House of Eratosthenes

…our friend down in New Mexico who frequently takes issue with us about our extremist positions, versus his middle-of-the-road ones. He had an opportunity to expound at length on how he thinks people should spend Labor Day. He had, count ’em, one-two-three perfectly decent opportunities to disagree with us about things.

And he ended up three-for-three. We, with our extremist viewpoints, could have authored every single word he wrote. Especially these:

I will resist the temptation to turn this post into an anti-union screed, and said temptation is strong indeed, Gentle Reader. But let me just say this about that… I’m of the opinion that labor unions are the root of all most evil in our post-industrial society. I’ll grant you labor unions have a glorious history and were responsible for righting numerous wrongs in the early 20th century. But like the buggy whip, their time has passed. What we get from our unions today are things like “card check” —a decidedly UN-American renunciation of free elections in the workplace— and outright political intimidation. I’m not seeing much good in that… and neither are most other Americans, as Ed Morrissey notes in this Hot Air post. But let us not digress further; I’m sure you get my point.

I have redacted much there, because our friend down south places much in the clamshells () and as I’ve said before, I consider parenthetical material to be entirely expendable. But within the clamshells and outside of ’em, there is much linky goodness peppered throughout Buck’s Labor Day post, and it’s all well worth reading. Go read it all, every single word. You’ll be doing yourself a favor.

Nevertheless, this “centrist” thing brings up a concern that weighs somewhat heavily on my mind whenever our so-called “moderate” acquaintance takes issue with our “extremist” ramblings. We are, in recent years, strangely unified on our definitions…extremist…moderate…fringe-kook…centrist. There is very little disagreement lately on what opinion falls into what category. And this unification does not work along lines of common sense. This, in my mind, is a bad thing. It is almost a public mental health issue. Something just shy of a crisis.

I don’t like the way “centrist” is defined lately.

Let us say we do something that common sense, as well as history itself, counsels as being reprehensibly unwise. Passing gas into a campfire — after painting one’s hind end with gasoline. Kidnapping baby bear cubs in line-of-sight of their mothers. Telling Hells’ Angels riders something like “Hey, are you faggots going to move your fucking bikes so I can park here?” Flesh out that list of mine in whatever manner most effectively entertains you…

…it seems to me that lately, what defines a “centrist” is the following: We’ve done this stupid thing, whatever it is, ten times. It’s put us in the emergency ward ten times. Let’s go for an eleventh, just for the hell of it!

The guy who says “Let’s not, and say we did” is characterized as the extremist.

Am I right or am I right? We’re tinkering around with the idea of passing nationalized health care — which hasn’t been written into a unified body of legislation yet, let alone passed through committee. Every time some “conservative firebrand” comes up with a word of caution for us…think of Sarah Palin’s “death panels”…we are cautioned that this is a “falsehood,” that it is “bearing false witness,” that it is an “urban legend.” And that she is an “extremist.” But primarily, that the stuff she’s saying is not true.

Of course it isn’t! The legislation hasn’t been written yet. But if you want to go by the history of other countries that have this kind of health care plan in place, what she said is absolutely one hundred percent true. Death panels, death courts, death quorums, death committees, call ’em what you will. It’s bureaucrats deciding who’s gonna live and who’s gonna die…and “death panel” is just as good a name as any.

My point is not that what Palin said, in the final analysis, is true. Although it is.

My point is that her comments have been characterized as extremist in nature, and those who contradict her have been characterized as moderates. In a sane universe, it would be the other way around. The evidence is overwhelmingly on her side. I say again: overwhelmingly. Start, if it suits your druthers, with all the countries that have instituted nationalized health care plans, similar or identical to the one we are now considering — who are now rejecting those plans, or in some other way regretting them. They have bureaucrats sitting down to decide who does & doesn’t “deserve” coverage…empowered with decision-making over life-and-death…just like Palin said.

Palin one, Obama zip.

