[TopQuark]

My apologies to backhoe for your lack of vision.

That is your call: you can call it lack of vision, or you can call being somewhat informed.

Backhoe's links portray genuine concerns the average voter has,

Of course. Equal Rights Amendment was also a genuine concern of the leftists in the '70s. Anti-corporate and anti-capitalist propaganda is their concern today as well. It is genuine, all right, but has nothing to do with either our traditions or reality.

Same with oil prices: to talk about them without even knowing what price is --- well, it may be a genuine concern but it should be addreseed either in the classroom or local bookstore.

Further, as a conservative may be concernred with interferernce of the government into the oil industry and questioning whether environmental protection went too far. This is not the same thing as scaring people with high oil prices. That is intellectually dishonest.

Backhoe reminds us of the dust covered solutions that conservatives have been offering in a new light. SOme of these solutions are offered to nonexistent problems.

I personally believe that low oil prices create jobs, which is why I bookmarked it.That's great. Do you believe in gravity? DO you form beliefs about results of chemical reactions? How about hypotheses about the shape of the Earth --- perhaps, you believe it to be squere?

There is no need to form beliefs ahout things that are known. And, in addition, who besides Marx and Lenin said that creation of jobs is a virtue that has to be pursued?

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

"How about hypotheses about the shape of the Earth --- perhaps, you believe it to be squere?"

No. I do not believe that the earth is square. But I'm very glad that Columbus had the vision to anticipate the fears of his crew. So must we anticipate the fears of voters. There is nothing intellectually dishonest about saying that drilling in ANWR can ultimately help us, not only with gas prices but also with immediate jobs, immediate diplomatic leverage, and even immediate tax revenue.

My aunt was scared being alone. Her son could have shown her statistics to make her feel safe. Instead, he got her a dog for protection. Was he being intellectually dishonest?

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

"And, in addition, who besides Marx and Lenin said that creation of jobs is a virtue that has to be pursued?"

Oh, I don't know. Alexander Hamilton and his trade policy.