Divide, Conquer or Capitulate
Divide, Conquer or Capitulate: Questions that Sting
Argument for Arguments Sake:
When we dream of a world we wish to live in, do we inadvertently dismiss the notion that others may not like it so much? Or do we honestly acknowledge our lack of interest in what another may think of our faux utopia. Man’s dissent is an ageless act, therefore we should not shy away from argument. Thucydides recorded for us how verbose Athenians and Spartans could be when deliberating the subjugation or liberation of one another. The history of the Peloponnesian War leaves us with a remnant of high rhetorical devices. Judges and emissaries were sent to hear grievances or pleas for mercy. In the end, such beautifully winded men saw their countries torn to pieces.
I wish we could teleport a long dead ruler or philosopher, show them the history of how their society broke down and ask them what they think went wrong? Fortunately for us, we have access to the masters of all human deliberations. Plato and Socrates are a Google click away. We can choose whether we want to identify with Darwin or Dr. Gerald Schroeder. Finding a champion for our cause is quite simple. But are we reaching a point in history where we will no longer accept virtue over vice? Will liberal ideology become enforced by court order in the near future? Will religious institutions adopt a bigger tent so that it may blend better with non-theist houses? Are we running towards arguments or running away from them? Yes…
We have become a society of one liners and twitter tailored feedback. Fewer individuals are asking why or how come questions. The process of automatically tuning out opposition is manifest in name dropping. Mention Sarah Palin in a conversation among Liberals and the immediate response is “what an idiot.” Try to discuss Bill Maher with religious conservatives and you quickly hear “religious bigot.” Are these Freudian slips of tongue or conversation copouts? If I mention God, will you turn away and think less of me? If I quote Christopher Hitchens will you dine at my table and regale me by reciting his best articles? I believe we’ve become quite impatient with one another and are losing the art of decent debate. How did freedom create so much narrow focus?
I would like to know what it is about the leftist mentality which gives free pass to decadent statesmen and women, but vilifies successful right of center. I would like to know how they justify the palatial mansions of political figure heads like Al Gore and criticize nearly all the businessmen on Wall St. Or better yet Randi Weingarten who is the American Federation of Teachers Union president, while she makes $428,000 per year from union dues, our children learn less. Personally I don’t care what a successful person of any background makes (except rappers), but don’t point fingers for reform while snatching greater power for yourself. This is an egregious use of political power to play the lowly consumer like a patsy.
“To take only the most characteristic case: when capital and labor in an industry agree on some policy of restriction and thus exploit the consumers, there is usually no difficulty about the division of the spoils in proportion to the former earning or on some similar principle. The loss which is divided between thousands or millions is usually either simply disregarded or quite inadequately considered. If we want to test the usefulness of the principle of “fairness” in deciding the kind of issues which arise in economic planning, we must apply it to some question where the gains and the losses are seen equally clearly.” F. A. Hayek – The Road to Serfdom.
Time to Circle the Wagons:
Therefore those pesky words pummel our lexicon; Equality, fairness, and redistribution. Alas we circle back to our perpetual arguments. One man’s equality is another man providing a free lunch. One woman’s choice ends another life, and one majority vote is trumped by only 5 appointed judges. I suppose there is much to argue. So how do we reinvest in a system 224 years old? How do we recapture the magic for all of a nation? What will it take to energize our disenfranchised, our disinterested and our intellectually bankrupt? Yes, there is a portion of our population whose most difficult decision of the day is “do I super-size my Jumbo Jack, or save .39 cents.” I would prefer they do not vote, but I must admit that isn’t equitable or sustainable.
Is the idea of American exceptionalism only in the eyes of its citizens, or do we have the right to proudly wear such a pin upon our lapel? I for one think it is possible to recapture the magic of a country that has been the number one economic power of society for decades. I also have the whole hearted belief we owe it to our ancestors to prove the doomsayers wrong and extend our relevance for a few more centuries. However, our enemies are surmounting in escalating numbers. The Old Bear of the East is rebuilding what we thought was put to rest. Putin is formulating a Soviet comeback and our President is asking for time from him for WHAT!?!
Iran marches on…while we vacillate and wimp out with talks of sanctions on North Korea, Iran smiles with each distraction, salivating over accumulated fissile material. Our strongest ally has been given the cold shoulder in the face of pending annihilation and our response is “I’m the President of the United States, I don’t bluff.” (sigh) We’ve taken our eyes of Cuba and Venezuela, thus leaving Columbia in the dark. China…China sure is building up an astonishing amount of armaments during what is purported to be a time of peaceful coexisting. Taiwan, another major ally has its future blowing in the wind as we gut our military. The Pentagon is aware of constant cyber-attacks coming from China and we do nothing. It is akin to the gardener coming over to your home every week, taking pictures of your house, testing your security system, drawing diagrams of where everything is and us thinking this is perfectly normal behavior…gee, I wonder when our house is going to get ransacked? Wake Up America!
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/mar/10/china-deemed-biggest-threat-to-us/?page=all
http://www.brookings.edu/opinions/2012/0110_china_kalb.aspx
Economic Prowess:
Lastly, let us visualize the perfect storm for a business turn-around master. Mitt Romney, co-founder of Bain Capital in 1984. A company managing $60 billion in working capital, a company that mastered the turnaround of Staples and Domino’s Pizza, not to mention dozens of spin offs. Mitt Romney, Harvard trained. A successful “Republican Governor of Massachusetts, the most liberal state next to New York. Also a family values role model, who unlike another few nominee’s this country has put forth, this former governor actually says by his wife, Ann’s side, during her crucial battles with cancer and MS.
Say what you will about Mitt’s prior flip flops, you probably never changed your mind about an issue in your whole life. Mitt is a strategist, much like Obama, but Mitt is our guy and has experience in finance and economics Obama could only read about. Mitt is extremely tough where it counts, and that is accountability. Some of our conservative and tea party friends are not putting two and two together. In my next hub for Mitt, we are going to dive into what a Mitt Romney leading a Republican majority will look like and can look like if we pull together.
To Be Continued…