And that leads into this other article of “must-not-miss” stuff straight from the archives of that extremist Libertarian crackpot Neal Boortz: Four Problems That Could Sink America. Briefly summarized here:

1. We don’t like to work. Sure, now that jobs are scarce, everybody’s willing to put in a few extra hours to stay ahead of the ax. But look around: We still expect easy money, hope to retire early, and embrace the oversimplistic message of bestsellers like The One Minute Millionaire and The 4-Hour Workweek. Unfortunately, the rest of the world isn’t sending as much money our way as it used to, which makes it harder to do less with more.
:
2. Nobody wants to sacrifice. Why should we? The government is standing by with stimulus money, banker bailouts, homeowner aid, cash for clunkers, expanded healthcare, and maybe more stimulus money. And most Americans will never have to pay an extra dime for any of this. Somehow, $9 trillion worth of government debt will just become somebody else’s problem.

3. We’re uninformed.
:
People who lack the sense to question Big Lies always end up in deep trouble. Being well informed takes work, even with the Internet. In a democracy, that’s simply a civic burden. If we’re too foolish or lazy to educate ourselves on healthcare, global warming, financial reform, and other complicated issues, then we’re signing ourselves over to special interests who see nothing wrong with plundering our national–and personal–wealth.
:
4. iCulture. We may be chastened by the recession, but Americans still believe they deserve the best of everything–the best job, the best healthcare, the best education for our kids. And we want it at a discount–or better yet, free–which brings us back to the usual disconnect between what we want and what we’re willing to pay for.

Do you see a common thread amongst those four? I do. I call it the “ant and grasshopper milkshake.”

People who are willing to endure the dilemma of delayed gratification, for a late reward, are intermingled in their personal fortunes and prospects with lazier people who just want to fuck around. The result: The standard of living for hard-working people who choose to educate themselves and then act on that education, is deprecated; the standard of living for jag-offs, conversely, is artificially enhanced.

To stand in opposition to this, is not extreme. To lend your voice in support of it, is not moderate.

Our friend in New Mexico does not suffer from a lack of brains, or balls, or judgment. He simply misunderstands the debate — some of the time. And he doesn’t even misunderstand the debate quite so much; he misunderstands the enemy.

His values on the other hand, are right where they should be. And his idea is an awesome one — I know this to be true, because it’s an idea we’ve had here many a time. People need to pull their heads out of their asses with regard to old-fashioned honest hard work, and listen to what Mike Rowe has to say. For whatever other disagreements he & I may have, we are abso-freakin-lutely on the same page there. I swear, if people gave up watching American Idol, and spend just five minutes out of that time out of every hour that was spent previously, watching Dirty Jobs — a lot of this nation’s problems would disappear overnight.

With regard to “Four Problems that Could Sink America.”

Hoo boy, where do I start? First off, this article is by Rick Newman, not Neal Boortz, and it’s from the pages of US Snooze and World Distort. Let’s take a few low-hanging fruit…

Unfortunately, the rest of the world isn’t sending as much money our way as it used to, which makes it harder to do less with more.

I think it’s “do more with less.” If you’re going to use tired cliches, at least say them right.

“If you want to work eight hours a day,” he says, “you’re going to get eight-hour-a-day results. There’s nothing wrong with that, but I don’t want to hear you bitch about money if you’re only willing to work eight hours a day.”

Yeah, fine…except that my boss won’t give me any friggin’ overtime, pal. There’s no money in the budget. I’ve thought about a 2nd job, but the commute isn’t worth it. I’d love to “work harder” if I knew where to apply my efforts. Not everyone has the inclination or the capital to start his or her own business, and a lot of us weren’t lucky enough for our dads to leave us a liquor store. This clown got a running start and has no business lecturing me.

Nobody wants to sacrifice. Why should we? The government is standing by with stimulus money, banker bailouts, homeowner aid, cash for clunkers, expanded healthcare, and maybe more stimulus money. And most Americans will never have to pay an extra dime for any of this. Somehow, $9 trillion worth of government debt will just become somebody else’s problem.

No shit. Here’s an idea – instead of pious lectures about “sacrifice” from our leaders, how about them just getting government the hell out of our lives and allowing failing businesses to…fail? The market will do the sacrificing.

