Dividing Up the Pie Differently or Grow the Pie: You Decide in 2012

On one hand, there are liberals and progressives who argue that the economic wealth and property in our nation is not divided up properly. They talk on radio programs or write on their blogs about raising taxes on the rich, redistributing wealth, the 99% vs the 1%, the rich vs the poor, and everyone doing 'their fair share' to help out others. Their main concern, based on what they talk about and write about, is how much of everything everyone has right now. Their world is static and unchanging, and they want to figure out how to divvy up the economic pie of wealth in a manner that they think is fair. If these liberals and progressives are already wealthy and living off their investments or if they are 'not rich', what they think is fair is obvious- they don't have enough wealth or property and others do, and they want what other people have. Oh, I know there is justification and reasons and they dress up their arguments more than this, but the simple matter is that they want to take the static wealth pie and battle over how much of it everyone gets. Imagine in 1900 America deciding that we would put in place policies and have discussions and write posts and articles mainly focusing on who gets what of the wealth of 1900, and you'd see what liberals and progressives have in mind- a nation with the same wealth as in 1900 except divvied up differently.

On the other hand, there are conservatives and tea partiers who argue that the economic wealth and property in our nation is not growing. They talk on radio programs or write on their blogs about putting in place policies that increase the economic output of our nation, utilizing our natural resources like oil and coal to increase our wealth, lowering taxes to encourage more wealth creation, and everyone doing 'their fair share' to grow the economy and produce goods and services. Their main concern, based on what they talk about and write about, is how to grow everything that everyone has right now. Their world is dynamic and changing, and they want to figure out how to increase the economic pie of wealth in a manner that will benefit everyone. If these conservatives and tea partiers are already wealthy and and running small businesses or if they are 'not rich', what they think will benefit everyone is obvious- they want more wealth and property and want to put in place policies and laws that allow them to earn more wealth and property. Oh, I know there is justification and reasons and they dress up their arguments more than this, but the simple matter is that they want to take the static wealth pie of today and grow it so that everyone has more wealth. Imagine in 1900 America deciding that we would put in place policies and have discussion and write posts and articles mainly focusing on how to make America more wealthy and productive and produce more goods and services, and you'd see what conservatives and tea partiers have in mind- a nation with the same wealth as today focused on growing that wealth further.

Ask yourself- do the people that you listen to on talk radio talk mostly about how wealth is divided up or how to increase the amount of wealth in society?  Do the blogs or editorials or writers you read try to figure out what the 'fair' amount of wealth everyone should have is, or do they try to figure out how to make everyone more wealthy? Do your friends and family talk about how to battle over the loaf of bread on your counter, or do they talk about how to get a job or save some money to buy another loaf of bread so everyone has something to eat?

There are two visions in 2012- one vision pushed by Democrats, whose party has been hijacked by liberals and progressives, that focuses on battling over the scraps of a fading America; or another vision pushed by Republicans, whose party is being hijacked by tea partiers and conservatives, that focuses on growing the size of America's economy so we can all be a little bit more wealthy. Which vision will become the reality for America?

UPDATE: I see via RealClearPolitics that Michael Barone has written the same article as me today (posted after mine). Here is Voters Want Growth, Not Income Redistribution:

...a recent Gallup poll showing that while 82 percent of Americans think it's extremely or very important to "grow and expand the economy" and 70 percent say it's similarly important to "increase equality of opportunity for people to get ahead," only 46 percent say it's important to "reduce the income and wealth gap between the rich and the poor" and 54 percent say this is only somewhat or not important...

...I believe that historians have taught the wrong lessons about the 1930s. And I believe there is a plausible and probably correct reason why economic distress has apparently moved Americans to be less rather than more supportive of big government....

...The New Deal historians attributed these gains to Roosevelt's economic redistribution measures -- high tax rates on high earners, the pro-union Wagner Act, Social Security. These laws, the so-called Second New Deal, were passed in 1935. They replaced the different, non-redistributionist policies of the First New Deal that stopped the deflationary downward spiral underway when Roosevelt took office....

...Lesson: If you want redistribution, you better first produce growth. Which the Obama Democrats' policies have failed to do.