From: crosmun@mickey.rtp.dg.com (William Crosmun)
Subject: Re: What's wrong with being a liberal?
Date: Wed, 22 Jul 92 14:34:22 GMT
Organization: Data General Corporation, RTP, NC.

In article <AWERLING.92Jul19160252@dante.nmsu.edu> awerling@nmsu.edu (WERLING) writes:
>
>Well, with Clinton leading the polls, and the Democratic convention
>full of these liberal ideals, one might easily come to the conclusion
>that the American people *is* significantly liberal.
>
>--
>Andrew Werling   awerling@nmsu.edu   New Mexico State University 
>Resident of Planet Yip, revolving through the Universe of God.

The American people have been sending the same messge to Washington since
the Roosevelt administration.  We want government to solve all our problems,
and we don't want it to cost us a dime.  We've seen an explosion of this
since Johnson when he promised that government would eliminate poverty,
eliminate racism, eliminate sexism, take care of the aged, the handicapped,
the sick, the farmers.  Government will guarantee that our food is safe, the
environment is clean, consumer products are safe, drugs are safe, doctors
are well-trained, the stock market is fair and equitable, advertising is
honest, farmers will earn a profit irrespective of the weather, corporations
will have their markets protected from foreign competition.  We've been
promised universal access to fine art, and to quality television.
Government will protect us from crime and communists, recessions and date
rape.  And on, and on, and on.  So we keep electing legislators ( primarily
Democrats who either believe that all this can be done if only we spend
enough money, or don't believe it but know it will sell) who
promise one program after another to solve whatever problems may be causing
the current angst, from global warming and ozone depletion to the increasing
numbers of single women having children, and finding a cure for AIDS.  Our 
politicians promise to take care of all this for us, and we vote for them.  
Then, during the presidential election, we elect the candidate who promises 
not to raise taxes to pay for any of this.  In George Bush we got both, a
politician who wanted to return to the kinder, gentler government that would
take care of everybody, and "Read my lips, no new taxes".  

Now the American people are upset with politics as usual and the reason is,
IMHO, that we've been promised all these solutions with no cost and we've
gotten costs, but no solutions.  If we as a nation want to know
what's wrong with our system, we need to look in the mirror.  We need to
stop believing that government either can, or will take care of these
problems for us, and stop electing people on the basis of how much more
government they will give us, and what new panoply of problems they are
willing to take responsibility for.

Oh well, time to return from soapbox mode.


William Crosmun
crosmun@dg-rtp.dg.com

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