This is one of those threads that will hopefully stir up some good debate. My argument is against conservatism and its “strict father morality”. Evidence supports the liberal worldview of empathy. For conservatives to be right, the following would have to be true:
That’s it for now. I know this is long but it could have been a lot longer. The main point is that conservatives take these 4 untruths, among many others, to be true. If they were true, I would support the “strict father morality” of conservatives that says “you get what you deserve” or “you sleep in the bed you make”. The reality is far more complex, however, and warrants having a healthy dose of empathy for others and trying to build a society that helps empower the less fortunate rather than saying “too bad, so sad…” It will be unfortunate if the coming elections this year and in 2012 go to the republicans.
- Peoples fortune or misfortune is due to their own actions – If this were entirely true, I would have no problem with the conservative world view. The reality is, however, that while talent and hard work are important factors, there are many additional factors. Many people are born into poverty and despite doing well in school are unable to afford college – at least not without taking out financially crippling loans. Not to mention, public education is not the great equalizer as schools in poor areas have less funding since funding is provided by local taxes. Conservatives are against the government spending money by offering poor students low interest government loans. The argument, as always, is the slippery slope fallacy – that government intervention leads us down the slippery slope to socialism and trains people at a young age to be dependent on the government and not on themselves. This makes no sense as most middle and upper class families, even conservatives, are happy to put their own children through school (often with NO expected repay) and we have yet to develop an epidemic of adult children dependent on their parents. Finally, as adults, there are many factors beyond talent and effort that influence ones earnings – physical attractiveness, height, weight, sex, and just plain luck – right place, right time, etc. Also in today’s world of outsourcing, automation, and other rapid changes in the world of work there are many threats to financial security that are totally beyond the control of individuals and that warrant having safety nets in place (see http://www.greatriskshift.com/).
- The “free market” is natural and fair – Free markets don’t just happen. Some form of government has to be in place to start the whole process. Still, conservatives can’t get past the idea that the income distribution that free markets produce is perfectly fair and just and is a reflection of each persons’ production and contribution to the economy. The reality is, however, that income is NOT correlated directly to production or the amount of value a worker adds to the economy. Income is correlated with supply and demand. There is always an oversupply of labor that leads to a “natural” unemployment rate of a few percent. The extra supply of people in the labor pool tends to be most concentrated in low paying jobs that require less training and education. The result is that people in these jobs have wages that reflect this labor oversupply so they get paid very little even though their production and contribution to the economy as a whole should warrant a higher pay – not the pay of a doctor or engineer but still higher than what they get. Think about it. We could not get by without janitors, store clerks, garbage men, etc. When conservatives complain that tax dollars are being “stolen” from the rich and “given” to the poor through income redistribution they are arguing from the perspective that the original distribution was the most fair and natural when in fact the evidence is to the contrary. Oversupply of labor in the unskilled job market drops wages below where they would be if they were based instead on how much the worker was producing. A system of progressive taxation seeks to correct this. I would even argue that a negative income tax would be the most fair way to compensate those in the lowest 20 -25 % so that they can receive a living wage for the work they do. To be clear again, these jobs should still be lower paying relative to higher skilled jobs – it just should not be as bad for these workers as it currently is.
- People respond rationally to incentives – This is a favorite. Conservatives believe this which is why they are against social programs such as universal health care and for things such as the death penalty. The reality is the human mind just doesn’t work this way all the time. People don’t do a cost/benefit analysis before they commit crimes – they either aren’t thinking at all or think they are going to get away with it which is why the death penalty doesn’t deter murder. Regarding healthcare, most people around the world seek to avoid getting sick or hurt not because it is costly, but because it is painful and unpleasant! This is the main deterrent. This is why the conservative argument that universal health insurance would deter people from taking care of themselves makes no sense.
- Regulation is too costly and interferes with the free market – Too costly? The cost of NOT regulating is even costlier as has been proved with the BP disaster and other similar cases. Yes, it interferes with the free market but this is necessary as the markets job is to make profit, not guarantee safely of employees and the public. There has to be a balance.
That’s it for now. I know this is long but it could have been a lot longer. The main point is that conservatives take these 4 untruths, among many others, to be true. If they were true, I would support the “strict father morality” of conservatives that says “you get what you deserve” or “you sleep in the bed you make”. The reality is far more complex, however, and warrants having a healthy dose of empathy for others and trying to build a society that helps empower the less fortunate rather than saying “too bad, so sad…” It will be unfortunate if the coming elections this year and in 2012 go to the republicans.