"Government is the great fiction through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else." -- Frederic BastiatThe Wisdom of George Will...
It takes a worried man to sing a worried song, and in a recent speech that seemed like Larry Summers's swan song, the president's now-departed economic adviser warned that America is "at risk of a profound demoralization with respect to government."
The idea that America's problem of governance is one of inadequate resources misses this lesson of the last half-century: No amount of resources can prevent government from performing poorly when it tries to perform too many tasks, or particular tasks for which it is inherently unsuited.
Actually, government is not sufficiently demoralized. (George Will)
Representative Giffords' recovery proceeds at a miraculous pace, and the big lefty smear has failed. The House voted to repeal health care, and I'm still employed. It's been a good week.
Have a great weekend!
25 comments:
As the wife of a police officer I must add it has not been a good week for law enforcement. It seems the desperadoes are becoming more desperate. Police murders are indicative of a much bigger societal problem and I don't see it getting any better!
End the Drug War. End the Welfare State. Save lives.
I see cops as in the same boat as teachers. We pay them to do a job and then tie their hands and criticize them for every little mistake.
The big difference being, such irresponsible stupidity results in policemen being killed.
Silver, In your example to Divine I find that the former leads to the latter.
Time, way past time actually to overhaul the public schools and society will change, not perfect mind you but certainly for the better.
I know I bring this topic up a lot. It matters, though.
I recently read a report claiming that teens and young adults today are less conscientious than there counterparts of 30 years ago. The difference? Stay at home moms! Thanks to the neo-feminists children have been marginalized for way too long. The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world! The timing also coincides with the advent of the War on Poverty and the growing Welfare State. Geez! Almost 90% of inner city blacks are born to a single mother! How does that foster a sense of responsibility, I wonder?
Divine, Spot-on as that was my point.
We need to allow teachers and law enforcement officers to do their jobs without liberal, government interference. Kids need to know their limits, they need discipline and they need their MOTHERS at home, and not have some stranger raising them.
Believe it makes a tremendous difference. I was forced to work with my first child and he was being raised in a day care 40 hours a week!!
I was blessed to be laid-off work with my second child and raised him at home.
Believe you can see the difference.
"I recently read a report claiming that teens and young adults today are less conscientious than there counterparts of 30 years ago. The difference? Stay at home moms!Thanks to the neo-feminists children have been marginalized for way too long."
Interesting bit of ephebiphobia.
IIRC, the hippies, the flower children, the "make love not war" marchers, and psychedelic drug experimenting, were all practiced by young people in the late '60s through to the late '70s. Those hippies, love children, Haight-Ashbury denizens were all raised by the "Leave it to Beaver," "Ozzie and Harriet" type stay-at-home mommies of the '50s.
BTW, old people have been making that claim about young people since the time of Socrates:
"The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for
authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers."
ATTRIBUTION: Attributed to SOCRATES by Plato.
I would expect excuse making from the likes of Shaw. Guess what, Shaw? The violent crime rate among children of your peers has risen, so has the illegitemacy rate, as well as the suicide rate. Silly woman, that in no way compares to raising children who become hippies.
Nice try but you failed, your polices are flawed...again...and no one is surprised.
You should have ben better mothers. The one thing that matters.
People, do you know why we had "stay at home moms" when people of our (my?) age were kids?
Do ya'?
Really?
I'd love to know why you think it was once so.
(By the way, I can assure you that it had absolutely nothing to do with conservatism.)
JMJ
Of course we know. It was because of unicorns.
To cut to what Jersey is asking, in the Post WWII era we experienced an historical aberration. We were the only industrial power left standing, and we sold the rest of the world everything, powering our middle class to new heights.
By the early 70's other countries were catching up and we were becoming fat, dumb and lazy. Read about the historical arc o Detroit; it is the apotheosis of America's industrial decline.
Shaw has a point. Every generation is scandalized by the one that comes after it, but what we are seeing now pales in comparison (murders, unwed pregnancies...) This has a social and economic cost to our nation.
Congresswoman Giffords is indeed making a miraculous recovery.
However, this morning information about some of the severe disabilities she has been released to the media. She and her husband have a long and difficult road ahead of them as Giffords attempts to recover her ability to talk and her ability to reason logically. We should keep Giffords in our daily prayers.
