It's Politics Again...

I honestly thought I'd be off of talking politics for at least a few months...but I guess not. 

I think it's because I'm at another crossroads in my political beliefs. You would think by now I'd be firmly where I stand, but I think maybe I've never been on firm enough ground for that to be true. I'm a true progressive. Always moving. 

Christopher and I had a discussion last weekend about politics and as always happens during those discussions I end up re-examining things I thought I really KNEW. And sometimes I come back with yes, I know this, and sometimes I don't. 

He's much further left than I am. At least in theory. And I think it's more that he's just really comfortable with the vocabulary around being further left that I am. When you break down the ideas and ideals there isn't much space between us. But he was raised by a progressive liberal and a left of center liberal and I was raised by the Religious Right, so he's got a bit of a head start on me as to what is explored as an okay idea. 

And he is willing and able to call me out when I say something that is standard dogma that isn't actually true. Like the far left and the far right are similar. No, not really. They both believe in less to no government but the end reasons are different. The far right wants no government so they aren't restricted in what they take, how they profit, what they can have. The far left wants no government because they think the government restricts them in how they are and acts as an arm of the rich. They both don't want rules, but they don't want rules because they don't want rulers (Left) or don't want regulations (Right). That's simplified, but it was interesting to think about. 

I also said that I understood a lot of the libertarian ideas as a whole but felt like the Republican party mindset had taken it over. He made me think about that as well. I often joke that the libertarian party motto could now be "fuck you, I've got mine" and his point is that that is not a recent thing, it's always been that way. And again, it's all about mindset. Why do you think what you think?

Like I don't like borders. I feel like that's a libertarian mindset. But he made me look at the reasoning behind it. Libertarians don't like borders because there could be greener grass to graze on over there and how dare the government tell them they can't go get it. I don't like borders because why should someone born on one side of an imaginary line have freedom of opportunity and someone on the other side abject poverty? What you believe in religion, politics, fiscal systems, most of that is an accident of birth. What lines were drawn around the space you were? It's as simple as that but we make it seem like we've all chosen to believe these things instead of it was just what everyone around you believed. I am not a fan. 

I'm also not a fan of borders because of the theory of enough. 

That's what I call my whole basis for living. 

What is enough?

When do you have enough?

I believe there is enough in the world but because we've made these divisions we don't distribute it well. We in the United States have decided that hoarding is a thing to aspire to instead of something to despise. That's what billionaires are doing. Hoarding. And if you talk to a lot of people they aspire to it. To having more than they could ever use because they can. That's not virtue, that's vice. That's not something to aspire to, that's something to shun. 

And we can't get past it here because we've built our entire system of life around getting more and more and treating those who have more as better than. But are they? I mean, can they even be? 

It's a moral thing. It is pretty much impossible to be a billionaire without having exploited someone or multiple someones to get there. And we (we in the US) are really uncomfortable saying that and looking at that. Jeff Bezos has billions. His warehouse workers are suing because they haven't been kept safe from Covid while working (along with a lot of other things he's done to work the hell out of them for as little pay as he could get away with). And it's not just him, look at the percentage difference in the pay of a CEO of a company vs. the average worker of that company. What is enough? Do you really need to be paid that much? And if you are paid that much why are you keeping it? Why are you investing it to grow into more, or depositing it offshore? Or buying multiple houses? Why aren't you spending it to help people who don't have anything? 

How much is enough?

Oh it's their money they should be able to decide how they want to spend it! That's the push back you get. And If the market decides that's what they are worth then that's what they are worth. But what does that even mean? Why does the market think that the pay for heads of companies needed to increase by that much in the past 50 years? Could it be that the market was manipulated by those people at the top so they would make more? I mean...

How much is enough? 

Why do we think hoarding is good thing when it comes to money?

Why don't we villainize those who have golden toilets while people are starving? 

I've been an independent for a long time. I've always made the joke that I was too left to be a Republican and too fond of getting shit done to be a Democrat. But now I think I'm just not any of it. I am clearly not a Republican. Especially now that they've gone full Trumplican. The theory of enough for them is that it's never enough, especially if someone who isn't white, cis, heteronormative, middle America dwelling has more. I'm not really a Democrat, though I would guess I will still be voting that way, at least for awhile. 

Because we have two parties that have a shot of holding office. And I believe that if the Republicans get in a majority branch holding position again we are done. They are already working as hard as they can to get voting restrictions passed everywhere they hold majorities in State offices. They really don't want representative government. Because they can never have enough. They want to hoard. Hoard the power. And they don't have the votes to do that anymore. So they need to make it harder for people to take it away from them. Draw some more lines Make some more barriers. Keep others out. So they can always have more. 

Because they aren't satisfied ever with having just enough. 

So I will stick with voting for the Dems, but I am farther and farther away from the left of center position all of the time. I am further and further left. I am a progressive. And we need to progress. 

We have enough in this world to take care of everyone. And not doing it isn't a political stance, it's a moral one. Where do you fall on that line?

Enough?