Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Cafeteria Conservatism and Corporate Prostitution

A redated post. 

It seems to me that the Republican leadership, while calling itself conservative, is prepared to abandon conservative principles whenever and wherever it helps the corporate bottom line. I respect conservatives, but I despise corporate prostitutes, and that is what I think these so-called conservatives have become.

I mean look at Medicare Part D. Now conservatism would say this is a bad idea, expanding gummint to cover prescription drugs for people on Medicare. It expands government bureaucracy, etc, all the arguments against Medicare from when I was a kid. Liberals are disappointed because Medicare can't negotiate prices for these drugs. So why do it? Cui bono? Who benefits? Not the people on Medicare, so who could it be? The drug companies, who are happy to see an increase in Federal bureaucracy so long as it help line their pockets?

Do you really need to be a liberal to point this out?

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

"It seems to me that the Republican leadership...is prepared to abandon conservative principles whenever and wherever it helps the corporate bottom line."

How can we be sure this is their motive regarding Medicare plan D? I must be missing something because shelling out money never helps the corporate bottom line, so maybe the Republican leadership is trying, in a misguided effort perhaps, to help the people?

Anonymous said...

#1poster:

Hmm, I stated that wrong. I don't mean never. I mean, in this instance, it seems like there would be easier ways to come out and help corporate entities (i.e., drug companies) than some complicated plan like this. So, if that is their motive, why come out with this kind of complicated plan?

Anonymous said...

Don't pretend to be anything except a conservative VR. You let the right-wing biblethumpers rant away here 24-7.

Victor Reppert said...

First, religion and politics are distinct issues.

Second, what you are saying is that true liberals shut up their opponents. That strikes me as an odd vision of liberalism, though I suppose it fits with Ilion's view of what liberals are all about.

01010101 said...

No, that's not it, VR. Intelligent conservatism should be allowed, probably. Alas, that class does not include Idion-speak or your trolls.

Anyway, GOP-conservatives have always been pro-corporate. It's only recently with the rise of the likes of Sarah Klondike and Doc Paulquack that a somewhat anti-corporate aspect has manifested itself: the Teabaggers being a bit different than the GOP country club-old guard. One might call it the difference between the Yacht Club and the evinrude club.

Ignorance said...

Don't pretend to be anything except a conservative VR. You let the right-wing biblethumpers rant away here 24-7.

A team from Baylor University tried to measure the relation between Bible reading and politics in the 2007 Baylor Religion Survey. Christianity Today had an article about it in October:

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2011/october/survey-bible-reading-liberal.html?start=1