Monday, May 3, 2010

National News Monday

I was going to keep out of the national politics scene but figured I could do a single post on Monday for national politics.  This post includes:

1.  What's going on in the economics scene with recent new on "Government Motors" paying off its debt, which of course is false.

2.  9/11 conspiracies & Building 7

3.  President Obama's speech on civil politics and Cato Institutes comments.

4.  Ayn Rand on compromise.

1. State of Economics:
Jack Spirko, an audio podcaster, has these comments and these on recent economics trends.  Please don't confuse him with any of the conspiracy people in the following post below.

 2.  Conspiracy & Building number 7:
 The conspiracy blogs are alight with comments from Jeffrey Scott Shapiro from Fox News on Building 7.

"Shortly before the building collapsed, several NYPD officers and Con-Edison workers told me that Larry Silverstein, the property developer of One World Financial Center was on the phone with his insurance carrier to see if they would authorize the controlled demolition of the building – since its foundation was already unstable and expected to fall."

I don't know if this really means anything.

3.  Obama calls for "civil debate" in speech:

Of course, Obama's logic is flawed.  The blogs have been ablaze on this speech since he's hitting anarcho-libertarians and conservatives alike.  Here's an analysis:

Moreover, democracy in a nation of more than three hundred million people is inherently difficult. It has always been noisy and messy; contentious and complicated. We have been fighting about the proper size and role of government since the day the Framers gathered in Philadelphia. We have battled over the meaning of individual freedom and equality since the Bill of Rights was drafted.

Of course, the politics have always been hotly debated.  Any time you are trying to control someone else's life you should expect contention.  Especially when you are trying to do it at a national level over 300 million people.  Obama made a good point here for small localized government.

"A Republic, if you can keep it...."Well, for more than two hundred years, we have kept it.

This can be argued (more on that below).  And why does he keep calling it a democracy after defining it as a republic?

But the other strand is the belief that there are some things we can only do together, as one nation - and that our government must keep pace with the times....This notion hasn't always been partisan. It was the first Republican President, Abraham Lincoln, who said that the role of government is to do for the people what they cannot do better for themselves.

Yes, some things the federal government does need to do.  Like those things enumerated in the constitution.  They don't need to build roads, give charity, and a plethora of other things.

For many years, we had a welfare system that too often discouraged people from taking responsibility for their own upward mobility.

Yep, still does.

Throwing around phrases like "socialist" and "Soviet-style takeover;" "fascist" and "right-wing nut" may grab headlines, but it also has the effect of comparing our government, or our political opponents, to authoritarian, and even murderous regimes.

True, we need to be civil but we also need to to call an apple an apple and an orange an orange.  The US is not a socialist nation.  It can be argued that it is moving closer and closer (if not already there) to a mercantilist, corporatist, or fascist system.

Still, if you're someone who only reads the editorial page of The New York Times, try glancing at the page of The Wall Street Journal once in awhile. If you're a fan of Glenn Beck or Rush Limbaugh, try reading a few columns on the Huffington Post website.

A better comparison would be.  If you read NYT then read the Drudge Report.  If you read Huffington Post then you should also read Lew Rockwell and Cato Institute.  If you read WSJ then you should read Mises Institute.

This democracy we have is a precious thing. For all the arguments and all the doubts and all the cynicism that's out there today, we should never forget that as Americans, we enjoy more freedoms and opportunities than citizens in any other nation on Earth. We are free to speak our mind and worship as we please; to choose our leaders and criticize them if they let us down. We have the chance to get an education, work hard, and give our children a better life.

It is true our republic is precious thing.  That's why we need to stop the government from taking our rights away.  As Franklin said.  We are not holding onto it and many of the freedoms we have enjoyed are gone or are passing away.  We need not compromise on our individual freedoms.  As Ayn Rand said in the post below.

4.  Ayn Rand on compromise.

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