So, why is the title of this blog "Yes You Can!" ? Well, it's an obvious ploy on Obama's "Yes We Can!" See, the Obama campaign is attempting to make its constituents feel empowered. It's telling them that they can accomplish... well... whatever it is they're trying to accomplish... "change," I guess. What I think is so great about that slogan is the "we." It shows Obama's true colors as a socialist and, more importantly, exposes the great fallacy that the Left understands people and therefore owns compassionate politics.
The Leftist ideals of compassion and caring for the individual are expressed through socialist policies that attempt to help the needy. The problem with this type of help is that it assumes the inability of the needy. With "Yes We Can," Obama is saying, "You can't without me." He's actually telling the needy individual that they are incapable of accomplishing the "American Dream" without his help or the help of the government programs he will create. This, of course, flies in the face of what the "American Dream" is all about. It's about the individual being able to create his/her own opportunities. That's what conservatism (Classical Liberalism) is all about.
Conservatives never wanted to create government programs that aid the individual in accomplishing specific goals (like welfare programs that help a person put food on the table). Instead, conservatism sought to create a political system that did not interfere with the individual's ability to do so alone. This is because conservatism believes in the ability of each individual to accomplish his/her own goals. Conservatism isn't telling people they can't. It's telling people they can! And not with government help, but by themselves. Because it is conservatism that believes in the power of the individual. This needs to be shouted from conservative campaign pulpits and ads. While Obama and Biden are busy telling minorities that they'll give them the help they need, McCain and Palin need to be telling them that they're capable on their own. They need to be up there shouting "Yes You Can! And we're here to ensure that no one takes that away from you. To make sure that no one stands in your way because we believe in you." That's true compassion. It's people empowering other people because they understand their true worth. I think if it were done right, it would be irressisstable to a lot of people (including Oprah).
So that's why the name of the blog is "Yes You Can!" This is about empowering others by helping them understand their own power. It's about reaffirming the American Dream. I don't understand guys like Obama who have lived the American Dream themselves but somehow don't believe others can do it like they did. He has said many times that his story could only have happened in America, and yet all he talks about is changing America. America doesn't need change. At least not in that direction. It needs to hold onto it's firm belief in the power of the individual.
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8 comments:
Are you saying you're opposed to short-term welfare assistance, because if you are, you are in opposition to the teachings of the LDS Church of which you may or may not be a member.
There are also some harsh realities that people on the Right ignore or don't understand. It's great to say, "People can move up in the world if they only work hard enough. This is the American Dream." It's another thing to look at the data and realize that poor people usually stay poor.
Why is this? Is it because people are lazy and stupid? I don't think so, but this is the dirty little secret that the Republicans don't want to talk about.
How about you propose a real solution to entitlement programs instead of ripping on liberals? For the record, I do not think that telling people to suck it up and work harder would be very effective.
I do think you're right about the Left. It's also pretty clear that the Obama campaign is heavy on rhetoric and light on actual policy, but you don't need good policy to be elected president in this country.
Classic Liberal-
So what about the illegals that literally put their lives on the line trying to get here to live the "American Dream". These people are trying and working hard as you say. But once caught they all get kicked out. By who? The conservative RIGHT!! No compassion just a one way ticket back to poverty.
Ondria in this country those that break the law suffer the consequences whether that is a fine or jail time, or whatever. Either way they give up some of the freedoms and rights that you and I enjoy by being law abiding citizens. These "illegal" aliens should not be able to enjoy the American dream because they are doing something that is against the US laws. If these same foreigners want to come here the lefal way to participate in the American Dream then by all means let them come and America is better off with these hard working self sustaining people here Now I know that the current immigration system to allow good people to come here legally has it's major flaws, but just because it's broken doesn't mean that we should just let people come illegally and then reward them for that. Last time I checked the saying "two wrongs don't make a right" still applies.
chris I'm on the right and I understand the fact that many who are poor stay poor and that this will likely never change as we know the poor will always be among us. However I do think that in a majority of those cases generations upon generations of people remain in poverty because they have been trained by our welfare programs that it is easier to stay at home and not work and collect free rent, healthcare, utilities, and food than it is to get out and struggle with two or three jobs just to provide for the family. No one said getting out of those situations is easy, and the current odds of of someone making it are definitely against them. But does that mean we should teach them not to try, but rather just stay at home and " we'll provide for you because it's just too hard."
