I watched Tuesday and Wednesday’s (3/9-3/10) shows and the work at the chalkboard.  I have to admit that I had a light bulb/AH HA moment. I do not believe that my “discovery” was your intent and may already be obvious to you and your audience. To me it was that dot that connected a few others and made the final picture a bit clearer. Let me attempt to explain.

Background:

I agree with the basic premises of the left and right being replaces by full government on the left and anarchy on the right (though I tend to read left to right). It is also true (and important to recognize) that Fascism and Communism are both full government control.  Looking at the Republicans and Democrats as an independent (or Up and Down) in comparison to this scale is incredibly valuable.

Libertarians see themselves as much smaller government a notch above anarchy.  Conservatives a bit further down the line.  Progressives in both parties have increased the size and scope of government for their purposes. Democrats generally grow government for social programs, a welfare state tax law; Republicans for national security, corporate law and tax incentives. Neither have been fighting to pull it back.   Though this adds a useful component to the discussion,  I think there are a few elements that were missed in the analogy.

My light bulb moment:

As the R vs. D bar moves left to right it does not remain constant in size or color.  When the bar moves towards government control it grows in power.  It is not truly Blue (up) and Red (down) but it changes between shades of both as the power shifts in Washington. For most Americans, that sit somewhere a few notches to the right of the current government [desiring a smaller sized government]; watch this bar toggle from something approaching Communist, to Fascist, and back again.  How “bad” you think this is depends on how much power you are willing to allow in either direction.  It depends on your perspective; from your location on the chart.

You can view the interactive version for “Government Growth Creates Polarity“ here.

The distance from any point on the spectrum is dependent on both philosophy and the overall power of government. In fact, a flaming Liberal that wanted 16% government involvement would be closer to me then George Bush was.  I am reminded of Thomas Jefferson’s statement, “It neither breaks my legs nor picks my pocket.”  With the size of the current government, every action does have impact on my life and when those actions are against my judgement, morals and beliefs is does pick my pocket.

Let me explain the perspective shift with a recent example. 9/11 occurred and many wanted legislation to help corral information and better monitor terrorists: The Patriot Act was born. The left screamed Fascism seeing a military apparatus with the increased power to monitor phone calls to suspected terrorists. Many conservatives saw the controlled use of this power under Congressional oversight as an acceptable expansion of power. Well, now the color of that power has changed from Red to Blue and congressional oversight is being “performed” by the same Liberal wing of that party. How do you feel now? The power grown under either the GOP or the DNC will eventually change hands and no matter which side you are on the perspective will continually change.  In other words, ”A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have.” – Gerald Ford

Taking a newer and possible pending example of Government managed health care. The bill allows for the government to select treatment alternatives and suggest treatment at the point of service. Could that power be allowed to limit coverage to the elderly, unproductive members of society or military veterans? Could it limit coverage for Hollywood celebrities active against a new administration or college professors? The good or bad of these examples may depend on your perspective.

Am I arguing for Centrists with no strong political views or a third party?  Though that would help many with their relationship to the current size of government;  No.  The simple fact is that government should never get this much power.  Without the size and scope and the ability to influence your liberties on a daily basis, the question is mute and the change of party in Washington has much less impact on your perspective.  It does not surprise me that the founders had little need for party labels.