Yes, they do.
There are "academics" (I use that term loosely here - very loosely!) out there that write entire tomes declaring market economies are a "zero sum game" (unfortunately, I've wasted a portion of my life reading such stuff), and cannot, for whatever reason, grasp the concept of market "growth".
Perhaps you'll recall many of them (all of them?) railed mightily against Reagan's blaspheme of "growing out of the recession" and "growing the pie". The best thing, for me, about this stuff at the time was it's incredible entertainment value. With the stuff they were blurting out, no way in hell could I make that stuff up.
Boy, them's was the days....
For me at the time, the best part of the run-up to Reagan's election was the great amount of intellectual ferment that accompanied the era. I loved getting every issue of Commentary and a host of other periodicals. Lord knows, I spent many a good evening poring through them.
It's different now, with the ubiquitous Internet. I still spend many an evening on FR and other intellectually stimulating sites. Anything to get the juices flowing...
Romney's not Reagan, of course, but Ryan's lots better than Bush I. And further, by selecting Ryan, Romney has, through design or accident, cast the future of the Republican Party. The Tea Party, of course, must remain highly active in politics to ensure that future is realized by deconstructing the GOP-E, but I think it can be done.
The obverse of that insight is Obama is light years to the left of that historical mistake, Jimmy Carter, and thus are the stakes raised exponentially over 1980's election.
We confront several problems and conundrums as we seek to shape a better America and world. Of most immediacy, there is the problem and influence of the media.Over the typical airwaves, we must settle for Fox until a true Conservative/market oriented network is developed. Until that time, the Internet, talk radio, and social media will have to suffice as our chief weapons in the Culture Wars, and personally, I think they should be wielded ruthlessly.
Beyond that, we have to address what passes for our "educational system". The Left has been firmly entrenched there for over 70 years. The idea here is not to overcome, destroy, and replace that system - that is too unwieldy, and would take too long.
No, we supplant the current system (which may be on the verge on imploding and collapsing anyway) with the weapons we now possess - home schooling and the Internet, devising and developing alternative online schools and universities. While it will take time, effort, and money, it'll still be cheaper, and faster, than the alternative.
There are other areas of concern, of course, but we should tackle them as opportunity permits, and if we win this election, opportunities should start emerging almost immediately.
This is a lot longer than I had planned to respond to you, and I thank you for your indulgence. I just got wound up here and took it out on you.
Have a good night, FRiend, and thanks for the response.
CA....
bump