3 ms·

I think the problem, if we're talking about the US at least, is that the conservatives running things believe a government should be small... which inevitably l

I think the problem, if we're talking about the US at least, is that the conservatives running things believe a government should be small... which inevitably leads to corporations virtually running parts of the government, unless you come up with a way to explicitly prevent that. But the people in power who want to remain in power would never go along with that.

silon42 1mo ago
They need to add to their beliefs... corporations need to be small too.
- majorchord 1mo ago
  That's a great idea actually :) Personal wealth caps wouldn't hurt either.
idiotsecant 1mo ago
I think it's pretty clear that the 'small' government preference of conservative politicians is a myth. They want to make the parts of government they don't like small and the parts they do like quite large. None of that takes away from your point, but I just wanted to deflate the meme slightly.
svachalek 1mo ago
Those hypothetical "small government conservatives" are running up the Federal deficit at a breathtaking, unprecedented pace. What's actually going on is much simpler to explain as corruption.
krapp 1mo ago
>, if we're talking about the US at least, is that the conservatives running things believe a government should be small No they don't, at least not anymore (if they ever really did.) They believe government shouldn't regulate business and shouldn't provide social welfare or invest in scientific research that doesn't align with their political ideology, but they absolutely believe in having a trillion dollar military industrial complex.
psadauskas 1mo ago
The problem is, if the government is small, then corporations are more powerful and can run over it and do whatever they want. If government is large, then its a much juicier target for corporations to lobby and bribe to get what they want. It comes down to culture and society. A democratically elected government should ideally be there to represent the interests of the masses as a way to counteract the inevitable power of the wealthy elite. But when those same wealthy elite spend decades and billions of dollars to brainwash the masses by owning all the media companies and influencing school curriculums and so on, I don't see how the masses stand a chance over the long term.
thrance 1mo ago
Conservatives don't actually believe in "small governments": that's just another posture they take, like "states rights" or "protect the kids". Deficit increases much faster under Republicans, and Trump is no exception. They're funnelling money to government contractors through a bloated military whose sole purpose is spending tax payer dollars on expensive and useless toys, that can't even win a war against a theocracy that's been under sanctions for half a century. That's how billionaires became so much richer under Trump, while the rest of the country goes to shit. And that's a common symptom of fascism: a merging of the State's and corporate interests.
- tstrimple 1mo ago
  I find it incredibly frustrating how effective conservative propaganda is even on non-conservatives. The "fiscal responsibility" and "small government" stuff are just examples of the many convenient statements they have with absolutely zero bearing on reality in how they legislate. So many liberals even believe conservatives used to "just want a slow and measured rate of change" and Trump is somehow different. All that has changed is the amount they feel comfortable saying out loud. They are dispensing with the euphemisms and saying what they really mean now.

silon42 1mo ago

They need to add to their beliefs... corporations need to be small too.

majorchord 1mo ago
That's a great idea actually :) Personal wealth caps wouldn't hurt either.

idiotsecant 1mo ago

I think it's pretty clear that the 'small' government preference of conservative politicians is a myth. They want to make the parts of government they don't like small and the parts they do like quite large. None of that takes away from your point, but I just wanted to deflate the meme slightly.

svachalek 1mo ago

Those hypothetical "small government conservatives" are running up the Federal deficit at a breathtaking, unprecedented pace. What's actually going on is much simpler to explain as corruption.

krapp 1mo ago

>, if we're talking about the US at least, is that the conservatives running things believe a government should be small No they don't, at least not anymore (if they ever really did.) They believe government shouldn't regulate business and shouldn't provide social welfare or invest in scientific research that doesn't align with their political ideology, but they absolutely believe in having a trillion dollar military industrial complex.

psadauskas 1mo ago

The problem is, if the government is small, then corporations are more powerful and can run over it and do whatever they want. If government is large, then its a much juicier target for corporations to lobby and bribe to get what they want. It comes down to culture and society. A democratically elected government should ideally be there to represent the interests of the masses as a way to counteract the inevitable power of the wealthy elite. But when those same wealthy elite spend decades and billions of dollars to brainwash the masses by owning all the media companies and influencing school curriculums and so on, I don't see how the masses stand a chance over the long term.

thrance 1mo ago

Conservatives don't actually believe in "small governments": that's just another posture they take, like "states rights" or "protect the kids". Deficit increases much faster under Republicans, and Trump is no exception. They're funnelling money to government contractors through a bloated military whose sole purpose is spending tax payer dollars on expensive and useless toys, that can't even win a war against a theocracy that's been under sanctions for half a century. That's how billionaires became so much richer under Trump, while the rest of the country goes to shit. And that's a common symptom of fascism: a merging of the State's and corporate interests.

tstrimple 1mo ago
I find it incredibly frustrating how effective conservative propaganda is even on non-conservatives. The "fiscal responsibility" and "small government" stuff are just examples of the many convenient statements they have with absolutely zero bearing on reality in how they legislate. So many liberals even believe conservatives used to "just want a slow and measured rate of change" and Trump is somehow different. All that has changed is the amount they feel comfortable saying out loud. They are dispensing with the euphemisms and saying what they really mean now.