What Would Plato Say About, For Example, Cutting Food Stamps?

The Republican position on food stamps is to cut the program back by $40 billion. If the U.S. had a political party that represented working families instead of just wealthy campaign donors, it's position would be to raise taxes on multi-millionaires to stimulate the economy and get people off food stamps by providing a vibrant economy that creates jobs. Instead, we have a Wall Street-dependent Democratic Party who's response to the Republican demands is to offer a smaller number of billions in cuts. A compromise will ruin the lives of thousands of struggling families, already victims of an untenable economy created to please extreme right ideologues and billionaires who know how to buy Members of Congress.

Are the two parties the same? No, the Republican plan will starve far more people than the Democratic plan. Is that enough of a reason to vote for Democrats? Yes, that is the question. And we're back at the old lesser-of-two evils narrative. Do we have a right to expect a congressional party filled with brilliant, competent and dedicated public servants like Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Alan Grayson (D-FL)? Can we refuse to settle for anything less?

Plato, a student of Socrates and teacher of Aristotle, died about 350 years before Jesus was born. Nonetheless someone took notes when he was saying, "All men are by nature equal, made all of the same earth by one Workman; and however we deceive ourselves, as dear unto God is the poor peasant as the mighty prince." He was very much ahead of his time-- and our own. Do they teach his philosophy is schools any longer? Are there questions about him on the standardized No Child Left Behind tests?

"One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors," Plato taught, also phrased at other times as "The punishment which the wise suffer who refuse to take part in the government, is to live under the government of worse men" and, more succinctly, "Your silence gives consent."

Plato also hoped for high calibre political leaders, people like Alan Grayson, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Jeff Merkley… "There will be no end to the troubles of states, or of humanity itself, till philosophers become kings in this world, or till those we now call kings and rulers really and truly become philosophers, and political power and philosophy thus come into the same hands."

He wanted selfless public servants with strong characters. Think of Democratic Party leaders like Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Steve Israel, Joe Crowley, Steny Hoyer-- and then head in the exact opposite direction: "All the gold which is under or upon the earth," exclaimed Plato, "is not enough to give in exchange for virtue." As for empathy, two of his best remembered quotes is "Not to help justice in her need would be an impiety" and "The community which has neither poverty nor riches will always have the noblest principles."