Let's be honest, shall we? America is not going to become a socialist state, neither will it become a theocratic state.
The entire system of American government is set up to avoid extremes and ensure that any change which occurs is glacially slow. We also have an entrenched system of corporate and political interests that have accumulated a great deal of power and wealth from the current system, and I find it highly doubtful that they would allow an extreme government to come in which leaned to the left or to the right.
If anything, I our government continuing to become more like China's: a corporate friendly authoritarian security state which generally leaves its citizens alone, as long as they shut up and don't trouble.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
New Baby
Forgot to mention here that one of the reasons I left a month between posts is that my wife and I recently had our second child, a beautiful baby girl.
Between work, home, and a long commute, it's been difficult to keep up with writing both for pleasure and online.
Between work, home, and a long commute, it's been difficult to keep up with writing both for pleasure and online.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Pet peeve
Look, no one is particularly happy about paying taxes, the deficit, the national debt, and the government, but contrary to the rhetoric, the government didn't get so big by handing out wads of cash to poor people to buy steaks. It got big because people wanted the services, programs, and goods that it provided to them.
So, I would like to propose a formal rule for all pollsters and journalists out there. The next time you decide to ask someone if they think government is too big or spends too much (or the next time some voter or politician says one of those two lines on camera), you are immediately required to follow up with the following question:
"Great, you want to cut government, which of the following services/departments would you like to cut?"
a. Social Security
b. Medicare
c. Defense spending
d. Homeland Security
e. Drug law enforcement
f. Farm subsidies
g. Education
h. Law enforcement
i. Food and Drug Administration
j. Infrastructure
k. All of the above
l. None of the above.
Make sure they know what percentage each of these accounts for in the Federal budget. And call them on non-answers.
I'm tired of the rhetoric. Put your cuts where your mouth is and be honest. Let's see if most of America really wants to get down to the business of sacrificing and making cuts to achieve a balanced budget or get rid of some tax cuts to keep what they have now.
So, I would like to propose a formal rule for all pollsters and journalists out there. The next time you decide to ask someone if they think government is too big or spends too much (or the next time some voter or politician says one of those two lines on camera), you are immediately required to follow up with the following question:
"Great, you want to cut government, which of the following services/departments would you like to cut?"
a. Social Security
b. Medicare
c. Defense spending
d. Homeland Security
e. Drug law enforcement
f. Farm subsidies
g. Education
h. Law enforcement
i. Food and Drug Administration
j. Infrastructure
k. All of the above
l. None of the above.
Make sure they know what percentage each of these accounts for in the Federal budget. And call them on non-answers.
I'm tired of the rhetoric. Put your cuts where your mouth is and be honest. Let's see if most of America really wants to get down to the business of sacrificing and making cuts to achieve a balanced budget or get rid of some tax cuts to keep what they have now.
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