Re: What is it with politicians named Rick??
The Democrats shout from the rooftops about freedom of speech, social equality, the end of bullying, etc. Google "Santorum" and check the first result to see just how much they value their own stance about social tolerance. But even if we were to take them at face value about the social issues, they are all about advancing government control over fiscal matters: regulation, increased government programs, punitive taxation, and the list goes on.
Democrats believe in strong personal freedoms and strong regulation of business. Those are too separate tenants and one cannot be applied to the other. Despite what the Supreme Court might say, corporations aren't people and should be held to a different standard.
I don't understand how Republicans can sit there screaming for less government oversight of corporations year after year despite literally centuries of historical evidence showing the abuses by corporations, either against their workers, the environment or our financial system itself. Corporations have one purpose, to make money, and if they have to buy and sell people, they will; they've done it before. The little consumer, worker and personal protections that we have in this country were not thrown up over night because of some Democrat overreaction. Each and every law was created and approved as a response to a particular problem our country faced, but as time goes on and the original problem slips from the public's eye, Republicans swoop in to remove the protections under some guise that it's no longer necessary. As if, it is impossible for that problem to occur again.
In the United States a slew of worker protections were started after the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in which 146 people died due the factory managers locking the exists so workers could not leave. As well, it caused unions to start up across the country as workers banded together to bring attention to working conditions and safety concerns, which beforehand would've meant you were just fired and replaced. Now a days, safety protections and unions are under a constant assault into nonexistence. When I point to examples such as this and the laws that were enacted to prevent it from happening again during discussions about government oversight to my more conservative friends they say, "Of course, those protections are needed.", but for every single regulatory law there is an equally heinous tragedy that caused its existence.
Next week . . . my rant on why goverment programs are good.
