Response To a Conservative

[mhr]

Hi All,

I thought you might enjoy my response to a conservative that appeared on the Thom Hartmann Show yesterday. He tried to argue for the elimination of most social support programs - medicare, medicaid, social security, etc. My letter to him follows sans the mentioned photograph.

Enjoy
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Mr. Daniel J. Cragg,

I applaud your website (www.conservativesagainstbush.com) and agree with your principled stand on the war in Iraq and the unrestrained spending by the Bush administration.

However, in listening to you today on the Thom Hartman program (www.ieamericaradio.com), I cannot understand how conservatives can be so callous toward the misfortune of others.

I have been out of work for 38 months. I drive around Dallas, TX with a magnetic sign begging for work as you can see in the attached photograph.

According to conservative philosophy, I am just out of luck, roadkill on the corporate superhighway! What does it say about a society that discards useful productive people instead of doing everything possible to productively use all human capital? Further, what does it say about a society that discards human capital with nary a bit of social support?

Health care, forget it, I have not had access to health care for over three years! Dental care, forget it, I have not had access to dental care in over three years. Social support mechanisms, ha! What social support?

Some would say I have not tried hard enough to find work, yea right! So far, 1,426 resumes out the door, resume posted on 105 job boards, over networked my remaining acquaintances, worked two jobs for free in hopes of a paying position. The result, snake eyes, nada, zilch!

The problem as I see it is simple. Conservative social philosophy breaks down when a society is under stress. The philosophy might have some utility when work is plentiful and the economy is growing. Let a downturn occur and the philosophy falls flat on its face.

So under conservative social philosophy what am I to do? The message from society is clear, become homeless and rummage through garbage cans as that is the course of events. Too bad that you have two college degrees, too bad that you served as an officer in the military, too bad that you are a commercial pilot. We don't need you, go die!

Go back to school some say. For what I say. How do I know that the time invested in further training won't be met with equal indifference upon completion. Further, the things I am good at are slowly being outsourced under the free trade banner. I must conclude that conservative social philosophy has deemed some occupations as valuable and others not. So for those skilled or with the ability to be skilled in lost trades, the answer is clear. We don't need you, go die!

Based on all the above, I will never be able to support the conservative social philosophy because it does not work in the real world.

Sincerely,

MHR
Dallas, TX

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. Good answer

and by the way, the country is turning, against them, I mean

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

2. Great answer!

I hope you are able to get a job soon. I've been on the unemployment line myself, and I agree that further training is silly when jobs are being outsourced at a dizzying rate. Our next President must do something to regulate and curtail the hemmoraging of jobs from this country.

[German-Lefty]

3. That social safty net needs to always be there.

The problem as I see it is simple. Conservative social philosophy breaks down when a society is under stress. The philosophy might have some utility when work is plentiful and the economy is growing. Let a downturn occur and the philosophy falls flat on its face.

Which is why some argue that even if social spending seems to slow the economy, it actually benifits the economy because it allows people to take personal risks without having to worry about the worst case senerio. I'd also argue that treating people like garbage can be detremental to your economy for generations.

I hope you find a job. I know it's hard. The most important thing is to keep yourself together mentaly.