Politics... Who Do We Support?

I think I have had enough of politics. As I listen to Democrats tell me that Republicans are liars and to Republicans tell me that Democrats are liars, I really have reached a point of not believing any of them about anything. I'll be you are in the same boat, so... what do we do? How do we wade through all the muck, I love that word, and figure out who is the lesser of two evils? Well, here is my take for all its worth which isn't much.

I am firmly planted in the middle class so when I vote I vote with a mindset of who is least likely to mess with my bottom line. Democrats clearly believe that government is the best mechanism in today's world to protect all of us. I do not think any Democrat would disagree with that statement. The Republicans are for the wealthy and for those in the upper middle class and above. They believe in less government and more power for the people, specifically people in the upper middle class and above. They too would not disagree with that. So, which one is best for me?

Here is my take on both. First, I am not a big fan of more government because government has to be run by... people. As much as Democrats say they are for the people and not for big business and the wealthy, they can not deny this: they are for big government. I am not convinced big government is any better than big business. As a matter of fact, I think big government is far worse. Why? Government can not, despite the claims of many, even the playing field. Government can not re-distribute wealth and can not right the wrongs of the oppressed for one simple reason... government is not God. As soon as you level the playing field for one group you have made it uneven for another. Government is not the solution and has never been the solution. The Greeks, the Romans, the French and the list goes on of the many who have discovered absolute government corrupts absolutely because man can not handle absolute authority.

Stop for a moment and try and think about your life over the last ten years and answer this question as honestly as you can: who has caused more harm in our country, big business or big government? Now, before you think I am letting the Republicans off the hook, let me say a word about them. I see them in the same light as Democrats. They have been for big business and the wealthy and have compromised their principals in more ways than the Democrats. Most are not conservative even though they claim to be, and most are also for more government because it gives them more power. So, as a middle class member who should I support?

Well, here is how I look at it. If I have to support one it will be the one who understands that the real checks and balances come from pure competition. Currently, the United States has a national debt of 8.68 trillion. In the U.S., this is 60.8 percent of the American GDP. The gross domestic product of a country is the market value of all of the products and services that a country produces in one year. This includes spending that is done by the citizens of the country and by the government of that country. It includes the value of items produced within the county and exported elsewhere, but it does not include the value of any imported items. I worry when a capitalist democratic economy built on the checks and balances of competition has one entity, the government, occupying over 60% of the GDP. A further complication to this delicate equation is this: the government is not subject to the checks and balances of all other entities in a free market economy because the government is that entity which governs the rules and laws that oversee that free market.

So, who will I support if both Democrats and Republicans are corrupt? I have to support those who support smaller government for our future. I do not believe more government is the answer for one simple reason... the nature of man. Scripture is fairly clear about mankind, Romans 3:23 states that "all are sinful and fall short of the glory of God. Proverbs 14:12 and 16:25 warn us of the same issue, "there is a way that seems right to man but in the end it is the way of death." History also paints a terrible picture of the consequences of absolute, all-consuming government.

In the end, those who are for smaller government and more competition must receive our support for they know the nature of man. How will you decide who to support? We can no longer vote the party line. We must be for those who understand man for all that he is outside of the Savior, and all that he can be walking with the Savior! Blessings!