Hey, while we’re at it, let’s see if we can convince 1 percent of the population to bear the entire responsibility for fighting two open-ended wars that are supposedly in the interest of every American.

Point taken, but stop the horse shit about how the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan aren’t John Q Public’s problem. Throw either nation to the wolves, and they’ll be at our door next week. I think we’ve seen enough times now what happens when we cut and run and allow our enemies to think we’re a paper tiger.

Rationing is a dirty word, so we can’t have a system that officially rations something as vital as healthcare or education. Instead, we have unacknowledged, de facto rationing that directs the most resources to those with the best connections, the most money, or the savvy to game the system. What keeps the rest of us content is the illusion that we, too, will be able to game the system someday–as long as the government doesn’t interfere.

Damn right it’s a dirty word. In a capitalist society, people do their own rationing and don’t need the government doing it for them.

Oh, and by the way, the bit about “death panels” isn’t a “fiction.” It’s called “inevitable.”

I can’t believe you linked to this dumbass, Morgan. I’m disappointed.
- cylarz | 09/07/2009 @ 16:51
He’s saying we’re a nation of spoiled rotten brats whose prodigal living is starting to catch up to it. In that context, “makes it harder to do less with more” makes perfect sense. You’re in my area, are you not. Don’t you see what I see? Families living in McMansions, 5-room plus bonus, gas fireplace in the bedroom next to the hot tub, two new cars in the garage. Lady of the house does NOT WORK…the hubby’s job is George Jetson’s job, press a button whenever a light comes on. The kids are kept up to their eyebrows in a constant deluge of iTrinkets that make it unnecessary for them to ever talk to anyone.

How in God’s name could that ever not lead to some kind of day of reckoning? Use some common sense here. If Rick Newman is a busted clock, maybe it’s the time of day for him to be right.
- mkfreeberg | 09/07/2009 @ 17:26
Well, sometimes you have to point at a dumbass to contrast yourself. Help define your opinions by pointing out the opposite. Or sometimes you get really frustrated hearing the same dumb arguments again and again and you just have to “scream”. And sometimes it’s just fun. 😉

I noticed the Ted Kennedy reference to “extremist” referring to Bork. That’s the deal. It’s Alinsky all over again. They don’t like the originalist view. So they just call it extremist until nobody objects. Then it’s just “fact” — even though that view hasn’t changed from the beginning. Isolate it. Label it. Ridicule it to put social pressure on people who agree with it to … Shut Up.
- philmon | 09/07/2009 @ 17:31
On the other hand, Morgan’s right about the stopped clock.

I remember hearing someone say when the Tea Partiers were accused of carrying swastikas (implying they were Nazis) … someone said “Well, if there’s a Nazi out there somewhere who disagrees with this heath plan, he’s probably right about that.”

Too many kids grow up never having to work for anything and they have their every whim satisfied by Mom and Dad.

And I’d venture a guess that most of them end up Liberals, because they expect that they have a “right” to get stuff from other people by the time they reach chronological adulthood.
- philmon | 09/07/2009 @ 17:35
Ok Morgan, let me see if I have this straight. You say:

“We’re tinkering around with the idea of passing nationalized health care — which hasn’t been written into a unified body of legislation yet, let alone passed through committee. Every time some “conservative firebrand” comes up with a word of caution for us…think of Sarah Palin’s “death panels”…we are cautioned that this is a “falsehood,” that it is “bearing false witness,” that it is an “urban legend.” And that she is an “extremist.” But primarily, that the stuff she’s saying is not true.”

Then the article which you link to, which you don’t appear to have any criticism of, says:

The soaring cost of healthcare is a problem that affects most Americans. It’s shrinking paychecks, squeezing small businesses, bankrupting families and swelling the national debt. Yet outraged Americans seem most concerned about fictions like death panels and government-enforced euthanasia, while clinging to the myth that our current system of selective availability and perverse incentives somehow represents capitalist ideals.

So which is it?

