Questions

Lately I've been asking myself how we, as a nation, determine public policy. I've been wondering if we have some very basic, nearly universal national beliefs. Of course there is bound to be some uniquely different point of view, and I grant you that the unique view might be the right one, but for now, I'm just trying to get at something that everyone I talk to will agree on. The true family values, if you will. Values that transcend political parties, that are at least implied by every religious and ethical construct and are considered "good." Yes, simply put, I want to know what we all consider good.

The first way I've tried to approach this is by looking at what I consider good for me and my family. We need enough to eat. We need a place to sleep. We need to be safe. We need love. We need healthcare. We need education. We need freedom to pursue all of these things.

The implications of holding needs in common are several. First, we recognize a shared humanity. Second, we recognize shared goals. Third, we recognize shared impediments. Interestingly enough, the shared needs also require us to recognize that our degree of interest in all of these things are individual. I do not need as big a house as you. I need a higher degree of education to do my job. She needs a kidney transplant. This points toward a need we didn't assert previously. We need to be individuals. We need to be different simply because we are, in the same way that we need to breathe air because we do.

In America, providing for needs, including those held in common with all of our fellow citizens, has largely been the responsibility of the individual. We do have a publicly funded education system, but its quality has been suspect for some years now and private schools have flourished because unlike public schools, they produce consistent, dependable results and are answerable to their constituents. Fire and police departments and the military keep us more or less safe, but with very few guarantees, witness our high murder and violent crime rates vis-a-vis other Western nations. The judicial system keeps us free, but there too, the system has always worked best for an individual when private money supplements the public structure. Who, with money, will choose a court appointed attorney? And then of course there are health care and housing, two needs left almost entirely up to the individual. A poor person cannot live without the fear of homelessness or the uncertainty of health care.

What is different about those that puts them into the less funded category? Why do we not guarantee housing? Why do we not guarantee healthcare? Why aren't our taxes, which are used to fund all manner of things, not used for universal health and shelter? Do we really not hold those needs in common? Are there people who would opt out of good health or a place out of the elements? Or more importantly, are there people who think that there are others who don't deserve those things? When we leave these things unfunded and instead spend money on the arts, scientific research, or entertainment, are we shirking our most basic responsibilities to each other? I think so.

I love the arts. I want to see artists thrive. I love science, I want new discoveries and improved everything. I love sports and get a kick out of competition and entertainment. But all of those are gravy. I don't understand why meat and potatoes are kept from us while gravy is paid for. Should we be gilding the state house, funding historical research, anthropological digs, street art, infrastucture around stadiums, luxury waste disposal, gambling and gaming, and etc. when there is a child without a roof, without a healthy environment, without a teacher? An adult who can't read, who doesn't know the basics of good nutrition, who can't love her child the way that she wants because she is working so many hours that she doesn't have the time?

Why are thing so broken? Is it possible to reallocate tax money so that those things which we all agree are our collective first priorities are funded before anything else? Do we have to start all over again? Is that even possible? Are there alternatives that will produce the results we want? Can we imagine starting from scratch? Is there anyone willing to give up everything to take the chance that we can do it a lot better if we start again? Has it ever been tried at a state level? Do the successful European nations teach us anything, or is their star rising on our investment in their safety? Is it even possible to extend the needs of a family to the nation at large?