Commentary: After all the campaign spending and voting, America’s issues keep rollin’ along

When approaching another election, I am reminded of a song from “Show Boat,” a play on Broadway in 1927 about the Mississippi River. The lyrics that caught my attention went like this: “I’m tired of living and scared of dying, but ol’ man river, he just keeps rollin’ along.”

From one election to another, we, the public, study, listen, read and then vote. Many times, the issues are almost the same as the two years prior, but not always. Sometimes, maybe to our surprise and consternation, a promise or two are fulfilled. But the founders did not promise us success because they could not, but insured opportunity.

I have written that while this election will be decided on the issues of the war, immigration, inflation and affordability, the results will be read differently. I suggested that if the Republicans can sweep to victory, it will be seen as an affirmation of the president’s policy. If the Democrats prevail, alterations and brakes may by coming to President Donald Trump and the GOP.  The underlying issues that will be impacted include the very constitutional form of government, separate but equal powers, the potential impact on the independence of federal agencies created by Congress, recission and a host of others.

The real question is this: Why?

Why are many of the wealthiest Americans, the most successful corporations and international organizations dumping money into contests to elect their people to offices in Congress and the Statehouse? Remember the saying often attributed to H.L. Mencken: “When you hear somebody say, ‘This is not about money,’ it’s about money.”

Now the Democrats are no different. In fact, a recent survey showed that among small political donors, the GOP is out raised by a 3-to-1 margin. Yes, while not evenly matched, really both sides can adequately fund their efforts in an election cycle. The battle at its most basic level is about money, your money, the tax asking of federal and state government.  Further, there is hard disagreement about what should be done with the funds raised.

Conservatives believe government spending distorts the free enterprise system. In the conservative mind, the marketplace is the best determination of where public monies should be placed. If funds are misdirected, a (not “the”) invisible hand of the market will redirect the allocation of societal resources.

(Now I will make one exception to this classification. Elon Musk, I sometimes think, doesn’t need a government or if he does, it should be simply to build an army to protect his property, pay no taxes and require all of employees to be indentured servants. If given this, he probably would leave the Mississippi River, cross the Jorden River and enter the Kingdom of Heaven.)

Democrats are not without fault. Some contend with justification that there are individuals able to work but who choose, in various forms, to live off the government. In general, the Dems would spend on public projects, roads, bridges, educational institutions and restrain or reinstitute taxes on the wealthy at higher rates, hopefully, putting the deficit reduction in their target.

Do we want the airways to be safe with the Federal Aviation Administration, drugs tested by Food and Drug Administration before they reach the marketplace, investments monitored by the Securities and Exchange Commission? Are these and other expenditures government overreach and waste?

The reason all of this is like the mighty Mississippi is because this battle between liberals and conservatives goes back at least two centuries. Back to Andrew Mellon’s tax cuts for the wealthy and Theodore Roosevelt’s trust busting, back to the battles over the 40-hour work week, public education, overtime, unions’ right to organize. Like the river, the issues flow back and forth between contending political forces.

I only know this much and that is on a gray November morning on the 4th day of the month, that mighty river will flow by Dubuque and down to Davenport and it and our challenges will still be there on a November morning two years from now, the river will still be flowing and we and time move with it.