I simply believe in the idea of small government.
When I was in fourth grade, our social studies teacher was explaining the progressive tax system. The specific example escapes me, but I remember understanding how if you made less, you paid less of a percentage, when you made more, you paid more of a percentage. I had a math mind, so I quickly recognized that the more you made, the EVEN more you paid. In my adolescent mind this was wildly unfair. Up until then I had thought of America as a club where everyone paid a fixed cost.
This was the moment I became a racist, bigot, fascist and xenophobe.
Obviously I say that in jest, this was 25 years ago when it wasn’t taboo to be right of left-center and the world was not so slanted. I just feel the need now, with this snowball of society rolling downhill, to explain this position before its squashed from existence. To believe in small government is not any of those things, it is just a different view on how we solve the problems that we face. To claim otherwise, as media figures, celebrities, and leaders of the opposite party regularly do, is an irresponsible use of the platform God has provided you.
I don’t hate gay people, as a matter of fact, I love them. I have never personally met one who did not have a stellar sense of humor. Small government solution to the marriage issue would be to simply remove the federal government from marriage. Why do they have anything to do with it? Tax purposes.
Racist? Never met a brown, black, yellow, green, red, blue, or white person that I didn’t like or get along with simply because of the color of their skin. I think the idea that small government solutions are racist implies that people of color need big government, which is racist in itself. Nobody can truly count on Uncle Sam. Why is that we send people and resources to a distant Capitol to solve issues in our alley? Tax purposes.
It would be interesting to have the conversation again. People in general are much smarter, compassionate, and understanding than we were 25 years ago, but it seems we are less willing to negotiate. As a PROLC (person right of left center) it is clear to me that we are being tugged harder and more aggressively by a certain side, so the natural defense is to tug back. I have watched, experienced, and sympathized with all of the social issues of the past few years that culminated in 2020. The only glaringly obvious common denominator in all of them, is the big fat bureaucracy in Washington. How do we not see this? Why is the press shamefully slanting their work to embolden this “systematically racist” government to grow bigger?
Obviously, they are not the solution. Providing them endless resources to fail is our failure. Why waste water on a dead plant.
I simply believe in small government. I feel that the government should try to be frugal and stay out of our lives. Big government has never stopped someone from becoming a drug abuser but a tight-knit community has. Big government doesn’t stop people from being criminals, but a strong family has. As a matter of fact, nobody is a criminal until Big Government makes them one. Sure, I think we can all agree on some crimes. Do not murder. Do not rape. But how many of our laws are so black and white? Ten? Big government does not write things black and white. They don’t write anything to be understood by the laymen.
In 5th grade, my social studies class had a mock election for the 1996 presidential race. There was only one vote for Bob Dole. The teacher asked who it was, and I raised my hand. Everyone laughed, teacher included. That was when I learned my views on government might not be welcome in the future.
The Journey 