Comments on: If I were a consipiracy theorist

By: Centrist

Centrist — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 23:47:56 +0000

It appears that GWB today asked the Saudi king to increase production because “high energy prices can damage consuming economies,” adding, “I hope OPEC nations put more supply on the market, it would be helpful.”

I wonder if he enjoys the feeling of being held over a “barrel” for the benefit of someone else’s packetbook. That’s how the country feels about healthcare–it’s something we feel we desperately need, but, because someone else makes the decisions, we’re completely at their mercy.

BTW, the Saudi oil minister responded by saying, “We will raise production when the market justifies it. This is our policy.” How does it feel, GeeDub, to have your claim denied?

By: Centrist

Centrist — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 17:09:43 +0000

Over the past several weeks I have come to regard “government” much like one would regard HAL in the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey or the main computer in I, Robot. They are originally designed to serve, provide, protect, etc. but they develop a sense of their own mortality and then take steps to perpetuate their existence. I’m starting to think that “we’ve created a monster” in giving the government so much power, and now there is nothing we can do about it. (Maybe it’s the 35th birthday talking, but I’m feeling rather cynical and pessimistic lately.) Can we ever wrest power from the Borg and give it back to the people? (Sorry for all the scifi allusions.)
I dont’ think there is enough nobility and statemanship paired with the necessary money to reverse the trend. If Obama doesn’t win the presidency (or doesn’t pan out when President the way I hope), then I don’t know what I’ll do.

I did digress from the theme a little at the end–I didn’t realize that until later. But I REALLY wanted to say it.

By: Mike W.

Mike W. — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 03:24:39 +0000

Dave,

Interesting point at the beginning. However, I think you digressed significantly at the end. If you want to join the liberals in blaming everything on Bush’s expansion of power and then thinking that the solution is more government intervention, go ahead. But don’t worry, liberals aren’t alone in playing the blame game: conservatives want to blame the entire government for all the problems (and then hypocritically spend like drunken sailors when they get into office).

This is just government being government and politicians of any stripe will continue to behave badly unless we, the people, hold them accountable. We are to blame because we have decided that we would rather be comfortable than free, taken care of instead of taking care of each other and held in perpetual childhood (back to my post of Tocqueville’s points) instead of growing up and governing ourselves.

I agree that there have been egregious mistakes and idiocy in the Bush administration, but the vitriolic spewing from the left to the point of blaming “Bush and his cronies” for the increase in college tuition is taking it a bit too far.

I also agree that we worship the free market and it will not save us. That was Aristotle’s proposal. However, Plato and Hobbes and Machiavelli’s proposal was that government would save us, and that won’t happen either. So worshipping government is a mistaken solution also. And once we give government power, it’s soooo difficult to get it back. If i don’t want to comply with the market, the consequences are economic. If I don’t want to comply with the government, the consequence is loss of freedom.