Whatdya think?
I believe that, for many years, people on the political left in our country circumscribed their world of ideas by worshipping the sainted memory of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Any policy prescription had to be in line with his 1930's 'New Deal' to stand a chance of enactment.
Today, I think I'm starting to see the same pathology on the right. Since his death, I'm hearing more and more about "Reagan Republicans" and who is "Reagan-esque".
This is dangerous.
Reagan was the right man for his time; and his goal of reducing the size of government remains a noble one. But it was only one of his goals; the first of many. To make a diminution of government the ultimate goal and the highest good is to display a gross ignorance of fundamental political philosophy and can legitimately be pointed to as an abdication of our commonly understood social contract.
The right and the left both want roughly the same outcome, but believe in different processes to achieve that outcome.
Personally, I believe that as much good as the government can do, it will unintentionally do far more harm. But, let’s be vigilant that we don’t fall victim to the same kind of intellectual sclerosis that has brought political discourse in the country to a standstill.
At the end of the day, we the people allow the politicians to bullshit and talk down to us. We need to start demanding thorough answers to the pressing questions of our time.
Today, I think I'm starting to see the same pathology on the right. Since his death, I'm hearing more and more about "Reagan Republicans" and who is "Reagan-esque".
This is dangerous.
Reagan was the right man for his time; and his goal of reducing the size of government remains a noble one. But it was only one of his goals; the first of many. To make a diminution of government the ultimate goal and the highest good is to display a gross ignorance of fundamental political philosophy and can legitimately be pointed to as an abdication of our commonly understood social contract.
The right and the left both want roughly the same outcome, but believe in different processes to achieve that outcome.
Personally, I believe that as much good as the government can do, it will unintentionally do far more harm. But, let’s be vigilant that we don’t fall victim to the same kind of intellectual sclerosis that has brought political discourse in the country to a standstill.
At the end of the day, we the people allow the politicians to bullshit and talk down to us. We need to start demanding thorough answers to the pressing questions of our time.
posted by Voolfie at 5:19 AM
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