Republicans and Democrats: Are They Really That Different?

Now that you know my feelings on the major political parties, I will explain to you precisely why both parties' avid followers are idiots.  If you are a Democrat or Republican, and you do not like being called an idiot, then you should stop being one.  Stop supporting your party (financially and electorally) because, in all probability, "your party" does not represent you.

Republicans and Democrats like to bash each other in the media using violent rhetoric to motivate supporters to action while hoping to enrage and injure the other party's members.  Today's political arena features nothing more than a glorified and expensive battle between gangs of adults who suffer from childish volatility.  Honestly, when was the last time you saw the political parties put aside differences and meet in the middle?  Does anyone besides me believe that Washington, D.C. is more like a high school inhabited by immature, uncooperative idiots than a bastion of problem-solvers and wise individuals?

On a daily basis, reports surface of individuals attacking the other party's members like young children attack each other.  "Boehner is in bed with Big Oil and the Tea Baggers" or "Obama is not an American, but he is a closeted Muslim who wants to destroy America".  How are statements like these any better than the shrill attacks and sheer gossip of high schoolers?

The lack of maturity on both sides is just one attribute Republicans and Democrats share.  Let us look at a few others.

Both parties falsely claim to be the party of the working and middle-class American.  In reality, both parties do not give two craps about the typical American; the parties just pretend to care to get your votes.  Who did Bush's War in Iraq help?  It certainly hasn't helped me (or you) although it may have helped oil companies (they have made well over $100 billion in profits since the war began).  This war is just going to cost us middle-class members in the long-run in terms of higher taxes and lasting disdain from the Arab world.

Also, who did the Bush tax cuts help?  They supposedly were for everyone.  Well, my question is how is it good to cut taxes on everyone while government spending is ballooning?  That is not good for the middle class because we now have to live life under the specter of imminent and massive tax increases.

Finally, how have those Wall Street bailouts worked for middle-class Americans?  Well, almost 10% of us are still unemployed.  It is difficult to get credit to buy houses or cars.  We can't pay off credit card and student loan debt due to the recession.  Where is our bailout? And, more importantly, why aren't you pressuring your leaders for a bailout?

On the Democrats' side, how exactly was GM's and Chrysler's second bailouts good for you?  You are probably not one of the 800,000 UAW members who benefited.  You probably are not one of the other 2.5 million people who depend on the auto sector.  Think about that: 3.3 million people (1% of the population) got about $90 billion to save their jobs.  To those of you who say "GM and Chrysler only got loans and they'll pay them back" I will say that you are an idiot and you should look at this website: http://money.cnn.com/news/storysupplement/economy/bailouttracker/.   

Also, how does a massive government program like Obamacare help you out when you are going to be taxed to cover the insurance premiums of 25 million people?

To my generation, why do you students so avidly support the Democrats?  Have they helped you fund school?  No.  They helped make student loans so hard to deal with for unemployed graduates.  And they haven't stopped the insane increase in tuition (I will explain how they actually created our tuition troubles in another post).

Now that we have quashed both parties' claims that they help middle-class Americans, let us look at both parties' views on the size of our government.  Republicans have no problems telling people what to do in terms of morality and safety; they have no problems increasing government spending through population control (Patriot Act), morality wars (War on Drugs), defense spending (Iraq, Afghanistan) and subsidies for constituents (oil companies, pharmaceuticals).  Expanding government influence is clearly okay with Republicans.

And the Democrats?  Well, they have no qualms about destroying your chances of thriving economically.  Think of programs like Medicaid and Social Security, which are nothing less than wealth transfers from workers to non-workers (although, as I have said before, I don't have a huge problem with these programs' goals: the programs are just too big right now).  They have no problem with levying unjust taxes (think of the taxes on gasoline which have inflated gas prices) that help crush decent, hard-working Americans like yourselves.  Democrats also don't think twice about creating new regulations (think of the EPA's decisions against off-shore oil drilling) that stunt economic freedom.  Like the Republicans, Democrats have no problems increasing their influence over your lives.

I hope that you now understand that neither party is on your side.  Democrats and Republicans seek the same goals (making their own lives better and increasing their political power) through different means.  Democrats and Republicans do not care about YOU, and YOU are an idiot for giving them your money and votes.

We should all be tired of these immature, lying, self-serving individuals who seek to make the world better for themselves and their financial backers; these are not good traits for people in leadership roles.  And, yet, we do not hold our leaders accountable.  We kind of just accept their corruption. It is a huge joke, America, and the politicians are the ones laughing.

