This strikes me as being totally upside down.
On the one hand, we have the Democrats in Louisiana (in the form of Nagin and Blanco) pressing for local control over the rebuilding contracts and visions of the future. Nagin, in particular, has been interesting me by calling for a return of business and free enterprise (tax breaks and business economic zones) as key to the recovery of the Big Easy’s economic base.
To me, these concepts would normally fall under the headings of Federalism (local authority, lowest level of government in control), and Republican economics.
On the other hand, we have George Bush – ostensibly a Republican, who is furiously expanding the role of the federal government to fund not only the relief and rebuilding, but also to simultaneously attack the root causes of chronic poverty.
I would normally have classed these concepts as Democrat (more government involvement and spending) and Socialist (equalizing opportunities and approaching the class/poverty issues as a government responsibility).
Fascinating. Maybe it’s just my imagination, but that clear red/blue separation appears a bit blurry…
When Up is Down (or Red is Blue…)
Leave a Reply
Read Next
A reader sent an interesting email today. I’ve been turning the ramifications of it over in my mind, now, for hours – and I’m still totally discombobulated. Y’all are just gonna have to help me figure this one out. “Can …
When I was growing up, my father and I played a game in which there was always another possibility. Simple things like whether or not we should go to the store sometimes led to ridiculous alternatives (stand on our heads …
Thank you, comments! Gotta wonder why they’re paying salaries to the people in the LRC. I absolutely KNOW I told him where I was gonna put that information. (BTW – Him = “Reggie”) So – yes, the last paragraph on …
One of the charges often made these days is that the American dream is lost — that unlike generations that have come before us, we and/or our children will not see an increase in the standard of living or quality …
I am afraid that George W. Bush, while a Republican, is not a conservative, at least not in the traditional sense.
I generally consider myself a small government, semi-libertarian
conservative federalist. Those leanings were reinforced by the recent furor over the FEMA response to Katrina. (Isn’t it interesting tha much of the immediate relief work was done by church and community groups, DESPITE the government’s efforts?).
I would, for instance, reduce FEMA to a planning and support arm, and reintroduce the old Civil Defense system which placed most of the responsibility in local organizations to respond to disasters. The Civil Defense system was much more accountable than the mess we have now, and most of the workers were local volunteers who knew the lay of the land and could get help to the needy FAST.
Unfortunately, my beliefs mean that I don’t have much choice when federal election day comes around. Both the Dems and Repubs seem to have decided that big government is the answer. The only questions is who gets the pork?
God bless,
Lee