The Impossible Dream
It has been suggested by conservatives that a robust welfare system is detrimental to America because if welfare becomes something that people can live on, people have little incentive to try to get off it.
Strong unions have been opposed for similar reasons. In both cases the argument is that harsh conditions encourage people to work to avoid those conditions, and that it this work ethic that accounts for America's previous greatness.
The existence of unions is troubling for those who subscribe to the Horatio Alger American Dream, where anyone can become rich and successful simply by working hard and playing by the rules. If unions are necessary it implies that a person can work hard and still expect to live his or her whole life on the lower rungs of the ladder. It is this challenge to the idealized conception of America that those on the right cannot stand, and why they reject the idea that there is a need for unions.
Ultimately, what these typically wealthy conservatives would prefer is for millions of Americans to suffer a meager, poverty-stricken existence, so that a handful can find the strength to fight their way out. This apparently makes America better and stronger.
Who are they to decide this for everyone else? The government exists, among other things, to 'promote the general welfare', and I always took this to mean that a concern for the quality of life of all Americans should run through all the actions of the federal government.
The ideological conservatism that has taken hold in America has made it paramount, not to make the lives of all Americans visibly and tangibly better, but to make the country conform to a mental picture held by a handful of wealthy Republicans. Coincidentally, this idealized America also involves low taxes for these people.
Strong unions have been opposed for similar reasons. In both cases the argument is that harsh conditions encourage people to work to avoid those conditions, and that it this work ethic that accounts for America's previous greatness.
The existence of unions is troubling for those who subscribe to the Horatio Alger American Dream, where anyone can become rich and successful simply by working hard and playing by the rules. If unions are necessary it implies that a person can work hard and still expect to live his or her whole life on the lower rungs of the ladder. It is this challenge to the idealized conception of America that those on the right cannot stand, and why they reject the idea that there is a need for unions.
Ultimately, what these typically wealthy conservatives would prefer is for millions of Americans to suffer a meager, poverty-stricken existence, so that a handful can find the strength to fight their way out. This apparently makes America better and stronger.
Who are they to decide this for everyone else? The government exists, among other things, to 'promote the general welfare', and I always took this to mean that a concern for the quality of life of all Americans should run through all the actions of the federal government.
The ideological conservatism that has taken hold in America has made it paramount, not to make the lives of all Americans visibly and tangibly better, but to make the country conform to a mental picture held by a handful of wealthy Republicans. Coincidentally, this idealized America also involves low taxes for these people.
posted by Sparx at 09:00
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