A Difference in Values

* I recently repeated my assertion that Republicans and Democrats in Congress can rarely reach compromise because they no longer share the same fundamental values. When the two sides understand that they share the same basic values, it is far easier to then reach agreement on specific issues. I further indicated that the liberal/Democrat position had moved so far to the left, and so far away from basic American values, that the problem was mostly the result of Democrat radicalism. Needless to say, the liberals hearing my opinion objected. So let's take a look.

* The Pew Research Center did an extensive poll of Americans in April, 2012 regarding their values. One question asked was why people are poor; was it due to "circumstance" or "lack of effort." Republicans answered 28% due to circumstance and 57% due to lack of effort. However, 61% of Democrats said circumstance was to blame, versus 24% who blamed lack of effort. This belief reflects the underlying belief of those on the left that people are mostly "victims" of something or other. This belief also helps to explain the results of a Gallup Poll reported in November, 2012. Asked if they had a favorable view of socialism, 53% of Democrats/and those leaning Democrat did, but only 23% of Republicans/and those leaning Republican did. For a majority of Democrats it just does not matter that the US system of capitalism has created more wealth for more people than any other country in the history of the world. Facts just do not matter. Ideology is what counts.

* It also then follows that Democrats are more likely to have a favorable view of the federal government than do Republicans: 75% to 27%. (From the Gallup poll.) After all, if people are victims of "circumstance," then the government needs to step in and take care of them. It also follows that Democrats are more likely than Republicans to favor "preferential" treatment of minorities, and they do by 52% to 12%. Again, minorities are viewed as "victims." (From the Pew Research Center poll.)

* Prior to the 2012 election people were asked if government does more harm than good. It comes as no surprise that 85% of likely Romney voters agreed, compared to only 32% of likely Obama voters. With Obamacare still a big issue for the public, 91% of likely Romney voters said government was becoming too involved in healthcare, compared to only 29% of likely Obama voters. When broken down by party, 88% of Republicans agreed government was too involved in healthcare, compared to 37% of Democrats. (From the Pew Research Center.)

* People were asked, once government does get involved, is it usually inefficient and wasteful. A full 77% of Republicans agreed with that assertion, compared to only 41% of Democrats. Even Independents agreed with 63% in the affirmative.

* One interesting self-assessment asked people if they had "old-fashioned" values. A full 88% of Republicans said they did, whereas only 60% of Democrats agreed. Of significance, however, is the fact that 86% of Democrats agreed only 16 years ago, in 1987. (Data from the Pew Research poll.) Such a large shift, while stunning, is also not surprising to anyone paying attention to how far the Democrats have moved to the left.

* With regards to foreign policy and the military, 73% of Republicans agreed that the best way to insure peace is through military strength. Such an opinion is, of course, consistent with the views of two prior Presidents: Democrat John Kennedy and Republican Ronald Reagan. However, only 44% of Democrats agreed with the proposition. (From the Pew Research poll.) Nearly 4 in 5 Republicans (77%) favor Israel over the Palestinians, compared to only 55% of Democrats. (From a Gallup poll.) I was pleased to see an increase in Democrats support for Israel. The prior poll numbers I saw had Democrats at only 49%.

* While many on the left have an unfavorable view of this country, that view is not shared by the rest of the world. In a Gallup poll of foreigners, 640 million people said they would like to move to another country. To which country? The USA came in first with 23%. Second was the UK - with only 7%. Canada was third with 6%. Many university professors would undoubtedly be shocked by the above numbers, as they regularly blame the US for all the ills in the world. One example is Hawaii professor Haunani-Kay Trask, who said this to her students: "We need to think very, very clearly about who the enemy is. The enemy is the United States of America and everyone who supports it."

* The evil of political correctness, begun by the left, has, under Obama, also infiltrated our military. According to the military manual used by its Equal Opportunity officers: "Simply put, a healthy, white, heterosexual, Christian male receives many unearned advantages of social privilege, whereas a black, homosexual, atheist female in poor health receives many unearned disadvantages of social privilege." Not only does the military do a tremendous disservice to those minorities; I suspect that liberals reading this will not even see any problem with it. At every turn, the left tells people they are victims, and the alleged "victims" then act accordingly.

* I am reminded of the inspiring movie "Stand and Deliver," in which math teacher Jaime Escalante tells his inner-city students just the opposite - that they are not victims. He tells them that they can take and pass the AP calculus exam. And that is exactly what they do. When minorities come from other countries they often become successful - because they have not been exposed to decades of hearing that they are victims, that the system is rigged against them, that only whites can succeed, and therefore they are unable to accomplish anything on their own. Yet, that evil message of victimhood is, ironically, the message that is regularly perpetrated by a black man elected to the highest office in the land - by a majority white country.