How Does Republican Platform Help Middle Class?

[url=www.link.com]text you want others to see[/url]

I don't really pay attention to politics... I don't consider myself a Republican, but I do fall on the right side of the political compass.I think the most honest answer, from me, to your questions of how the Republicans help the middle class, is by keeping the other guys from hurting us.They'd get the "not-them" vote.

I don't really know specific policies. I'll try to give you the jist of my thinking:I've spent my life, through great effort, doing what I can to yield the best possible future I can acheive. I've done what I think are all the right things: get educated, don't break the law, find a good job, be responsible. I've waited to have any children and live modestly to avoid overspending. I've succeeded and gotten myself into a good spot.Through all this, I've seen a lot of old friends and strangers drop out of school, get arrested, barely hold a job, have kids early, waste money on bullshit...I have other friends who couldn't catch a break, had some bad luck, but have been trying nonetheless.I'm willing to help other people, but they have to want to help themselves. Throwing money at people who aren't interested in bettering themselves doesn't help them at all, imho.So, I do what I can to help my friends and aquaintences that I feel will actually benefit from the help. I don't throw money at people just because they are downtrodden, especially if I don't think it will help them.I feel that the Democrats want to do more to get more to the less fortunate, but that they take all the choice in the matter out of my hands. I don't want to just throw my money in the general direction of the less fortunate. I like to have that decision myself as to who I'm helping because then I feel like I actually am helping.Being near St. Louis, I get to compare two different states, Missouri the Red state, and Illinois the Blue state. If you go to the unemployment office in Missouri, they explain to you how you are going to have to be actively seeking employment and they want to see lists of companies and contacts that you're making in that search or your not going to get the benefits. If you go to the unemployment office in Illinois, they teach you how to fill out the forms in a way that it looks like your seeking employment, regardless of if you are or not, so that you can more easily receive the benefits.I think that generally exemplifies the different approaches each side takes towards the whole thing.I see the left's approach as not offering any incentive to putting in the great effort that I have towards setting myself up so that I can do this on my own without aid. Further, its seems that they are rewarding not putting the effort in by making it easier to get help if you didn't make it.Not only do I dislike that approach, but I think it makes things worse off for everyone.So the way the Republicans would be helping me is by stopping the Democrats from inadvertently making things worse.

I don't think anyone is specifically trying to hurt me.

No, none at all. It was personal experience. Take it or leave it.

Yes, they did. I didn't emply otherwise. Those were the forms I was talking about.In Missouri, they come at with: "you better do this or else".In Illinois, they show you the easiest way to get the benefits. I also described two different types of "the unemployed".You're just looking for anything that might be an error on my part. You're not constructively discussing. You're letting this lead you to misunderstandings. This is why I think your an idiot.

Well I appreciate seeing fresh opinions here so thanks for sharing.I'm a middle class property owner who's on the right side of the political spectrum, but I'm not sure I should call myself a Republican.There's a lot that I disagree with you on, but some of it did make sense. I have a lot of catching up here before I can meaningfully reply... and by the time I get done, it'll prolly be closed

Fresh for here, at EvC. Sure. One thing about "conservatism/tradition", though, is that its bound to lose eventually. Things inevitably change.I see the far left as being reckless with it, and the opposition on the far right as simply slowing them down and keeping it in check. I think that can be a good thing. Whatever. Well, they are what this thread's about...I've noticed that there is somewhat of a dichotomy in the population, where individuals do tend to think like one of the sides, and not so much like its been dictated to them how they think, but that they do think differently. I wonder is there's something with the whole urban/rural thing. My problem with that approach is that there's a lot here today that they couldn't possibly have imagined. Not that that makes them worthless, or anything, but they are certainly not all encompasing. All we have to do is keep addressing the topic.So how do you think the Republicans are helping the middle class?From your posts is seems that you think they help by easing the burden of paying for social programs. Too, maybe keeping the federal government out of our lives?So what else? Anything about fiscal policy or foreign affairs or anything?

Do they have to pay more when they have to pay out of pocket?

Badly phrased, I meant: Do you charge more for the service? Do you still charge $75/hour for the service? How much do you charge the insurance company?

---

Background on me asking:I was going to the same dentist forever back in the day, covered under my parents' insurance. After I graduated college, I was no longer covered and went to the dentist to pay out of pocket. He ended up changing me a lot less because I was paying out of pocket. The rational was this: he charges the insurance company for the service, and then they pay a portion of what he charges. For example (adjusted for easy math), let's say he needs to make $100 for a service. The insurance company pays 50% of what he charges them, so he charges them $200 for the service, they pay their portion and he gets his $100. When I went in to pay out of pocket, he just charged me the $100 that he needed to make and that was that.

I've seen those TV commercials for various types of educations to get jobs where one of them is "Medical Billing and Coding". In the back of my mind I always wondered just why that would require going to one of those schools.... That's kinda shitty. Yeah, there certainly are some things that would be better.Thanks for the reply.