I'm not saying some Democrats aren't like that, or that all Republicans are like that, but the general charter of the Republican Party is to protect the rights and interests of the "gentlemen of property". It is the guiding ethos of their party, and it is the prime motivation of their followers. Their followers, after all, see themselves as potential business tycoons and rich moguls. If it weren't for the treachery of the Democrats and the greed and lazyness of the poor, they'd be rich too.

Everybody knows they need to earn a living, and everybody has to pay their own way, that's a given. But for most of us, it is only part of our motivation, only a little piece of our relationship with our professions. Sure, we want to get paid, and the more the better! But other considerations affect us in our choice of work. We want job satisfaction, the prestige of doing useful and worthwhile labor, pride of craftsmanship, the respect of our colleagues and customers, and even our bosses! We like to think pf ourselves as "the best widget-maker in the country", "the finest operator of our time". Money is nice, but all we need is enough to pay our bills, enjoy our lives, a legacy for our family, and a bit of a stash in reserve for emergencies.

For the propertied class, its different. Money and power are what really matters, not what we did to get it. Its how we keep score, how we rank ourselves amongst our fellows. How we earn it doesn't matter, just how much we can accumulate. And of course, no matter how good you are at anything, you can never get enough; and you certainly can't get enough from your own labor, you must be able to tap into and exploit the work and talent of others. That's where the REAL bucks are. If you can get rich by selling crap, or cheating, well, that's even better. It just proves how much smarter you are than they. All that talk about entrepreneurship and free enterprise and private initiative is just a cover for the real psychology behind it all. These people don't see themselves as brave soldiers fighting for their countries, they think of themselves as winning generals in a mercenary army. And like lawyers, they will fight for either side.

Now I know what you're thinking. "He's a socialist. He hates Capitalism." That's a lie, the same lie that is used to attack and slander even the slightest criticism of the greed of the propertied class. Capitalism has many virtues. It is, to a certain extent, self-regulating. It takes advantage of every man's desire to better himself. It is ruthlessly efficient, and it relies on its own self-financing. People take great risks to build their businesses, and pay a heavy price if they fail. A form of natural selection operates in the market place, and it is just as progressive as that same force in the biological world. A free market, through the survival of the fittest, promotes excellence. But a free market without humane, democratic regulation soon starts to cheat its customers, abuse its workers, pollute the natural environment, and strive towards monopoly. Once the competition is gone, no market is free. Eliminating competition, gaming the market, is the ultimate goal of every businessman. Making and marketing a superior product at a lower price is for chumps.

And no one understands that better than the present Republican Party of the United States. It didn't always use to be that way, but that's the way it is now.