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In a commentary aired on Thursday morning, October 28, Carl Zinnsmeister (sp?) opined that the Republicans are now the "party of the little guy" and that their positions on social security, health care, and other issues evidence "faith in common people." His appeals to the American values of rugged individualism and self-reliance lend his argument a surface plausibility. But they are little more than excuses for neglect by Republican administrations of the basic needs of most Americans and for shifting costs and risk away from employers and government to individuals., , The privatization of social security championed by the President will worsen the financial situation of social security (funds that would have gone to pay for the benefits of retirees will be diverted into personal accounts for current employees), expose workers to far more risk as stock prices rise and fall, and erode the compact between generations to take care of one another when we get old. Those with sufficient resources can gamble in the stock market, but as a society, we need to have a secure social security program to ensure that old age does not mean poverty., , Likewise, medical spending accounts and other schemes for "involving" individuals in their health care are thinly disguised mechanisms for shifting an increasing proportion of the cost of health care on to all of us. Republican policy makers believe that paying more out of pocket for health insurance will make individuals use fewer health services, No doubt it will, but primarily by forcing those with limited means to choose between health care and other necessities. Health care is not a luxury and the ability to pay for it should not depend on what company one happens to work for. Like virtually every other industrialized nation, we need to ensure that all citizens have access to affordable health care., , We need good government, along with responsible corporations, unions, and individuals, to solve our many economic and social problems. America is at its best when we take care of one another. To its credit, the Democratic Party continues to be our best hope for using the instrument of government in a constructive way to address the real needs of the majority of Americans - not just the most privileged few.
--David Walsh, Oxford