Weekly Podium - "Grudging Acceptance"

(Cross-posted at The New Dominion)

We live in a capitalist democracy. We have had a basic system in place for hundreds of years. It has worked thus far, and should continue to work, as all we have done is tinker with the system...but, generally speaking, we still operate under the same constitution as was drafted in 1787. Our nation has a great standard of living, good life expectancy, and a reasonable amount of other aspects about our society to remain optimistic about our future.

So why do so many people want to change things so drastically?

Simply put, our nation is not perfect. Never has been, never will be. Perfection is impossible for a nation of 300 million people to create. However, I tend to believe that with our flaws, we are still as excellent a nation as ever in today's global society. While different countries may rank higher than us in certain individual areas, the United States as a whole is as good as it gets.

One of those things that makes our nation so strong is the balance of power within our government, and not just through the 3 branches of government, but through the representation of the two major ideological wings of political thought. Modern American liberalism and conservatism are designed, in a sense, to keep each other in balance.

How is this so? Well, let's compare the two sides on social and economical issues. For the sake of simplifying the comparison, I'm leaving out libertarians, populists, communists, fascists. Libertarians may be the rising 3rd party, but right now we're still in a predominantly two-party system. For all intents and purposes, Democrats represent the centrist-left and liberal wing, while the Republicans represent the centrist-right and conservative wing.

Democrats have, traditionally-speaking, done well with voters who are in favor of the proliferation of social issues. Pro-abortion rights, pro-gay marriage, pro-welfare expansion, etc..., these have always been part of the modern liberal agenda. There is a belief by liberals that the government is partially responsible for providing direct benefits and assistance to those below the poverty level and in the working classes in order to give the lower classes a "fair chance".

At the same time, they take a bit of a "hands-off" approach to censorship of the arts, which appeals to the elite classes of Hollywood, the music industry, and the art world. Higher taxes are seen as a necessary evil, and that tax money that goes towards helping promote social programs is seen as "the more fortunate taking care of the less fortunate". Businesses tend to be regulated more in Democrat-controlled governments to promote fair practices and competition.

Republicans, on the other hand, generally believe that the economy prospers when the markets are free and open, and businesses are allowed more "free range" to operate. Lower taxes mean more money in the pocket of the consumers and the businesses, which allows them to spend more, which allows the prospering of businesses. The prospering of business, in turn, leads to growth of these businesses and more jobs. With the proliferation of jobs, the opportunity for the working class to move to better-paying jobs with more benefits is greater.

As for social issues, Republicans have only recently (since the late-80's/early-90's) moved towards taking stronger stances on issues such as abortion and gay marriage, both of which many conservatives oppose on moral grounds.

Now, of course, this is a very generalized, "in a nutshell" comparison, and I could go into much greater detail, but that would require much more time and space. I am inclined to believe that the majority of Americans are moderates that lean one way or another. While the constant debates, dissent, and political bantering that goes on between the parties can be very tiring, it helps keeps things in balance.

Yes, there needs to be assistance for the poor, the unemployed, and those who suffer from events beyond their control. However, you can't simply dole out welfare checks...nor can you ignore the immediate needs of these people while focusing on eventual solutions such as job growth.

Businesses should be allowed to grow and prosper with opportunities provided for smaller businesses to compete on the open market. Regulations on product quality and certain business practices are important, as well.

Even the accusations of media bias somewhat balances itself out. Liberals have a greater influence in the newspapers and on television news. Conservatives have a greater influence through talk radio and Fox News. This is one of the reasons why I'm not in favor of the so-called "fairness doctrine", it's already pretty well divided so that both ideologies have their own outlets within the media.

This is why, when I hear cries of "conservatism is dead" from liberals or declarations of a permanent majority from conservatives, I begin to wonder if anyone has really been paying attention to how our nation works. The mood of the American populous may sway from right to left and back again as time passes, but it never goes so far as to force one of the two major ideologies into extinction.

I make it pretty obvious that I generally support conservative-leaning viewpoints and ideology, and I personally believe that our country functions best when leaning conservative. However, despite my general disagreement with the current liberal agenda, I do know that Democrats do have a place in our political sphere. I cannot, in good faith, declare that modern liberalism should rot and die and is an evil on par with Satan.

There are those on both sides, however, that disagree with me, and believe that those with opposing viewpoints are either ignorant, evil, or just plain un-American. While they are entitled to this opinion, I can't say I share the same viewpoint. Although I think most Democratic viewpoints are not the right solutions to keep America a prosperous nation, that doesn't mean they are evil.

Conservatives and liberals may not like each other, and I don't suspect that they really will at any time soon. However, if we're ever going to tone down the potency of the sheer venom-spitting going on between the pundits on both sides of the aisle, we all need to learn to grudgingly accept the other side's existence.