No Government is Good Government Ideology Fractures the Republican Party

[starroute]

6. Republicans want government that only helps the rich

Their idea of proper government functions includes:

- Protecting property "rights" through the police and the court
- Promoting American power and business interests overseas through the military and diplomacy
- Subsidizing corporations, particularly in certain powerful industries
- Enforcing contracts and compulsory arbitration of contracts that favors the powerful
- Suppressing the ability of ordinary workers to organize and have a political voice

Their idea of what government should not be doing includes:

- Helping the long-term poor
- Helping the temporarily disadvantaged (sick, unemployed, disaster-stricken)
- Defending the rights of workers, consumers, or the environment
- Maintaining minimal standards for the treatment of those in prison
- Enforcing standards of equality and equal access to resources

See the pattern?