The Inner Discussion with a fake Republican

The Republican populists tend to invoke the: "if only everyone would work, there wouldn't be any problems." It's a common theme. All problems would be solved if everyone would get jobs at McDonald's and other places like that. It's not that I don't condemn those who have prospering careers are fast food restaurants, but the stigma and stereotype is that these types of places don't pay very well and don't have a lot of benefits. You could include WalMart in this group - but I'm focused on fast food because of a conversation I over heard at Arby's today.

A worker was showing up ... a leader was asking to see how they were doing. It was apparent that the worker was in ill-health and was coming back to work. The team leader was sympathetic and was genuinely concerned. It was nice to see the exchange. The worker was asked about her daughter as she had been under the weather too apparently. The worker said her daughter was fighting a fever of 106 ... unknown what, if any medical attention this woman got for her girl ... but an internal dialogue between me and a hypothetical Republican transpired in my head:

Republican: "I'm glad to see this mother is off the welfare dime and is working hard."

Me: "She's working hard - at a rate of $7/hr."

R: "But at least she has a job."

Me: "Alright, but she has no health care because of her position. Are you okay with that?"

R: "Well she should assert herself so that she can go back to school and get a better job."

Me: "That's fine and dandy in a perfect world, but she likely has more than one job just to try to make ends meet. If she has no health insurance, how can she pay to have her child get the medical attention she needs ... a 106 temperature is actually life threatening."

R: "I'm sorry her child is going through that, but it's not my problem."

Me: "Then why not have a single payer health care system?"

R: "Because it's socialism."

Me: "So is driving your car on a public road or going into a public library or having the police respond to a break-in at your residence."

R: "Those are necessary elements for a society."

Me: "Why isn't health care included as a necessary element for a society?"

R: "Because socialism stunts the growth of health advances, it removes freedoms and the government tells us what to do."

Me: "For profit health care stunts the growth of a flourishing society. It removes any chance of receiving health care and government protects the health insurance companies right to deny coverage."

R: "Health care companies have a responsibility to their stockholders."

Me: "Health care professionals have an ethical responsibility to those they care for ... they don't have an ethical responsibility to their bottom line."

R: "The woman should be grateful she even has a job."

Me: "I'm sure she is grateful. So you have no problem with this woman inheriting thousands of dollars in health care costs who is working at a fast food establishment trying to do the right thing for her family?"

R: "Not my responsibility, she should've done more to apply herself in school."

Me: "But the Republican position is that not everyone needs an education, that there are jobs like fast food that don't need an education or college - yet you assert that this woman should've applied herself better in school. How do you reconcile that?"

R: "It's not society's responsibility to take care of her."

Me: "But it's corporatism that has now taken a responsible member of society and have burdened them in debt."

R: "Not my problem. Society can't take care of everyone."

Me: "Agreed to an extent. I do think that we're all products of our choices, but our society has changed so dramatically with each generation - going from a single breadwinner to a two-household income situation and families are struggling."

R: "Shit happens to everyone. I can't be responsible for everyone who bought the flat LCD screen when they should've been investing their money."

Me: "Investing? If everyone invested their money - you'd bring this economy to a grinding halt."

R: "No it wouldn't - there would still be supply and demand."

Me: "With no demand, there's too much supply, people lose their jobs because no one is buying their product or service."

R: "That's ridiculous, everyone would buy something."

Me: "Not according to your critique about flat LCD screens. If everyone were to invest their money and not get LCD screens, manufacturers wouldn't hire people to make those screens, companies couldn't invest that money to developing newer, better TVs and WalMart would furlough those people who stock the LCD screens due to diminished sales."

R: "That's too simplistic..."

Me: "But it's the same supply v. demand concept you create - adjusting for the conditions of everyone investing the money you want them to. So if everyone was as responsible as you, if everyone pulled themselves up by their bootstraps just like you, then the world would be righteous?"

R: "Something like that. I earned everything I have. I wasn't given anything for doing the right thing."

Me: "You were too. You were afforded every paved stone that has been placed at your feet by every previous generation. To say you were not given some benefit isn't accurate."

R: "I don't owe anyone anything, nor was I given anything."

Me: "Did you invent the light bulb?"

R: "No, but -"

Me: "...but you benefit from Thomas Edison's invention and can go into a store and purchase such an invention to use in your residence."

R: "Yes..."

Me: "So you are a benefactor of someone else's labor."

R: "That's completely simplistic. I could credit God for the same thing for inventing air."

Me: "That's true. The question is - what have you given back to society?"

R: "I give it to those crooks in Washington who steal it and they give it to lazy asses who won't work. They just smoke their Parliaments and eat bon-bons all day long."

Me: "But aren't they supporting industries you might have stock in? So while they might be subsidized and buying tobacco or sugar foods, you're still getting back benefits in the form of dividends aren't you?"

R: "Well ... I .... what?"