Goodbye to rugged American individualism?

[Shpira]

http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2009/02/18/goodbye-to-rugged-american-indvidualism/

Shock!! Horror!! The United States is becoming more like Europe! The rugged individualism that makes up part of the country’s self-image may be doomed. Paternalism threatens to throttle enterprise and initiative.

Why is this such a dreadful prospect? After all, the United States does not fare particularly well on international comparisons of quality of life. It ranks 15th on the United Nation’s annual Human Development Index which measures such things as life expectancy and standard of living. A similar index compiled a few years ago by the Economist Intelligence Unit and using different factors put the United States in 13th place.

This article kinda sums up my opinion on the matter nicely. Any thoughts?

[Miroslav]

Re: Goodbye to rugged American individualism?

Hello, it's me...here to do some criticizing!

If you are trying to use the article to bemoan the fact that Americans are no longer "rugged individualists" as they once were, I would point at that this is not really the author's point.

If you're just arguing along similar lines as the author, which is pointing out that America happens to be heading in that direction...then I would agree: the age of bigger government is upon is. But, I think the article sub-headline sums it up nicely:

In recession, safety nets look good

Look back in history and you'll see that there was another period of the biggest government expansion in the nation's history: it was during the Great Depression under FDR. Is that a coincidence? No, it's not. In recessions, safety nets really do look good.

Look back in history some more, and you'll see that things always go back and forth politically, like a pendulum. First conservatives come in and cut back government, deregulate everything, bolster the free market, etc....and then eventually the country goes in a ditch and the liberals come in and expand government, create new programs, etc...and then the country goes into a ditch again later and the conservatives come back. It's an old cycle, and we happen to be swinging toward the liberal side now. But we'll likely swing back again toward the conservative side again in the future and American "rugged" individualism will come back in vogue again.

[Shpira]

Re: Goodbye to rugged American individualism?

Yeah I agree with your little history recap and yes I know how economic cycles work BUT do you think that the impact of this recession could have been substantially diminished IF the US government already had a apparatus or a government department that dealt with creating jobs. Not to mention the fact that IF the US government was more involved in the operations of the economy Bill Clinton would not have pressured banks into giving out loans to ppl who can't afford to pay them back.
If he was really concerned with improving the standard of living and if he really believed that ppl owning their own homes would make them more likely to be law abiding working citizens who pay their taxes i.e. real Americans (rather than criminals etc) he should have set up a government backed loaning program for those who can't afford the interest rates the banks offer.

http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/hotproperty/archives/2008/02/clintons_drive.html

If all that were the case I wonder where we would all be today.
Don't get me wrong I am not advocating Communism here I am just arguing that the government SHOULD offer SOME help to those who need it.

Furthermore if you read the article health care reforms are not some short term remedies aimed at the recession but rather a change of government policy which will be difficult to back out of when the Republicans get to power again. This will be more true the longer it takes for them to get to power as ppl will understand the benefits of a national health care system and will be less inclined to give it up.