Who keeps the keys to the cash?
They (meaning political and fiscal conservatives dating back to the 1970s) call it “the Beast.” And they want to starve it–to deny it its life’s blood until it withers. The Beast is, of course, government. Surely the policies of the current administration are consistent with that ideology.
Seen through a progressive lens (or almost any lens), the cruelty and selfishness of this administration’s “tax cuts” and other policies are obvious. What may be less obvious is their short-sightedness.
Removing protective varnish from the discourse, we are left with a clear distinction between the private sector, comprised in large part of corporations, and the public sector, or government.
A main difference in these sectors is their goals. A public corporation is beholden to its stakeholders. Its prime directive is to generate revenues that result in bottom-line profits. Policies and decisions serve that end.
The prime directive of government is to look out for the “greater good.” Of course, people may define the greater good differently. And there’s plenty to argue about there. But, whatever else you might think, we—all of us—are stakeholders in the greater good.
To “starve the Beast,” as many on the Right want to do, is to starve ourselves. To deny ourselves the continuing greatness we have attained as a nation and a people.
Is government perfect? No. It surely has its share of incompetence, corruption, and graft. After all, government is a human endeavor, with all the beauty and banality that go with it….In this one way, government and corporations are alike.
Both are simultaneously inventive and dull. Persevering and mercurial. Dishonest and dedicated.
If your goal is to starve the beast you must acknowledge that you are also starving yourself, your progeny, and your future.
It’s cliché to say we are only as strong as our weakest link, but there’s truth there. And it’s reflected in what we mean by the greater good. As Ben Franklin observed at the start of it all, “We must all hang together, or most assuredly, we will all hang separately.”
We must fund our government so it can do those things corporations do not do—those things that continue to refine the country our Founding Fathers envisioned.