Truth in Advertising
The topic of the day not too long ago was that members of Congress should subject themselves to the laws they enact. The law of concern then was Obamacare.
Today, another law should be considered. Do members of Congress abide with the Truth in Advertising Act of 2016?
An argument can be made that many of them do not. They are burdened with having to claim being either a Democrat or Republican.
That is the problem. Currently, the prominent banner bearers for both parties portray a political party vastly different from their party’s traditional principles.
Democrats, for example, seem to be morphing rapidly into pure socialism. They have always leaned toward advocating big government being the answer to everything. This leads always to the government taking over as they did a few years ago with health care.
The Democrats’ Obamacare is just one tiny step short of a full socialist system where the government provides, regulates, and pays for all medical care. Funds for that medical care will, of course, come from those fools who continue to work for a pay check and send some of that pay to the government in taxes.
Even a cursory reading of the two thousand plus pages of that act makes it clear that it was designed to morph into socialized medicine.
Bernie Sanders, who claims to be an Independent, made this pretty clear during his campaign for President as a Democrat.
The millions of young, educated voters that Sanders picked up as followers of his socialist beliefs is of concern to many who consider capitalism to be the best political system for self-achievers.
Of equal concern is that Senator Elizabeth Warren is picking up the cudgels dropped by Sanders and may be the leading standards bearer in the 2020 presidential election.
With these actions and leanings, why not require the Democrat Party to comply with the Truth in Advertising Act and begin labeling itself as the Socialist Party of America?
A similar argument can be made concerning the Republicans. There was a movement several years ago to get the Republican Party back on its old tracks of small government and self-sufficiency/responsibility. This was the TEA Party (Taxed Enough Already) movement.
Unfortunately, that movement was promptly absorbed or co-opted by the far right Republicans. The most recent standard bearer for this extreme arm of what used to be called the Grand Old Party, is Roy Moore who just lost the race for Alabama Senator to moderate Democrat Dough Jones.
Moore is the epitome of a large segment of the Republican Party, particular in Texas and other southern states like Alabama. To be elected to a public office with support from those radicals, one must be committed to government restrictions on individual behavior.
Women must be denied control of their bodies, somewhat like the treatment of women under the railed Sharia Law, and individuals born as homosexuals must be denied all rights of sexual freedom.
The Republican Party that attracted me 60 years ago was grounded in beliefs of small governments with minimal effects on personal freedom and liberty. Its main focus was on security, both national and local, balanced budgets, and regulation and control at the lowest possible government levels.
Look at it now, or at least at those who are the most vocal flag wavers of the Republican brand. Regardless of the manner of conception or the anticipated mental/physical condition, all conceived fetuses must be brought to term.
There is no expressed concern about how that unwanted baby will be reared or abused. That will just be the problem of the unwilling parents.
Likewise, there are no rights like the right to be served in public businesses like everyone for homosexuals. And there definitely is not anything like same sex marriage.
So why not require these far right activists to comply with the Truth in Advertising Act? Wouldn’t Christian Democrat be a more truthful title?
So here’s the perspective.
If the primary flag bearers for both political parties were required to register under titles that more accurately reflect their true beliefs, we could have four healthy competing parties.
There would be the Socialist Party of America balanced by the remnants of the center of the old Democrat Party continuing to call themselves Democrats. On the other side of the aisle would be the Christian Democrats with the remainder of the center carrying on as Republicans, or the Grand Old Party.
Let’s give honesty a try.
enough
