The Cost of Change

I was in an email discussion string the other day with mostly conservatives and non-progressives, navigating the dark and murky depths of the pros and cons of a McCain presidency versus an Obama presidency. The general consensus of the conversation (except me) was that of the candidates only McCain was interested in lowering my taxes, improving the economy, securing the country and defeating the evildoers of the world.

In response to my saying I was going to vote for Barack Obama, one of the conservatives thought he would tordepo me with, "I hope you're ready to pay for it for a long time." He was referencing the right-wing argument that social programs implemented today are monies wasted that become a societal burden paid for over generations.

I decided to bring my response to the blog with the following points:

• All Americans, and especially American politicians, want to improve the economy. It's the primary litmus test for the success of their programs and the justification for the continuation of their political philosophies.
• Who doesn't want to make our country more safe? Does his statement imply that Obama stays up at night asking Michelle, "Hon, America is too safe. How can I make it more dangerous for our children?"
• "Pay for it for a long time?" Pay for what, a government that is less corrupt, influenced less by lobbies, and not in the pockets of corporate conglomerates? Yes please! For the price of closing a couple military bases abroad (do we really need bases in Italy and Japan?) we could fund a substantial amount of other social programs or redirect that money to homeland security and desperately needed infrastructure. I'd much rather have a chunk of my taxes pay for something like universal healthcare and rapid transit than to continue to pay for an unrighteous, morally bankrupt, terrorist training ground like the Iraq War.
• Is it really our place to "defeat evildoers?" How do you define them, identify them, and even find them? If we can't find Osama bin Laden... c'mon, we're obviously not that good at the whole defeating evildoers job. It shouldn't even be on our résumé.