Chris Jepson: A call to Republican arms

Noblesse oblige: the inferred responsibility of privileged people to act with generosity and nobility toward those less privileged.

An expression that sums up an aspect of life for me is, “There but for the grace of God go I.” I do not subscribe to the literal mercy of God, but I appreciate the implied possibilities of that statement. There but for the support of a loving family. There but for the “luck” of an early mentor. There but for my mother getting a college teaching position. There but for a scholarship. There but for a blind date. You get the idea.

In my life I’ve encountered a fair number of accomplished, successful, intelligent, wealthy men. Several sold companies netting hundreds of millions of dollars. If I were a betting man, I would wager that a majority of such men are affiliated with the Republican Party. My question is, “Why?”

The Republican Party is a three-legged stool: Lower taxes, fewer regulations and national stability. Space does not allow here the counter-arguments to lower taxes and deregulation (and the historic economic record of both), but I would like to examine the challenge to national stability (see: clean CR and Debt Ceiling) posed by the Republican Party and one recommendation to sensibly change course.

What responsibility do we, as citizens, have towards America’s corporations?

You could argue that American corporations have no more obligation for the “commonwealth” than providing maximum return to shareholders. If they create jobs at all, that is incidental to their primary goal of return on investment. If moving the manufacturing of a widget to a third-world dystopian factory increases profitability and the net result is that American workers (and their communities) are diminished, so what? Not my job, they will say, building better communities.

If corporations are now citizens (thank you, Supreme Court) of the republic, well, how should we consider a citizen who pays an unlivable wage while thwarting union-organizing efforts (see: Walmart)?

So many issues confront America that it is staggering how America stumble-bums along as well as we do. For how long, though?

The Republican Party is led by men unworthy of leadership. I find it unbelievable that the best and the brightest are not at the helm of the GOP. Why is that? Surely, such Republican men exist and, importantly, must understand that, yes, profitability is paramount but so are a myriad of other social considerations that have a direct impact on national/local stability.

America is an amalgam of competing interests but the “commonwealth” is undeniably suffering and there is no more stark a measurement of our system than the worsening imbalance of wealth in America (the reality of the 1 percent threshold). If America is to devolve into an oligarchy of the moneyed-class, will not national stability inevitably become “the” issue? America is not immune from history.

I remain, at heart, an optimist. I believe rational men and women can, indeed, agree on “the” facts in the pursuit of just governance.

My recommendation for America is that those Republican men who embrace both profitability and the commonwealth step forward and say, “Enough.” That more is at stake for America than another Chamber of Commerce tax cut or ALEC-initiated regulatory retrenchment.

There must be 40-such thoughtful Republicans in Winter Park alone. The WP Top 40. And, to all those so privileged, all over America:

Speak-up, Lads! America, Florida needs you! Today.