Saturday, October 14, 2006

Appropriate government philosophy

The upcoming election is a cause for reflecting on political philosophy as Gagdad Bob does. I lost anger at conservative philosophy after dealing with a young diabetic at the VA happily, at least in some sense, living off a small non-service connected pension that let him withdraw from life. It has been said that VA has been funded pretty well because the Republicans support the military, the Democrats welfare. I suppose a liberal looks at my patient and thinks, 'What if I were too frightened at life. Would I be thrown out in the snow. I hate those conservatives who would do that to me.' But really the conservative is 'just worried about the cost of it' or more subtly what the contract was, the person accepted being potentially put in harms way to defend the Congress and the people. So, it's not an unwillingness to help, positive rights of FDR are accepted as long as the tax isn't too high. I do think there is something to social contracts though appropriately recognized additionally. The Workers Compesation system in my sample of experience has essentially ceased to exist beyond initial treatments, which is why I am loathe to vote for Texas Governor Perry. A society can constructively enter into contracts with people; our policy regarding ex-military is an example of how America recognizes that. In the minority, I feel that those of us whose origins are only a few hundred years in the Western Hemisphere though having used the land well by largely taking it from the previous wanderers should recognize their right to continue wandering if not automatically to be citizens here.

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