I've been on govt assistance and I have never eaten better in my whole life or had nicer health insurance. If it wasn't for my own internal desire to better myself and be self sufficient it would have been pretty easy to continue to let the govt help me. The current govt welfare systems only enable the poor to remain that way.
Should we have welfare programs? Absolutely! But the emphasis should be on short term help with conditions that the individual is doing something themselves to remedy the immediate problem. Not this system where generation upon generation of individuals just expect the help to be there for free from the govt for as long as they want.
Ondria,
When I first came to America I had to work hard to be able to go to school and meet my personal needs. Things got a little more complicated when I married an American citizen, lots of bureaucracy, but I can honestly say now that I've been "living the dream", all because I chose to come here the "hard way"(legally), all because I decided to do the RIGHT thing. I believe the American dream is for all that are willing to work hard for it, not for those trying to cheat their way there. If the illegal immigrants are claiming for compassion, this legal immigrant here is claiming for justice! send them home, the law is for everyone.
I think Heath is mostly right on the immigration issue although I disagree slightly on welfare.
I was going to post a comment to respond to Ondria, but I've decided to respond to her and Chris with actual posts on the main page because my responses were long and seemed to really help explain the "Yes You Can" concept.
This is the biggest problem in our government -- the welfare system is broken, immigration is broken, social security is breaking, deficit spending is running wild. There are these huge problems, and yet, neither party has a good solution. Instead, they spend all of their time criticizing the other party, and for what? To get re-elected. It's so crazy; sometimes I just can't believe that the majority of people believe the rhetoric.
At best, telling poor people "Yes you can" might get a few more people to try and escape the trap of poverty. The real problem is the economic system. While I agree that democratic capitalism is the best Telestial political/economic system that we can hope for, it is not without huge problems. One of these problems is that there will always be poor people. The system demands that some will always be poor, it doesn't function without them.
On some level, this is a problem without a solution. No matter how many times you tell people, "you can do it", most of them will inevitably fail, or at best, others will become poor to take their place. No politician or even an economist will ever publically admit this, but there are always going to be poor people in America. It's another dirty little secret that the Man doesn't want to talk about. You might be able to get people off of welfare, but they’re still going to be poor. This would be better for everyone, but let’s not pretend that there will never be poor among us. It’s not possible in this system. I think that poverty today is largely driven by the disintegration of families. How can the government keep families together? Should the government be trying to keep families together?
Heath spoke of "generations" of people having become accustomed to welfare payments. At most, there can only have been 4 generations since the New Deal. I agree that welfare has become institutionalized among some in this time, and that people don't want to work or don't have the desire to work, but is telling them, "You can do it" really supposed to motivate them to change? This is a naive position.
Immigration sucks but these guys are right, illegal is still illegal, and you should follow the law even though those laws clearly aren’t very good.
So what are the details of your system L.C.? Right now, it doesn’t sound to me like it’s going to work. Also, how to you intend to wean people off of welfare? Are you going to cut people off and let third world conditions exist in the U.S.? The response will be rioting and social unrest at a huge scale, enough to disrupt the entire nation and maybe even the world. You say the government shouldn’t provide short-term welfare assistance. What makes you think that the market (in the form of churches, NGOs, or whatever) would respond to these needs? According to your Capitalist mantra, they will only respond that way if it is in their own self-interest to do so.
Once again, I see no solutions here. I see an idea without a plan to implement it. I see somebody saying, “What we have doesn’t work, and what the other team (in this case the Democrats) are proposing sucks.” This is what politicians always do, and it is one reason why I stand neither to the left or the right, although, I appreciate the fact the Republicans tend to leave me alone more.
Chris-
Aren't you essentially saying the same thing that you're attacking me for saying? "What we have doesn't work, and what the two sides are saying sucks." And so you stand with neither. In fact, you don't appear to have any position other than your disagreement with all current positions.
No, I don't have all the answers right now. What I have is a concept, a theory, an idea that has yet to be implemented in any form that you would call "solutions," but it provides a framework of understanding through which solutions can be reached.
Regarding your words about my "capitalist mantra" (which I have never professed to have), you need to go back and reread my response to you because I explained why people would help others - I even gave an example of it in action. Then tell me whether or not you think it's plausible and why.
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