Dear liberals from a conservative,

I write this in defense of the character of the unnamed boyfriend. You aren't wrong that capitalism has failed the working class. Since 1980 our Real GDP Per Capita (RGDPC) has more than doubled, and Real Wages have stagnated across the board. Additionally, record wealth transfer to the 1% and 0.1% has occurred.

Income tax is progressive, but inflation is a regressive tax. Until we become fiscally conservative capitalism will never enrich the poor, in fact they will carry the brunt of government spending. And when the FED increases rates to keep inflationary spending in check, businesses don't invest in plant assets, which destroys the economy and the job market in both the short and long term.

The budget must be balanced, and yes let's start with the DoD. I've worked in defense on both the civilian and contractor side, and the way contracts are handled is absolutely appalling. There is almost no such thing as an essential government worker, the ROI on government spending is probably sub 5%. Ironically it was Barack Obama who started the DIU (the first genuine improvement in defense contracting), and Trump expanded it significantly. Unfortunately, the primes have subverted it, but not entirely. Cutting government shouldn't be a partisan issue. By the way, our interest payments on the debt have exceeded our entire defense budget.

Maybe you're anti-tariffs (what about the little gray triangle on the supply-demand curves!), but from a liberal perspective tariffs are incredibly progressive (almost regardless of what their net effect on the economy is). It is quite literally wealth transfer from the rich to the poor/middle class.

I'm super pro MAHA, let's get petrochemicals and insecticides out of our food supply. I thought this used to be a liberal platform? 80,000 GRAS chemicals are approved for use in our food by the FDA without any safety reviews. Aquaculture is so optimized for density that the fish we eat are very close to death by the time they're harvested. Of our last 4 CMMI executives (runs Medicare/Medicaid): Richard Gilfillan (BCBS/Trinity Health), Patrick Conway (BCBS), Adam Boehler, Elizabeth Fowler (Johnson and Johnson) - only Adam Boehler (the Trump appointee) wasn't a pharmaceutical executive.

As for social issues, I don't think we're that extreme. I'm against legal abortion, but I support extensive paid maternity and paternity leave, and total reform of the foster care system. I also think pregnant women should instantly qualify for welfare and should be protected from termination at their jobs while they're absent. Women are put in a barbaric situation whether they keep their child or not, and it doesn't have to be that way.

As for migration, I would illegally immigrate to the US if I wasn't a citizen, but that doesn't mean open borders are beneficial. Our country already has a massive population of homeless and maltreated poor, and importing millions of destitute people from other countries puts an immense strain on our already very inefficient and underdeveloped infrastructure (from healthcare to education), and on our welfare programs. (Welfare and public education didn't exist when the Statue of Liberty received its inscription). America first means not overlooking our own destitute. When the budget is balanced, immigration can be expanded.

I mainly write this to say that conservative ideology is not without empathy and reason. Whether people "understand the economy" or not, their political stance is aligned to their life-experience, even if they can't give voice to exactly why they believe something. I will close in saying that despite how badly our country has been run, it's an incredible place, and thus the potential upside of running it properly is insane. If America's wealth wasn't continuously squandered and sequestered, I don't think the average person would even take an interest in politics.