“My congressman is smarter than yours” - OR - “it’s harder than you think to govern”
|
|
One of the things that most annoys me about today’s political debate is its almost complete reliance on sound bites, innuendo, and shouting matches. But in today’s media environment, that’s unfortunately what it seems to take to get noticed…and to win debates and elections.
In talking with a couple of friends from the left (yes, I have them, of course they wouldn’t want me to name them), we all agreed on one principle: while we have all used the 10-second clip to get noticed or achieve a quick political victory, we still know that good government is a lot harder than you think…and simple black and white answers (or red and blue, if you prefer the current vernacular) do not always hold the answer.
For those who like to bury their head in the sand and think that no government is the answer, how does that address inherent inequalities that prevent true capitalism? For those that think government is the answer, how does that ensure that the incentives and rewards that are necessary to inspire creativity, growth, and the entrepreneurial spirit exist?
It’s o.k. to have a foundation to build on, but it can’t stop there.
In other words, transportation, energy, education, health care, national defense, etc. are all issues that require some form of balance and thought. All of these issues have folks who have studied for decades to become subject matter experts, and all of these issues have volumes and volumes of original research and study dedicated to finding a balanced, rational approach to good government.
That is why you have got to admire what U.S. Rep. Randy Forbes (R-VA04) is doing with his Web site. Not only was the site awarded last year for excellence, but it is literally teeming with information on almost every possible subject.
A couple of weeks ago, Forbes put together a primer on Gas Prices — before all the testimonies and the sudden panic of a rising prices began to grip us. (As an aside, was it so hard to predict that the media on Memorial Day would suddenly be reporting about how people were suddenly canceling vacations or taking ones shorter to home?)
Then, this weekend, Forbes takes on the complexity of the economy from the perspective of a family. He addresses health care, housing costs, the price of food, the cost of tuition, among others.
The bottom-line is that Forbes is taking his job as a congressman seriously. He has clear convictions and positions, but he is willing to communicate with his constituency on the entirety of the issue. He identifies the problem, investigates the facts, presents the need (or lack thereof) for government involvement, and then states his case to the general public, as well as inviting feedback.
Where many politicians seek quick-fix answers that appeal to public emotional sentiment, Forbes is actually doing the heavy-lifting that is required for good government.
Forbes is doing what maybe all of us should consider — trying to understand the problem before actually taking a position or relying on simple words and simpler phrases.
on 
The problem is that Forbes “fix” for issues that became problems primarily because the federal government stuck its tentacles in the issue in the first place, is MORE government. No thanks!!!!! Good government is one that governs the least AND one that leaves decisions to as local a level as possible, preferrably to The Individual. I can manage on my own, thankyouverymuch.
And besides, the purpose of the federal government is to protect life, liberty and property, not to do things for us.
Terri - I think you miss the point of Jim’s excellent post, if there was no government involvement in gas prices then you would monopolisitic practices (think Standard Oil) and capitalism would be defeated just as if communism was at work, and the consumer would lose. We do need government, the question is how much. Moreover, where do you want the money to pay for the roads to use your gas to come from? (FYI, right now the federal tax on a gallon of gas is $.18 - not exactly a substantial figure…).
Jim has it right, there are no simple answers on any issue - and the smarter answer is never black or white, but always a shade of gray. Sadly pundits and politicians have learned to talk in soundbites because that seems to be all Americans have the patience to listen to or understand.