Liberals don’t see the problems; Conservatives, the promise

Cross-posted from RestoreReason.com.

Recently, I saw a bumper sticker that said, “When the government gives you something, they take something away from someone else.” “Wow”, I thought. “What a cynical way to look at the common good.” Why not view it as “when the government gives you something, it is really your neighbor giving you a helping hand”? The government is after all, nothing more or less than all of us.

And yet, the GOP has managed to convince many Americans that as Ronald Reagan said, “government is not the solution of our problem; government is the problem” and Grover Nordquist said, he wanted to “shrink it down to the size where we can drown it in the bathtub.”

There are however, a multitude of functions that can only be effectively and fairly provided by government. There are many examples of this such as national defense and public education, but basically, I think the primary role of government is to provide for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. William Weld, a former Republican governor of Massachusetts, wrote that,

“Liberals often don’t see the problems, and conservatives don’t see the promise, of government.”

Read more

Political Calendar: Week of November 11, 2018

The Political Calendar is posted on Sundays. Please send us notice of your political events prior to the Sunday before your event (7 days would be most helpful). See the calendar icon in the right-hand column of the blog page for easy access to the calendar.

Send notices of your events to blogforarizona@gmail.com.

Note: For Event Notices and Fliers, click on the “Calendar” button in the menu options above.

Note: The political calendar is frequently subject to change in December because of holiday parties replacing regular meetingsIf your organization wants its holiday party listed on the calendar, please send us the information well in advance.

Progressive_values

Political Calendar for the Week of November 11, 2018:

Sunday, November 11: Centennial of Armistice Day (now Veterans Day) – the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front of World War took effect at the “eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month” of 1918.

Sunday, November 11, 10:00 a.m. ET: Commemorative Ceremony for 100th Anniversary of the Armistice at National Cathedral. The National Cathedral in Washington D.C. will be the home of the largest commemoration of the end of the First World War in the former Allied Powers. Hundreds of major members of he governments and armed forces of the nations that composed the Allies in World War One will honor the lives of the millions of fallen men and women, and recognize the significance of the conflict, as well as how vital it is to prevent such a horrible conflict from ever happening again. The National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. will hold a bell ringing ceremony at 11 am on Sunday, Nov. 11th, 2018 to commemorate the centennial of the Armistice. Local churches, schools, courthouses, and other entities are invited to participate at the time of this nationwide occasion at each respected time zone.

Sunday, November 11, 3:00 p.m.: Armistice Centenary Commemoration, at St. Michael & all Angels Episcopal Church, 602 N. Wilmot Road, Tucson. Event features music, poetry, and brief personal reflections as it moves from the “War To End All Wars” into the present. Planners state the program honors war dead and the living, veterans and all who have suffered in declared and undeclared conflicts during the past 100 years. It takes its tone from World War 1 poet / soldier Wilfred Owen’s “war and the pity of war” and includes his poetry. Owen, at 25 a promising young English poet, was killed in France on November 4, 1918, a week before the war formally ended. Free. A reception follows the commemoration. Information: (520) 886-7292. Details: Ila Abernathy, Social Action Committee, (520) 623-3063, ilaa@mindspring.com.

Read more