Orthodoxy and Society

True orthodox communists believe that if we restructure society properly, human greed will fade away, and we'll all live together, sharing everything equally. 

True believers in laissez-faire capitalism know that's a crock; they believe not only that greed won't disappear from our character, but that it's actually a virtue, which—applied in aggregate over an entire population—will deliver the best possible societal outcomes. 

This latter belief is as full of shit as the former; each has more in common with a religious cult than a serious, practical economic system.  In their unalloyed form, each overlooks human nature, and its consequences - to the severe detriment of society. 

Real problems don't yield to rigidly orthodox solutions.  Those societies which progressed the most in the twentieth century are those which have thrown out the tomes, and have employed pragmatic contributions from all the various systems.      

Leadership and Uncertainty

Leadership is not defined by the decisions one makes when the outcome is certain. These are few and far between. 

Absolute certainty is the realm of zealots, fools, and snake-oil salesmen.  Reality is rife with extraneous factors, countervailing forces, and unintended consequences.  It is those decisions one makes within that crucible of uncertainty—then stands behind— that strip away patina of public persona, and reveal a leader’s true mettle.

Education vs. Misinfotainment

If people had focused as intensely when they were in school as they do now to the right-wing misinfotainment outlets—like Fox and the Glen Bimbaugh clones—those outlets could never have built an audience, and would exist only for the fringe audience that they merit.

The 999 Plan

The Beauty of Herman Cain's '999' Plan is in its simplicity. 
In fact it's designed specifically for simplicity above all else.  Because all three of the numbers are the same, potential Cain voters can get all the way to the end without forgetting any of them. 

When asked about the plan, Texas Governor Rick Perry looked around for his Teleprompter, and--not finding it--responded that he'd have to get back to that question later.   

Free Trade and Jobs

On consecutive days this week, the Senate voted to refuse to even debate President Obama’s jobs bill, then passed free-trade agreements with South Korea, Panama, and Columbia. 

Hmm … Panama and Columbia.  Ha!!  When people say Congress isn’t interested in encouraging growth in American jobs, it just show how little they know about geography. 

Shrinkage

Note to GOP: We're not going to shrink our way out of this!

But I guess you knew that already, eh?

I know there are higher priorities right now than fixing our country's economic ills – the most important being blaming them on Obama.  And that all goes out the window if the economy gets fixed. 

Class Warfare

All the talk about ‘Class Warfare’ has gotten me thinking. I know all about class warfare, and the devastating effects it can have on people’s lives. On reflection, it seems clear that there’s nothing new going on. The Class War has been raging for quite some time now, and for all intents and purposes it is over. What seems just as clear is that the poor have won a decisive victory.   

Just look around any of our major city streets – their patrols are everywhere! Holding signs on street corners, in food kitchens, crowding our emergency rooms, or under freeway overpasses – everywhere taxing passers-by for their hand-outs. 

Free from the constraints of home ownership, or the scheduling restrictions of jobs, the poor quarter themselves overnight in the doorways of downtown stores, in alleys, or any other warm place– arrogantly relieving themselves wherever they choose.

Meanwhile the defeated rich desperately seek what shelter they can find in gated refugee communities, peeking furtively out from behind well-appointed window treatments. They live in fear of the weekly inspections by the special forces of the victorious poor known as ‘housekeepers’. Some must even submit to having their children indoctrinated by the elite Corps d’Au Pair.

When the rich dare to timidly emerge from these camps at all, They assemble as quickly as possible into protective groups known as ‘foursomes’ and rush headlong to the few places which offer them sanctuary – country clubs, exclusive restaurants, or even private islands. Even there, they are under the constant surveillance of the victors – never far from the prying eyes of caddies, waiters, and busboys.

It’s not clear how much more of this the rich can take, and it’s easy to see why these wretched souls fear another outbreak of class warfare.  It can only make their current precarious situation even more hazardous. 

Please, we must call a halt to this! 

Haven’t the rich suffered enough?