The Core Message of the Democratic Party

by Robert McCarty, May 1, 2025

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The United States Government is a government for the people. A robust government is part of a flourishing economy. Taxes are necessary and beneficial. A well-functioning society needs public expenditures financed by taxes. Politicians are not cruel masters; they are public servants. Politicians are expected to facilitate government services in order to benefit the people.

On November 19, 1863, Abraham Lincoln ended the Gettysburg Address with his now-famous quote, "Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth." Government is, therefore, for the people. As public servants, federal-level politicians should be seeking ways to help the citizens of the United States. Politicians should not be cutting, defunding, and eliminating government agencies, they should be finding ways to make government agencies serve their constituents better. A robust government is part of a flourishing economy, as Economist Joseph Stiglitz says:

Seeing governments as always inefficient, the private sector as always efficient, taxes as always harmful, and public spending as always wasteful, will lead to a small government and an underinvestment in public goods¹. There has been little or no social and economic progress in the absence of a strong and effective state². A well-functioning society needs rules, regulations, public institutions, and public expenditures financed by taxes³.

If Republicans are really so concerned about deficits and the national debt, why the decades-long obsession with tax cuts? We citizens are willing to pay our taxes for the government services rendered. We expect corporations and billionaires to do the same.

Republican’s commitment to fiscal discipline-in the form of insisting on low taxes for the rich while slashing services for the poor-is the height of hypocrisy⁴.

These are the things that Joseph Stiglitz recommends to directly stimulate the economy: government investments in infrastructure, research, education, and healthcare. Oddly, these are the exact same things that Republicans, enthralled with the politics of cruelty toward their own constituents, are cutting.

Here’s why these investments lead to a vibrant economy and a happy society:

Infrastructure: Safe roads, bridges, airports, and railways attract and facilitate business activities.

Research: Scientific and technological advancements increase our standard of living. Advances in technology rest on scientific foundations provided by government-funded basic research. Research universities are to be well-funded.

Education: Education helps people increase their incomes, fulfill their potential, and contribute better to the economy. Schools and universities are to be well-funded.

Healthcare: Keeping people healthy and vibrant has economic benefits, and benefits to people’s quality of life.

The federal government is necessary and beneficial. Taxes are necessary and beneficial. The Republicans, corporations, and billionaires, want to hobble the government as a way of evading oversight, callously ignoring the catastrophic side effects this has on the citizens of our nation.