Republicans are sure to leave 90 percent of the population dissatisfied in the end. The Democrats favor big government with excessive and wasteful spending, and the Republicans are right behind them with a slightly different angle. Neither party talks about disbanding, or, at the very least, attempting to muzzle out of control bureaucracies such as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Drug Enforcement Agency, both of which operate more like mafia organizations than professional governmental institutions.
I know that I am not the only person who feels both parties are incapable of properly representing someone who loves true freedom.
As far as I can tell, the Democrats want more stringent regulations regarding gun rights. The Republicans want even fewer restrictions for corporate elites while not making any push to increase second amendment freedoms.
The Libertarians are on to something good, but we need a strong federal government that will not allow states to infringe on basic human rights.
I think many Americans have forgotten our history. We talk about freedom, and in many ways we are free, but we have a lot of work to do if we are to continue to make progress. There are a great many things that as a society we perceive as acceptable simply because the ugly truth is hard to deal with. The war on drugs has failed. The war on terror cannot be won. Perhaps instead of treating drug addicts and prostitutes like criminals, we ought to attempt to heal them. Perhaps terrorism on a large scale would simply vanish if we made more friends than enemies.
A just society comprised of educated citizens is the recipe for success. We need a party that will allow the states more flexibility while also empowering the rights of the individual through federal laws, instead of taking liberty away from its good citizens. If this complacency on the part of the American people continues, more basic freedoms are sure to be eroded along with our already weakened economy.
