To the Editor:
Democrats are for the little guy.
That's probably the reason you will get when you ask someone why they are a Democrat. It's as close as there is to an official Democratic Party slogan.
It sounds noble. Protecting the little guy from his greedy "big guy" boss who, without a democrat to stop him, would exploit the working man and force him to work in squalid conditions for peasant's pay. All the while, the big guy would reap huge profits off the back of the little guy and hoard it away for himself. Democrats say that's not fair. It's income inequality. So they push for higher tax rates for big guys to ensure they pay their fair share.
It does sound like a noble cause indeed. Protect the little guy and punish the big guy. I wonder then, how do democrats deal with the American dream?
Does anyone remember the American dream? It's still alive but certainly not well under the current administration. It exists in some small measure when compared with the past and it's minuscule when compared to what it could be in this great country. There are many versions but this one in particular puts democrats in an awkward position.
The little guy is tired of working for his big guy boss. He has an idea he's passionate about so he decides to strike out on his own. He takes what money he's managed to save working for the big guy and puts it at risk. Often times he will not have enough money saved so he'll take on debt, probably using his own home as collateral. He does his research and knows he is doing this at great peril to himself because most new businesses fail during their first year. But he is undeterred. He starts his venture and works harder at it than he thought he possibly could. He struggles at first, gains ground then loses it. Over time his business grows and the work is too much for him to do alone, so he hires employees i.e. little guys. Through years of blood sweat and tears his business finally succeeds and this once little guy has become a big guy. He has created wealth for himself and jobs for others that didn't exist before.
At what point along his journey will democrats stop being "for" him? He's the same guy. Democrats were for him as a little guy. Why would they not be for him now? The answer lies in what the one time little guy has learned on the road to success. What exactly has he learned? That he can succeed on his own without any help from the government. In fact, after filing mountains of paperwork, applying for licenses, permits and maybe even an environmental impact study, he has learned he can succeed despite government.
And that is what democrats are most afraid of. They want you to believe little guys are always little guys and they will always need a democrat to protect and provide for them. Why? Because democrats know if people count on them to provide for them, they can certainly count on their vote.
So maybe the democrat motto is true but needs changed slightly. Maybe their motto should be, "Democrats are for the little guy, as long as he stays that way."
Howie Treaster
Milroy
