Posted on 05/20/2008 8:25:43 AM PDT by shrinkermd
In 1965, Mancur Olson wrote a classic book called “The Logic of Collective Action,” which pointed out that large, amorphous groups are often less powerful politically than small, organized ones. He followed it up with “The Rise and Decline of Nations.” In that book, Olson observed that as the number of small, organized factions in a society grows, the political culture becomes more divisive, the economy becomes more rigid and the nation loses vitality.
If you look around America today, you see the Olson logic playing out. Interest groups turn every judicial fight into an ideological war. They lobby for more spending on the elderly, even though the country is trillions of dollars short of being able to live up to its promises. They’ve turned environmental concern into subsidies for corn growers and energy concerns into subsidies for oil companies.
The $307 billion farm bill that rolled through Congress is a perfect example of the pattern. Farm net income is up 56 percent over the past two years, yet the farm bill plows subsidies into agribusinesses, thoroughbred breeders and the rest.
The growers of nearly every crop will get more money. Farmers in the top 1 percent of earners qualify for federal payments. Under the legislation, the government will buy sugar for roughly twice the world price and then resell it at an 80 percent loss. Parts of the bill that would have protected wetlands and wildlife habitat were deleted or shrunk.
My colleagues on The Times’s editorial page called the bill “disgraceful.” My former colleagues at The Wall Street Journal’s editorial page ripped it as a “scam.” Yet such is the logic of collective action; the bill is certain to become law. It passed with 81 votes in the Senate and 318 in the House
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
American=America. sorry
I miss the days when it was just the politicians who were unethical.
“Interest groups turn every judicial fight into an ideological war”
Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.
There are always some people who will be swayed by the “RULERS” who are smart enough to use such things as class warfare (race, gender, religion) to create a class of “victims” which will “vote” for them no matter what. Being told you are a victim implies you have no responsibility for your own actions and are entitled to certain benefits.
Today these rulers are Democraps, liberals, communists, socialists, dictators, etc. All one has to do is listen to the very hard “anti” rhetoric being spewed to realize that this is designed to try and stop rational and logical debate. (Ever hear children try to shout over each other to prevent the other from being heard in order to curry favor from a parent?)
Now, the real test for the rest of us is to find a “LEADER” who can succesfully lead this country forward while isolating the “ruler wannabes” and “2B ruled wannabees”.
And the other game plan should be what we are going to do in case the enemy wins at the ballot box in November, because you can be damned sure they’re gonna be hell-bent on taking out every last vestige of resistance to their goals.
“We will bury you...” - Nikita Kruschev
“We’ll give you the shovel!!!” - US Democrats...
I can’t believe the NEW YORK SLIMES is actually publishing this great editorial!
Red state vs. blue state, big business vs. Mom & Pops, large cities vs. rural areas, etc.
Yet, our Founding Fathers made huge compromises to move this nation forward. I was struck at the enmity between Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton, and how George Washington, at long length, got them to compromise on their pet issues.
Along those lines, couldn't there have been a compromise on energy policy? For example, I would have acquiesced on light bulbs and CAFE standards to get drilling in ANWR and/or fast track approvals for more nuclear plants.
Were our Founding Fathers so prescient that they could foresee such gridlock at the federal level, and thus include the 10th amendment to the Constitution?
Man, I need to go back and reread the Federalist papers!
“in case the enemy wins at the ballot box in November”
I don’t see alternative right now to an “in case”. The 3 dwarfs....”phony”, “bitchy”, and “elderly” ....are the enemy. They all talk “ruling over us” vs “leadership”.
I will look at Barr and the Libertarains but am not holding my breath, but rather just plugging my nose over that prospect.
I do here that hunting and fishing can be pretty good on the 1st Tuesday following the 1st Monday in November.
However weird it sounds, I think we can hold McCain’s feet to the fire if he wins.
I blame the Republicans for letting this happen. But I don’t believe in surrendering to the enemy, not one inch of ground, not one more right, not anything. We’ve given in too much already.
As for Bob Barr - that goes nowhere except to pull votes away from McCain. He’s Ross Perot Part II, and we all know where that led us.
Why not? They think they are on the winning team right now, and have nothing to lose. The enemy grows bold when he thinks his numbers are overwhelming.
Read up on the political atmosphere just before the War Between the States. It’s about the same right now, except the socialist/commies in the Dem party are salivating over their assumed ascendency.
Hence, the drive state-by-state to take away your Second Amendment rights, strip you of any way of fighting back politically, physically, and mentally.
They’re masters at this game. They’ve been educated by some of the best socialist Eurotrash minds in the world at destroying rights and liberty.
We’re in for some dark times, friends. Keep yer powder dry.
I wish I had your optimism about the possibilities of holding McCain’s feet to the fire. However, McCain would be nothing more than a 1 termer and being a lame duck from the get go he is very unlikely to feel even a blowtorch to his feet imho.
I have heard negatives about Barr (ACLU, selfish, anti Iraq war, etc.). I will check them out further if his candidacy is confirmed at the Libertarian convention this week.
Some people keep railing that a 3rd party is a waist of time and voting that way only hurts McCain and the RINO’s. I am quite sure that is the same thing the Whigs said about the Republicans in the mid 1800’s.
If I learned anything from the “compassionate conservative” Bush II it was to reinforce the old adage....fool me once shame on you.....but fool me twice and shame on me.
You mentioned the term weird. I have my own perhaps. If Obama wins the general (McCain loses), at least the country will get to “see, feel, and pay for” some real communist black power (racist) painful politics in action.
If that doesn’t change the course for the gold ol’ US of A, not much will matter anyways.
“...at least the country will get to “see, feel, and pay for” some real communist black power (racist) painful politics in action.”
If he tries ANY of that crap, be ready for Civil War, Round III, then. It can only end badly.
As for optimism...I still enough of a Christian (not a very good one either) to believe that God won’t let His country fall. Maybe dance, sweat, and boil a little, but...
We’ll see.
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