As it happens, APM’s “Public Insight Network” is asking about the same bit fof the State of the Union that stuck in my craw the other night.
In his State of the Union Address to Congress, President Obama talked about what he called “the basic American promise” — that if people worked hard, they could afford a home, college for their kids and some savings for retirement.
Is that still YOUR expectation of America?
They’ve put it in the form of a survey question.
My answer went a little something like this: It’s one of the questions that defines the difference between conservatives and liberals.
In my world, America isn’t defined by our government or any material possessions or financial status symbols. It’s about opportunity and liberty; the opportunity to succeed by dint of my merits and talents (or fail through the lack of them).
My “expectation of America” is that the government that I elect will shut up and get out of the way and let private enterprise – me – take care of things.
That pretty much covers it!
“the basic American promise” is simply a twist on “The American Dream” to make it sound more like an expectation that everyone deserves rather than a goal. No one votes for the candidate that says they are going to take something from you. Everyone wants something whether it’s more benefits or more of there tax money back.
The Pill created the American Dream in post WW2. It made possible the two income household that fueled most everything. The things we bought with that extra income were homes, cars, education. The things the government provided were roads and schools and universities and perhaps the student loans to attend them. And security from enemies. Opportunity exists because we have a balance of liberty and responsibility that makes success possible. I wouldn’t trust private enterprise to take care of everything any more than I would trust the government to take care of everything.
Nicely put, Mitch. In the end, that is, or should be what defines America.
What? No light rail in that “promise”?
How about a “promise” of lower rate of citizenship renouncements? I thought if Boooosh was elected all the “intellectuals” were going to flee the country! I guess it took 0bumbler and his vision of “promises” to tip them over. But you won’t hear about that form MSM.
From the AllGov.com Web site: Rather than deal with the complexities of U.S. tax law, Americans living overseas are increasingly renouncing their citizenship in order to avoid paying their income taxes. “Increasingly” is an understatement. In Fiscal Year 2008, George W. Bush’s last year, 146 Americans renounced their citizenship to avoid paying U.S. taxes. In FY 2010, that number soared to 1,534, an increase of 950% – and no, that is not a misprint. 950%.
If America made a “promise” to me, it’s done a pretty bad job of keeping it. Why should I trust it with anything else?
Promises from our gubmint can only be broken.
Ask any native American about that…
As far as PIN, they can go take a flying leap. I’ve had my fill of their double speak and half hearted attempts to connect with conservatives and libertarians.
Not one of them took me up on my offer to go trap shooting (locally) or at least interview someone during pheasant hunting season last fall instead of interviewing another OWS fleabagger, so why on earth would I even consider filling out one of their silly surveys?!?!
Expect “more of the same” with the lame stream media.
Nowhere does President Obama or APM identify a source for the alleged promise. I can guess a “progressive” politician somewhere, sometime. Like the discomforting statistics that half of all students are below average, half of the workforce earns less than average, half of anything measurable is below average, the inconvenient truth is that not everyone can afford to own a home, send kids to college and save for retirement. In President Obama’s Utopian, re-distributive world, of course, those things are true, because those evil wealthy people should have to give away an even larger percentage of their income to the have nots. Maybe he’s a closet Ayn Rand fan and he wants more rich people to go Galt on him. I’m kidding.
First, it’s not a “promise”, it’s a bargain. “This for that”. Bargains take place between two or more entities, yet the usage is all messed up. “if people” is plural. “They could afford a home” is singular. Who writes this drivel?
Second, this is a repeat of the Liberal wish for a constitution that affords positive rights to government.
The only promise is a promise that you have the liberty to dream; whether that dream comes true is up to you and only you.
Another PIN question that wants your “gender” (WTF? Gender is a language term, not a biological term) and your ethnicity.
Time to give up on PIN, Mitch. It’s another progressive media organ that wants to coopt conservatives and define conservative thought within a liberal framework.
Also they can’t seem to use language properly. They make mistakes that would get your assignment red-penciled by a high school English teacher. Amateur hour.
They make mistakes that would get your assignment red-penciled by a high school English teacher. Amateur hour.
If prez can get away with a SOTU written at the 8th grade level, why can’t they?
My expectation of government is to build roads/infrastructure and maintain them (were doing a GREAT job of that in MN between the bridges) and have a police department, fire department, and a military to protect us here and overseas. Other than that I see no role for the government outside of taking care of the truly disabled and vets who sacrificed for our freedom and even then I have a feeling the economy and the people could do it if taxes were low enough. I guess I want the FDA to protect the food supply too, but somehow it seems like even we could take care of that now that we have a decent food supply.
Terry, don’t forget FDR wanted to put in a new “people’s bill of rights” otherwise known today as communism. When you are guarnteed the right to a job and house what incentive is there for you to produce or work hard at your job since by law you can’t lose either? Worked out great for the USSR.
Ben, don’t forget how well it’s working in China, too.
LOL, I just read the context of Obama’s words abut this “promise”. Apparently we have to reclaim the American dream from people like him — he calls for “an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules” when he’s done nothing but hand out favors to his political supporters since he got into office.
The most important foundational idea of this republic is that different individuals and groups of people have legitimate interests that contradict with one another. Who the Hell is Barack Hussein Obama to make a one-sided deal on my behalf? No promise of freedom of thought or freedom of action, just a “promise” that if I work hard (as he defines it) the government will reward me with a home (of his choosing), an education (that he will choose), and he’ll give me back some of the tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars I’ve been paying into my social security account, at a time of his choosing.
What a hoot!
“an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules”
um is it just me or could that easily be translated to “From each according to his ability to each according to his need”