The Need for a Saner Policy

Chris at Radloff's Random Midnight Thoughts had a great post this week that discusses the need for a saner policy. Chris says that on most issues it all boils down to doing what is right.

As a culture we've forgotten the spirit of the law. Politicians argue back and forth about tax loopholes and who is exempt from what... They're squabbling over details that can only hurt people at the lower end of the economic spectrum. What needs to be done is a return to the spirit of the law. Everyone pays a little so everyone can enjoy the same protections and benefits.

This concept applies to more than just the lousy tax code. Look at our system of lobbying. People get paid to hang around and try to influence our politicians, buying them dinners, taking them on trips... Sure it's legal, but what's the spirit of the law? On paper, lobbyists are allowed to peddle their influence in order to ensure that "America's voice is heard." But can't the spirit of that particular law be better served if lobbyists were banned so that our politicians could actually pay attention to us average citizens?

We need a saner policy. We need simpler morality. We need to get back to the spirit of things.

Chris uses taxes and lobbyists as examples in his piece, but it could also be applied to a myriad of other issues. When it comes to abortion, no one is for abortion. The goal shouldn't be to ban abortion, but to tackle the causes of abortion by investing in sexual education and reducing poverty. When it comes to government spending, people don't like money being wasted on social warfare or being wasted by the Pentagon. When it comes gun control, I understand people like to hunt. However, you don't need a machine gun to go shoot a couple pheasants. When it comes to health care, it is clear to a majority of Americans that it is morally wrong that 40 million Americans don't have health care.

The point is not all issues can be sliced into liberal positions and conservatives positions. I agree we need a saner policy. We need simpler morality. We need to get back to the spirit of things.