That’s just one example. Yeah, the guy takes a few slaps at Obama – so what? It’s not like that’s a difficult thing to do. It doesn’t get him off the hook with all the other bullshit he throws in, like the bit about the “open ended wars.” What the hell does that have to do with the price of tea in China?

What concerns me is that he is (and you are) seeing all these problems with the people themselves. He goes on and on and on about what a spoiled, entitlement culture we are and how it’s all going to come crashing down on us and none of us seem concerned about doing anything about it.

The recession, he says, was caused by the burst of the housing bubble. Fine. So what caused the housing bubble? Was it A) greedy homeowners buying houses they couldn’t afford, B) lenders using poor judgement, or C) policies adopted by the Carter administration, and enforced under the Clinton administration, which pressured banks to make high risk loans to people who really had no business buying houses?

If you answered C, you win a cookie. If you answered A or B (or D) all of the above), you get a swift kick in the ass.

People are going to do with what they can get away with. If they see an opportunity to “cash in” and live it up, they’re going to take it. You can’t blame them for taking advantage of a big trough full of cash.

My ire is reserved for the corrupt and incompetent government officials who meddled in the housing markets and made it all possible. If nobody at HUD or whatever had tried to tell banks who to lend to, none of this “housing bubble” stuff would ever have come about – the bad loans wouldn’t have been made, the foreclosures wouldn’t have happened, the Freddie Mac & Fannie Mae mess wouldn’t have happened, and we wouldn’t be in a deep recession right now.

Yes, the people were responsible for putting those leaders into power, but that blame only goes so far. Right now, we’ve got a president and congress which seem hell-bent on forcing a big healthcare overhaul that nobody wants. We’ve had near-riot conditions at townhall meetings (in fact, as you know, people have actually gotten hurt) and yet our “leaders” forge ahead, knowing full well they’re probably all going to tossed out at the next opportunity. I can’t figure out if they’re blind, stupid, or simply don’t care.

Have you ever read a book called “Amusing Ourselves to Death” by Neil Postman? It was required reading in one of my college classes. Postman took the theme from “Brave New World” and ran with it, even entitling the last chapter “The Huxleyan Warning.” The author took the same tack that this US News fellow does – that the American people are a bunch of fat lazy stupid slobs who can’t do anything but push buttons and watch TV. Uhm, no…if that were the case, we’d have been overrun by our enemies long ago. Instead our nation leads the world in innovation and per-worker productivity, among other things.

As for the McMansions and the iGadgets…yes, I do live in your area, but in a completely different part of town. Nowhere near Folsom/Rocklin/Granite Bay, where a different lifestyle prevails. I’m not sure what your point is. Where exactly is this “reckoning” going to come from? Somehow I doubt you’re referring either to God’s Armageddon or to an environmental version of same. If they can afford all that shit on the husband’s George Jetson salary, what do you care?
- cylarz | 09/07/2009 @ 22:05
Couple more thoughts Morgan, and then I’ll try to let this drop…unless of course you want to spar some more.

If the overall point of the US News article is that the PEOPLE are digging themselves deep with consumer and commercial debt, then all that’s really necessary to correct the problem is for the government to stop bailing them out. As you once said, “This one really should have been obvious from the get-go.” If that’s the point of the article – sure, you bet. One of the earliest and most important lessons we teach our children – that is, if we’re responsible parents – is that actions have consequences, and that later in life, you’ll have to face those consequences without anyone around to bail you out or otherwise shield you. You steal, you go to jail…ad nauseum.

On the other hand, if Rick’s worried that the United States is on the verge of complete and total collapse because it’s trillions of dollars in debt and its national credit cards are tapped out….erm, no. Are we going to see anarchy in the streets because suddenly the military and police forces have gone broke and can no longer keep order? Well, last week I told your buddy Tim here that it might be a good time to stock up on ammo, but I’ll now admit that seems unlikely.

I don’t see enough blame in the article directed toward our leaders. One stupid voter makes one stupid decision at the ballot box based on a campaign aid on TV. Multiply that by 63 million. Barack Obama, Chris Dodd, Barney Frank, Harry Reid, and Nancy Pelosi, on the other hand, are supposed to know better than to squander our resources. What’s THEIR excuse?

