Progressive Government

[WTL]

There are many reasons why we should favor a more inclusive, progressive and active government in America. This post aims to provide the basis for people to understand what is good about leftist politics for you and me.

America is the greatest example of pluralism in human history. Represented by our democratically elected government is practically every example imaginable of religion, creed, race, and moral orientation. This is a good thing in and of itself, but it denies us the opportunity that exists in more static and homogenous nation-states to have systematic and idealistic forms of government; instead the US must be governed by pragmatism.

Because of the wide disparity among groups in America, there is a wide disparity in terms of opportunity, wealth, education, health care and success. There are two ways to deal with this. 1., you can do nothing and hope for the best, but that has proven not to work. 2., you can actively use the government and people of talent, initiative and vision located within it to spread the advancement that is present at the higher levels of American society across the political spectrum.

While government run programs in the past have suffered from a few regrettable examples of inefficiency, like anything, the more experience one has with something the more they improve. The social safety net is not perfectible, but it is always improvable and in its own right offers enough advantages to the lower classes that it should be robust and protected.

The free market, it is true, is efficient. But it is not moral. The efficiency of the allocation of resources works to favor the already affluent and harm the struggling. But through a combination of private ownership of the means of production and public guidance of the direction of the markets, with regulation provided by honest and impartial overseers, we can insure the benefits of capitalism - economic growth and prosperity and upward mobility - while avoiding most of the harmful side effects which plague the margins.

There is an old Norman Rockwell painting, derived from an FDR speech, called "Freedom of Want". This illustrates a very important concept in the notion of freedom - positive freedom. Whereas the old notion of freedom was negative nature, IE freedom from, positive freedom is the freedom to and requires the means to engage in one's pursuit of happiness. This implies that every person deserves an income or means of living by virtue of their common humanity.

Now that the ideological underpinnings of progressive politics are clear, a few suggestions on specific political topics.

First among the items I suggest is the idea of a living Constitution that keeps in touch with our current democratic ideas and needs. The constitution serves as a basic framework for government, pointing the direction that American democracy should pursue, but it is not rigid in nature. It is up to us to fill in the spaces and interpret the clauses for each new generation.

Second, a general effort should always be made to promote the disenfranchised, the little person, be it the union worker or the single mom, the immigrant striving to make it or the racial minority. The definition of fairness should not be that all people are treated %100 equal under law, but are treated so that they may have as close to %100 equal opportunity.

Third, there is a pragmatic essence to the importance of government. The free market is blind to some things, but with leadership of the top economic minds, the Chairman of the Federal Reserve, the Secretary of Treasury, Secretary of State, President, and various other officials, it is possible to make the correct decisions to smooth out business cycles and expedite progress on a national and demographic basis.

Fourth, health care, education, housing, and food are all examples of positive rights and are recognized as such by venerated organizations such as the United Nations. We cannot truly be the great country our founders intended it to be without ensuring all of the above to each and every American.

Fifth, the United States should actively use its wealth and power abroad to promote democracy, peace and human rights. It should also put its money where its mouth is by forgiving 3rd world debt, and assisting the IMF in assisting troubled nations seeking a new start.

Finally, it is the will of the people that should be the primary concern of American politics. Democracy is freedom. Through the practice of representative democracy we can insure a stable society while we adapt to new challenges.

Discuss.