To Devine,
Leave to people like you to indict an entire generation for the bad parenting of some in that generation.
And BTW, that was not an excuse. If you had read had read my comment correctly, I explained that stay-at-home mommies were no better at producing well-behaved children than women who work outside the home.
You know nothing about what generation I belong to or what kind of children my generation produced, so you made a glaring error in your assumption. You shouldn't make assumptions based on your prejudices. You'll most often be wrong.
Silverfiddle is correct that each generation is scandalized and outraged by the behavior and profligacy of the younger generation. But as bad as the worst in each generation is, the best also exceed what was the best in the previous generations as well.
Shaw, what is so repugnant about people like you is that you pick and choose from the truth to suit yourself. Facts are stubborn things, dear. You conveniently ignored the FACT that the suicide, illegitimacy and violent crime rates among children of your peers is exceedingly high. Further, Shaw, children of stay at home mothers and especially home schooled children surpass their marginalized, public school counterparts in every regard.
You see, we judge success by the number of happy, well adjusted children we lovingly lead into adulthood. You, on the other hand, judge success by how "Johnny can stay out of Mommy's way" and how much money he makes when he graduates from college. Not the same thing. Not at all.
Devine,
Please. Your comments reveal that you apparently need to boost your ego by denigrating me, someone you know nothing about.
You don't know who I am or what generation I'm from.
I thought I could have a reasonable discussion with you, but your mind is obviously set against me and with no facts whatsoever.
Impossible situation in trying to dialong with your misguided and mistaken opinions of me.
Unfortunately, you sound, in your comments, like an angry, unhappy person who needs to insult other people in order to find true happiness.
Sad.
Way to obfuscate the issue. Typical.
Shaw, I'll give you this much. I merely looked at your photograph and read your ill conceived writing. You are a late 60 something woman who is self involved to the point of disgrace. You have zero life experience, which is manifested in your naive viewpoints.
Your policies hurt people but that never entered your arrogant, self involved little head.
No. I do not like you. You have no sense and you lack a conscience.
You are a caricature. I know you. It is easy to know you. You are a lemming and all lemmings are alike.
You call yourself "Divine" and attack me as self-involved?
Dear little one. When you learn some manners, maybe we can talk. (Obviously, you mother forgot that part of your upbringing.)
Until you get hold of your anger and self-absorbed opinion of yourself, I decline to get involved in any more discussions with you.
I don't deal with insecure and bilious characters.
Good riddance goofball. Divine Theatre is the name of my company. See? Daft. The only reason I can see an elderly person being a leftie is a head injury. I pity you...and YOURS.
Oh? And Goofball? My "mother" was the State of Illinois. That is how I know firsthand of the failure of your beloved Welfare State. She may not have taught me manners but I have a great deal of common sense. Further, I am kind to those who deserve it. You do not.
Seriously, take care f that head injury, old woman.
If you think you injure me by calling me "old woman," you do not.
If you manage to live without facing life-threatening illnesses, you too may wear that name with honor.
I'm sorry for you that your lack of common human decency allows you to feel you must attack another woman based on her age.
Someday, when you mature and learn more about life, you may reflect on the unkind words you threw at me.
Meanwhile, I hope you and your daughter thrive, but at some point you learn some human dignity--at least for her sake.
Shaw...who the hell are you to require "human dignity" of me when your policies KILL PEOPLE? So your feelings are hurt. Choke it down and grow up, if possible.
Reading through my posts I realize I allowed my ire for "the way things are" to be directed at Shaw.
Shaw, I was wrong and I apologize. You do not deserve my wrath. It would be nice if there was someone or something tangible to holler at but it is so much bigger than than, so much more entrenched.
We want the same things, we just have different means to such ends.
I hope you accept my apologies and realize that my harsh words are merely born of the frustration of watching people suffer and not being able to help.
I respect the fact that you are brave enough to come into this forum and voice your opinion. Please don't let the pettiness of people like me stop you from doing that. I think we all have something to teach one another.
Peace.
~Andie
Divine,
I just got here and read your comment to me.
Apology accepted, and if I said anything mean-spirited to you, I offer an apology as well.
I understand quite well how emotions can override our better natures.
I've done it myself.
Your ability to say what you have to me shows real character. I admire that.
Peace to you.
Shaw
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