Jack
Kerouac, the writer, once said that good ideas are a dime a dozen. I've come to
believe that they do more harm than good and that great ideas do even more
harm.
In
times like these, it's understandable that people yearn for solutions,
gravitate to ideas, which, if implemented, would bring some improvement to our
lives. The problem is that there are reasons why things are as they are, and
that the destruction of our quality of life did not all take place during the
last four to twelve years but rather during the last fifty. Without a solid
understanding of the causes of our current problems and the forces that keep
them in place, and a plan to neutralize them, we're doomed to a future of 'try
this, try that' without ever regaining the quality of life historically
associated with our country. For example, the recent financial crisis
(meltdown) is not the cause of our situation--it's a symptom.
'The
Economist', my absolute favorite publication, has published a special report,
The New Progressivism*, in which they do a superlative job of analyzing the
world's economic/social problems, including our own. I strongly recommend that
you read it. You'll find out, among other things, that income inequality is a
symptom, that dealing with it is critical to growth, and why current plans to
deal with it won't work. And you will better understand how crony capitalism
(government by special interests, including public sector unions) stifles
growth.
Alas,
'The Economist', as always, is long on analysis and proscription of policy
changes but short on the nitty-gritty of getting it done. It's up to us (We
have seen the enemy, and it's us.) The American public is clearly enjoying the
current campaign and has no time for real problems; our media are making a
bundle providing tons of infotainment, and our politicians love the current
system (except for all that time on the phone). In Europe, things still aren't
bad enough to call a spade a spade, so we can see that we've got a ways to go.
What
does it take? Is anybody out there pissed off? How pissed off?
Joe Bakewell
A BIRD NAMED ENZA & WILL’S WAR
are now available as e-books on all major sites including www.smashwords.com (in all formats) for $2.99
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