In the United States there is a great consensus about core political values: nearly all Americans believe in democracy and in a representative government. We have political debates, but they are not about the core value of democracy.
Most of our political debate has to do with two additional
American values: Freedom and Equality. Most Americans believe
in the desirability of both freedom and equality. But there is a
tension between these two American values:
Freedom < ------------- > Equality
Our political debates tend to focus on which of these two basic American values we wish to emphasize at a particular moment in time. For the last 30 years the Democratic Party as been the party of "equality" and the Republican Party the party of "freedom."
Recently there has been a swing toward emphasizing the
importance of "freedom." The value of affirmative action programs
have been questioned, and a number of voter initiatives have limited the
power of the state to address equity issues with state mandated programs.
Every society has an economy because every society
needs to produce and distribute goods and services. A
variety of values can provide the basis for a society's economic institution.
Belief that the state should directly control the economy so that the interest
of the working class would dominate provided the foundation for the Soviet
system.
In the United States there is a great consensus about core economic values: nearly all Americans believe in private property and the efficacy of markets. We have economic debates, but they are not about the core value of capitalism.
Most of our economic debate has to do with two additional
American values: Competition and cooperation. Most Americans
believe in the desirability of both competition and cooperation. But there
is a tension between these two American values:
Competition < ------------- > Cooperation
Our economic debates tend to focus on which of these two basic American values we wish to emphasize at a particular moment in time. Should airlines be deregulated so that competition will keep the price of airline tickets low? Or, should government regulation continue so as to insure air safety? Can corporations be trusted to safely dispose of the harmful waste that they produce, or are stringent hazardous waste disposal laws required. For the last 30 years the Democratic Party as been the party of "cooperation" and the Republican Party the party of "competition."
In the United States there is a debate about our core welfare values. Do dependent Americans have a legal right to adequate standard of living, or must they ultimately depend on the charity of their fellow citizens for their livelihood?
Charity < ------------- > Right
Our welfare debates tend to focus on which of these two
different approaches should predominate. For some dependent populations,
such as the disabled, laws have been passed to protect their right
to jobs, education, access to buildings, etc. For other dependent
populations -- people on welfare -- Congress has past laws
that severely limit their access to public aid. For the last 30 years
the Democratic Party as been the party of "right" and the Republican Party
the party of "charity."