Wednesday, October 13, 2010

The Basic Difference

I anticipate that this will be a very short post.

While watching Connecticut's gubernatorial debate I came to a realization regarding the basic economic difference between the two major political parties.

Connecticut is facing a major deficit in the next fiscal year and the two candidates have two nearly opposite solutions to this dilemma. The rational of both falls directly in line with the thinking of each party.

The Republican candidate has talked about cutting spending, possible layoffs of some state workers, and strictly adhering to budgetary mandates.

The Democratic candidate has practically promised higher taxes. He doesn't want to remove any of the services the government provides, nor does he want to take away anyone's job.

When whittled down to their lowest common denominators, the core of these plans can be explained in the following statement:

One wants wants many to sacrifice for the good of a few, the other wants a few to sacrifice for the good of many.

At a glance, one can conjure up several instances of either viewpoint. Neither side can claim rightness or declare wrongness. The question is: On which side do you stand?