… the Affordable Care Act now enjoys majority support in every age group but one: seniors, who already have government-provided health care and seem to be terrified that more medicine for younger people will leave less for them. Opposition to “big government”? Not so much.
But of course that’s always true. Voters who complain about wasteful government spending almost always mean government spending on someone else.
koreyel says
The "me-first" gene is the hardest one to suppress….
But suppression is the path every saint must walk.
And of course, that's why saints are so few and so celebrated.
In his first inaugural address Abe appealed to our "better angels."
600,000 plus deaths later, the war over, a small actor put a bullet in his brain.
Might one dare to argue that appealing to our better sides does not work?
The "me-first" gene isn't easily silenced.
Which brings me to my point: I'm a "me-first" Democrat.
I know, you never heard of such a creature. We are the party of "en-masse."
But the idea is simple: encourage the poor and the middle class and the ecologists to be outrageously selfish.
Consider the flip-side: Someone is paying all those lobbyists to selfishly serve their "better interests."
Which is also to say, in this country, class warfare is fought from the top down without so much as a media mewl.
While the poor and the middle are as mum as a vase of old mums…
How different our world be if you could convince them to express their selfishness?
Ah, I see the paradox here…
To convince the needful to be selfish one must convince them to unite selflessly.
A field of mums wavering and dancing in the wind…
That's hard to do.
Whereas the rich merely purchase their selfish congressional allegiance.
That's easily and often done….
Brett Bellmore says
"Voters who complain about wasteful government spending almost always mean government spending on someone else."
Whereas support for government spending is almost always predicated on the belief that it's going to be PAID FOR by somebody else…
Henry says
Actually, Brett, most liberals who favor social programs recognize that taxes must be raised to pay for them. It is those who support fighting wars who tend to want to reduce taxes.
Curmudgeon says
This is why progressive opposition to the deficit "cat food for old people" commission is misplaced. The over 65s fought tooth and nail to prevent people of working age from getting access to health care. In return, we should be gutting medicare and social security to punish the elderly for their selfishness.
Max Bialystok says
In return, we should be gutting medicare and social security to punish the elderly for their selfishness.
Even we progressives won't be under 65 forever.
Henry says
Let's compromise. Gut medicare and social security only for the elderly who oppose the Affordable Care Act.
Anderson says
I think the 65+ crowd just believe EVERYTHING Obama does is evil, and hence must be opposed.
Joe S. says
Sorry Brett. This flaming liberal reflexively votes for any politician who promises to raise his taxes. There are a lot of us flaming liberals who do. I don't think you should judge others by your own standards.
Of course, that means I get to cast few reflexive votes, although I'm happy to say that my income is high enough so that my vote for the Great Kenyan Satan was one of them.
Brett Bellmore says
"Sorry Brett. This flaming liberal reflexively votes for any politician who promises to raise his taxes."
With the understanding that they have to be 'progressive' taxes, meaning that no matter how high they go, you won't be paying anything like your share of them.
Mark Kleiman says
Brett, I'd like to introduce you to my good friends Warren Buffett and Bill Gates, Sr. (Except that I've never met either of them.) Oh, yeah: they're just rich, out-of-touch elitists. Most liberals support either a carbon tax or cap-and-trade, which fiscally are pretty much like a VAT: taxation proportional to income. Most of us vote for better local schools, which means higher property taxes. It's just nonsense to say that people who want better government aren't willing to pay for it.
Please review the ground rules posted as a banner-line under the title of this blog before posting again.
Thomas says
If only the poll question were a good one. It isn't. Asking if the passage of a bill was a "good thing" or not is just a stupid question to ask. As this poll demonstrates. Gallup–the same polling outfit–out polling a different sample at the same time found that 50% of Americans would favor legislative efforts to repeal much or all of the bill.
Mark, a VAT isn't taxation proportional to income, but to consumption.
A renter and state employee who proudly votes for higher taxes on income and property isn't what I'd call selfless, but apparently saying more than that isn't permissible around here.
Suzii says
Hey, that reminds me — Mark, we were just wondering if you're still renting or if the market has gotten back to the place where it makes sense for you to buy another housing unit.