Democratic Hypocrisy

If you read my last post on Republican hypocrisy, you will get the feeling that I hate the Republican Party.  And you are totally right.

But, I am no Democrat.  I freaking hate those people, too.

Democrats like to portray themselves as big-business busters, enlightened leaders, and more-advanced individuals.  Well, they're not really any of those things.

You see, Democrats are big fans of big business just like Republicans are.  The only difference is that Democrats like different businesses.  For instance, they get along very well with the "Big 3" car companies.   Why do you think GM and Chrysler got those massive bailouts (that are analogous to Republicans' bailouts of Wall Street)?  Well, because the Democrats controlled the Senate, the House, and the White House; the UAW campaigned heavily to give Democrats control of the government, and the Democrats owed the UAW a favor.  Voila!  Corporate welfare from and for the left.

Additionally, Democrats like to think they are more educated and advanced than Republicans.  (It's crap). They especially become more arrogant with pseudo-studies like this one: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1968042,00.html.

The annoying thing about Democrats' arrogance is that the really smart people typically lean libertarian (not liberal). How do I know this?  I looked it up on Mensa's website.  (Go to "Freed-M" and you will see what I am saying: http://www.us.mensa.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=SIG_List&Template=/customsource/SIGs-p.cfm).

(Note: I know that link does not provide a scientific assessment of high-IQ persons' political leanings.  I am not an idiot.  I just assumed Mensa did some internal polling that yielded results that could be summarized in that particular assessment of members being libertarian.  If you want an actual survey, check out the Triple Nine Society's results: http://www.triplenine.org/poll/index.html.  The results there aren't as left-leaning as Democrats might have you think).

Finally, I would like to bring up Democrats' policies.  You see, Democrats typically support "nice" policies such as free health care for all, generous unemployment benefits, and grand retirement outlays.  Does anyone see a problem with an "educated and enlightened" bunch supporting these programs?

I do.  The problem with those programs is that the goals of those programs are essentially anti-evolutionary.  Isn't it amazing that "smart" people like Democrats largely accept the principles of evolution, yet their practices do not match those beliefs?  According to natural selection, sick people should be left to die and the unemployed should be left to starve (and then die); life is all about the "survival of the fittest" after all.  Yet the Dems clearly don't practice any of that.  So, why is there such a discrepancy between beliefs and practices?  You'd have to ask one of them because I am not sure (I have theories, but I will not waste your time with those).

In sum, Democrats aren't as smart or as evolved as they think they are.  They suck, just like Republicans do.

Republican Hypocrisy

I have decided to write a few short pieces on Republican and Democratic hypocrisy.  In this post, I will look at Republicans.  I will turn my attention to Democrats in my next piece.

Republicans like to think of themselves as belonging to the party of smaller federal government.  They see themselves as being budget masters, free-market acolytes, and great purveyors of moral guidance.

Well, I have news for you, Republican-backers: your party is full of crap.

Under Bush, Republicans started two wars, created an unfunded governmental liability in Medicare Part D (as I said in my last post), and substantially lowered taxes on super-rich people.  These awful fiscal policies led to an increase in the public debt by $5 trillion in less than 8 years. And then Republicans have the gall to claim to be the party of a smaller and balanced-budget federal government?  My butt.

In terms of free-market economics, the Republicans also suck.  They bailed out banks in 2008, they gave pharmaceutical companies a gimme in terms of Medicare Part D, they granted big oil companies $4 billion annually in tax breaks and subsidies, and they managed to remove all bankruptcy protections from student loans as a service to investors in student-loan-backed securities (they exist and are called "SLABS".  See: http://www.economywatch.com/finance/high-finance/slabs-student-loan-asset-backed-securities.html).

On the moral front, the Republicans failed to do anything they promised: they did not ban gay marriage, they did not overturn Roe v. Wade, and they have not won the War on Drugs.  Additionally, they constantly impede any chances of expanding healthcare for everyone, increasing aid for the needy, and funding our education system.  Not to mention the shortcomings in their own lives including adultery (Gingrich, Giuliani), pregnancies before marriage (Palin), and substance abuse (Bush, McCain).  It is ridiculous for them to lecture anyone on morality when they cannot and do not follow their own advice.

It really is no wonder young people hate current Republicans.  They're hypocritical, greedy, moronic jackasses who strive to make the world better for one group of people: themselves.