The Audacity of Hate

   A work colleague of mine likes to listen to Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh's radio shows while he works. So as a liberal you could imagine that this peeves me. Most of the time I try to just ignore it, but one day instead of just trying to ignore it I thought to my self, why don't I listen and try to see their opinions?

   As I listen I don't actually hear any intelligent debate or policy discussions. I only hear attacks on Obama and the Democrats. Hate filled rants against half of our electorate. I remember on Glenn Beck's show one of the hosts insinuated that Obama was a cockroach. They called Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, the chairwomen of the Democratic Party, clinically insane. They said that every single person that had voted for Obama were idiots and that Christianity in this nation was under attack while they made fun of Muslims and Hindus. Who by the way are also part of America.

   Now what I need to make clear is that not all Republicans are like this. There are tons who want to have an intelligent debate about where our country needs to go. As well there are some pretty looney Democrats out there too. I'm not a Democrat or a Republican, I'm what you would call a Liberal, Libertarian, Independent. A mouthful I know.

   I really believe that the polarization of our country lately is a cause of our extreme right-wing media. Because unfortunately the people who listen to this stuff become desensitized to hate. They believe that they are the victims of a system that is built to specifically outcast them. That everybody who supports an efficient Government is a Socialist trying to destroy this country. Based on that thinking at least half of America is openly trying to destroy it self and turn it into a Marxist state. If that was the case then why are we the greatest country that god has blessed this earth with?

   They say things like "Obama is playing class warfare" by letting the tax cuts expire to pre-Bush levels. And at the same time trying to get rid of food stamps which is a vital program for our country's poorest. Which is actually class warfare? The one that lets the tax rate go back to pre-Bush levels, where if I remember I think we had the dot com boom. Or the one that stops feeding poor people in need. You be the judge.

   I was taught that you should never hate anything. Hate is an emotion that pushes away logic. An emotion that causes one to behave irrationally and outcast those in need. It's "We the people". Not me versus you.

Madison the Liberal Republican

The following is an Excerpt from page 74 of The Federalist Papers No. 10. (Madison)

"A landed interest, a manufacturing interest, a mercantile interest, a moneyed interest, with many lesser interests, grow up of necessity in civilized nations, and divide them into different classes, actuated by different sentiments and views. The regulation of these various and interfering interests forms the principal task of modern legislation and involves the spirit of party and faction in the necessary and ordinary operations. of government."

He is essentially saying is that the principal task of legislation is the regulation of monetary interests, and that it should not just be necessary, but commonplace.

I find it intriguing that a founding father, that has traditionally been seen as conservative, would say something like this, for it contrasts so vividly with the conservative principals of our time. It is good to know that Madison was aware that unregulated interests could pose significant problems to the welfare of our country.

I believe, that what he is describing is directly correlated with the problems of our current Government. For "we the people" don't have lobbyists. We can't collectively "speak" as the more privileged can. I think if Madison heard the Supreme Court's ruling on the Citizens United case he would turn over in his grave.

Why have our leaders not listened to Madison? Why have we as a society gone away from our founding ideals? These are the questions that need to be asked. These are the questions that I believe Madison would ask.