In framing the debate over the role of government, I think it is important to understand a few ways to mold the discussion much more clearly than has been done to date.
When this President was elected, he was tasked with undoing over thirty years of right wing damage. Indeed, G.W. Bush was not the beginning of our problems, but the culmination of an inevitable bad end.
So, in undoing this, President Obama understands that part of restructuring the debate is getting people connected with their government again. After all, the government isn't some alien entity. It's supposed to be a collection of our will and consent.
Hence you hear President Obama reintroducing the idea that, through the government, businesses are able to thrive. Indeed, without government business is essentially impossible.
Follow me over the jump right quick:
So when you hear the President say, "somebody else did that," in reference to roads and bridges, I would humbly submit that instead of somebody else, "the taxpayers did that," is a more successful frame.
Because we did.
Without our system of education, business isn't even possible. So the taxpayer did that.
Without institutions of higher learning, business cannot thrive.
Without clean air people can't breathe. Makes it harder for them to catch their breath to sort through high end merchandise to buy the crap some business had made in Bangladesh.
Without universal healthcare, business cannot employ healthy workers.
Without labor laws, consumers wouldn't have the funds to enjoy the products that businesses create.
So...we did all of that. The taxpayers. We did that. Not Mitt Romney, or any of his asshole buddies at Bain. Not vulture capitalists. Not any of the selfish elite.
Whenever some right winger starts talking about big government, I always think of two instances in American history:
The gilded age, when it was thought that every man was an Andrew Carnegie, and rugged individualism ruled the day, and laisse faire crippled us.
And the era of FDR and the new deal.
One time was every man for himself. No rules. No rights. Just freedum.
One time was an age of coming together.
One time elites ruled.
And one time the taxpayers did that.