On a side note (and I don’t indict Rick here since he’s fairly even-handed to both parties) – have you ever noticed that liberals only turn into fiscal hawks when there is a war on? I’ve always found it funny that we “can’t afford” the typical $87 billion war funding package, but we most certainly can afford a $1200 billion health care ‘reform’ package. They said the same stupid thing about sealing off our southern border – “we can’t afford it.” Bullshit. In reality, it’s just spending priorities…and the difference between us and them is that we’re big on the priorities that the Constitution is big on. But I digress….

Ahem. Public debt. I think what will happen instead is that the United States will simply be unable to obtain additional credit. Yes, I’m intensely concerned about the amount of national income going to interest on our debts, but really, how is it any different from what previous generations did to to us, except in scale? How long did it take us to finish paying off all those war bonds the government sold to finance World War II?

If we can’t borrow any more, then the government will be forced to live within its means. That means the Democrats will no longer be able to use our money to buy votes handing out goodies in the home districts or buying the support of Detroit automakers’ unions. They also won’t have extra cash to throw around trying to bribe entities like North Korea and Hamas into good behavior. (Yeah, $900 million for the scum running Gaza, was it? Bet they spent every dime building roads, schools, and hospitals in Gaza City.)

All I’m saying is – put the blame where it belongs. Get government out of our lives instead of quibbling over how we’re going to pay for this bailout or that stimulus. Just knock it off and let free people solve their own problems.

By the way, Morgan, the problem with the stopped clock analogy is that you never know WHEN the clock is right.
- cylarz | 09/07/2009 @ 22:49
Cylarz,

We are absolutely, positively in dire danger from these four threats Newman has identified. All four of them are clear dangers and all four of them are present dangers.

So Newman’s bought into the lie about “death panels are a myth.” What do I care? Ayn Rand was an adulteress and an atheist. It’s called “take what you like, leave the rest.”
- mkfreeberg | 09/08/2009 @ 04:37
We are absolutely, positively in dire danger from these four threats Newman has identified. All four of them are clear dangers and all four of them are present dangers.

Okay. So what’s your solution, then? Run for public office and tell 300 million people that they’re selfish, greedy, and living an unsustainable lifestyle?

My solution is “throw the bums out and make sure that the next crew hears the message of fiscal responsibility loud and clear.”

So Newman’s bought into the lie about “death panels are a myth.” What do I care? Ayn Rand was an adulteress and an atheist. It’s called “take what you like, leave the rest.”

It’s called, “Don’t link to bullshit articles, because people will assume you endorse the entire kit’n kaboodle.”
- cylarz | 09/08/2009 @ 06:35
It’s called, “Don’t link to bullshit articles, because people will assume you endorse the entire kit’n kaboodle.”

Well I can see how there’d be an appearance of contradiction if they were to make that mistake. It’s still theirs to make, and the possibility exists that you’re not speaking for quite as many folks as you think you are. Any nobodies stopping by to read these pages ought to know by now pretty well where I stand on those other issues. If they somehow don’t, that’s their problem.
- mkfreeberg | 09/08/2009 @ 06:44
All of the above is most interesting… but I’ll forego participating, except to say I don’t agree with much Boortz says, but the excerpts you quoted seem on-point, Morgan.

As for the centrist-moderate thing… I’ll just cut ‘n’ paste my response to your comment over at EIP:

Morgan sez: In other words, in all the ways that matter you are every bit as extremist as I am.

As you well know, I’ve often pointed out that you and I agree more than we disagree. Perhaps I’ll drop the “moderate” self-identification and opt for Libertarian… or the small “L” version… in future. 😀

Thanks for the link, yet again. (And I was trying to find a way to include a parenthetical comment above, but failed. I’m not fully caffeinated yet. :))
- bpenni | 09/08/2009 @ 11:06
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- House of Eratosthenes | 09/08/2009 @ 18:37

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