Posted on 09/20/2001 6:01:51 PM PDT by MindBender26
He is former Repub Gov of PA. Wounded RVN Vet.<p<More will follow
The creation of the Cabinet level position, Homeland Defense, underscores the length of the battle we face.
Judging by the election returns libertarians are a lot like homosexuals - you both exaggaerate your numbers and your importance to society.
As for what a great guy Tom Ridge is...well, let's see, in 4 years when Hillary Clinton gets elected president, whom might she choose to be the cabinet head...Can you say "Janet Reno"?
I really want to know why you are willing to take the chance to start up a new bureaucracy that will never, ever go away.
:)
I worry less about him in this role, than the fact that it is likely (due to the present circumstances) to be a high-profile position, that an ambitious guy like Ridge will be able to use to further his Presidential aspirations.
He will likely do a very good job in this position, and unless Congress passes some really silly laws creating new powers not already granted by Congress by law to the executive branch, then it should not be a case of government creep.
But I thought when Bush bypassed Ridge for the VP nod, that was the end of Ridge as a potential future Republican Presidential candidate. I fear this gives his ambitions new life, and this is a man who has said that he believes being pro-life means that you want to force women to be incubators for nine months against their will. Any politician who thinks like that, who values life like that, is not someone I want to give any pathway towards the Presidency.
Just for everyone's information, can we have the source, please, proud2bRC?
foreverfree
Just for everyone's information, can we have the source, please, proud2bRC?
foreverfree
Yes, between themselves. But to make up for it, each cabinet directs its bureaucrats to write more regulations, ask for more and more money, and assume more and more power from the citizens and states.
If your contention is that having another cabinet post will result in more freedom, less intrusive government, and more power directed back to citizens and states, then your logic, George, is seriously flawed.
Increasing the size of government never results in less of it.
I was getting upset, too, at the useless knee-jerk reactions and how they will do nothing. But then it occurred to me... we here at FR I believe are more thoughtful and probably more intelligent than the average American sheeple. Perhaps, in the grand scheme of things, these types of asinine measures have their purpose in comforting a certain portion of our population who just need to feel that SOMEONE is doing SOMETHING. Same with buildings in Manhattan where people are required now to show ID to enter (any kind of ID, not checked against anything, just show them something whether you are supposed to be in that building or not, and you get in... real stupid, right?)
So, though these measures are inconvenient and do not enhance our safety, they can be justified from a utilitarian standpoint that for many people, this enhanced feeling of protection whether rationally justified or not, increases their utility/well-being/whatever you want to call it. Thinking about it this way, at least for me, reduces the frustration. Next time I fly and have to throw away my Mach 3 razors, I'll just convince myself that the inconvenience to me is outweighed by the increase in well-being/utility felt by all the sheeple, and the total utility of society is increased. At least these types of knee-jerk reactions are somewhat harmless. It's the stuff like national ID cards that we should be really worried about, and not waste our mental energies on the petty stuff. IMHO. Hope this makes sense. The concept of increasing total "utility" of society is from microeconomics class 12 years ago, in case it sounds like I'm talking out of my *ss or something...
Relax, Ridge doesn't have the the right mix to win a nat'l primary. Besides, when JC Watts gets picked as the VP nominee in '04, he'll be unstoppable!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.