Excellent points, all. I have been a fan of Sowell since I first came across him. I read or listen to him, nodding my head all the while. This particular quote is one of my all time favorites. It is timeless and spot on. And, like our founders did, it acknowledges our flawed nature, fallibilities, and susceptibility of people to accepting simple solutions to complex problems. I immediately saw this played out in my support for Trump. I am not a Trump fan, cringing at his personality, crudeness, bombast, tweets, checkered past, etc. I don't even care for the way he speaks. I support him because he is, in my view by far, the best of otherwise terrible choices. Can you even imagine a Kamala Harris/Tim Waltz administration? It is enough to give you nightmares! To all my progressive and leftist friends and FB acquaintances, any support for Trump no matter how nuanced, is viewed as full-throated support and proof of one's irredembably horrible moral character. How do we change this? I haven't a clue. It is true that conservatives view the left as uninformed while the left views progressives as evil. Not much rooom for compromise there...........
Well, in two years Trump's term will be winding down, and they won't have him as an excuse for their own insanity/stupidity. Two things could happen - 1) they recover (unlikely as that is) or 2) they simply transfer that insanity/stupidity onto a new target.
"We are so far astray of original intent (or scope of government) that I’m not sure how we could ever correct anything without direct intervention from the people." Spot on. This or, as you mentioned also, and Article V convention seem to be the only ways out of this mess. Sadly, the left is cheering only for 'direct intervention from the people' and they are not cheering for the right.
2. ????? [handwave-y "solution" for current issue]
3. UTOPIA!
Here's the test: If the person is focused on points #1 and #3 and ignores #2, they're a liberal or socialist. If they're instead focused on what's concealed by the question marks and handwaving on #2, they're probably a conservative or Constitutionalist.
To a conservative and/or Constitution-believer, the "how" of any solution/trade-off is just as -- if not more -- important as the "what" of the problem and "why" only a government-provided (and tax-funded) solution/trade-off will do. To a Leftist/socialist/communist, the "what" and "why" are reason enough for a centralized solution from an all-powerful government; "how" is an after-thought ... if it's thought of at all.
At least one third (I honestly suspect even more) of THE PEOPLE are the problem. They may not propose stupidity, but they will support it. Not just on the left, but populist-nationalist right are just as emotional and detached from reality. The adoration of Trump is just as brain-dead as the hatred.
This makes my point, expressed above, perfectly. Any support of Trump is viewed as "adoration". Forget any nuance, qualification, or context. It is not brain dead to approve of reasonable policies- secure borders, election reform, law and order, supporting our only ally and democracy in the Middle East, getting the EU to pay more for their own defense, reining in China's attempt at hegemony, elimimination of DEI in professional education and practice, recognition of basic human biology, and restoring pride in America, without having to apologize because the individual who promotes these is seriously flawed.
No there is a vast difference between seeing Trump's policies as reasonable, and the cult of personality that treats him as the Savior of the nation. Now, it is true that those who abhor the man typically can't make that distinction. If you don't hate him, you must love him; and the converse of that is not uncommon.
Then there are the conservatives (*cough* National Review *cough*) that should support Trump's policies but don't because they just can't stand the man.
That's such a stupid argument. Elon Musk doesn't have a trillion dollars filling his mattress or stacked in a room in his house, or even in the bank.
Elon Musk's net worth is wrapped up in his ownership of the 6 company he currently owns, plus others he's invested in. His 6 companies provide employment for 1bout 160k people.
Saying "he doesn't need that much money" is saying that some of those people don't need their jobs. That we don't need the innovation and creativity he's applied to his endeavors; that we don't need the products his companies produce and that we won't in the future need the technological advances and innovations his companies are working on and have yet to produce.
I don't know about you, but I don't think some blue haired, nose-ringed Starbucks employee with a doctorate in some field that ends in "studies" and is murderously envious of Elon for his successes is the type of person we need to have deciding how much created value is too much.
Didn’t David Horowitz (of “Radical Son” fame) show that for the far left “the issue is never the issue . . . The issue is always the revolution?”
Michael,
Excellent points, all. I have been a fan of Sowell since I first came across him. I read or listen to him, nodding my head all the while. This particular quote is one of my all time favorites. It is timeless and spot on. And, like our founders did, it acknowledges our flawed nature, fallibilities, and susceptibility of people to accepting simple solutions to complex problems. I immediately saw this played out in my support for Trump. I am not a Trump fan, cringing at his personality, crudeness, bombast, tweets, checkered past, etc. I don't even care for the way he speaks. I support him because he is, in my view by far, the best of otherwise terrible choices. Can you even imagine a Kamala Harris/Tim Waltz administration? It is enough to give you nightmares! To all my progressive and leftist friends and FB acquaintances, any support for Trump no matter how nuanced, is viewed as full-throated support and proof of one's irredembably horrible moral character. How do we change this? I haven't a clue. It is true that conservatives view the left as uninformed while the left views progressives as evil. Not much rooom for compromise there...........
Rick
Well, in two years Trump's term will be winding down, and they won't have him as an excuse for their own insanity/stupidity. Two things could happen - 1) they recover (unlikely as that is) or 2) they simply transfer that insanity/stupidity onto a new target.
"We are so far astray of original intent (or scope of government) that I’m not sure how we could ever correct anything without direct intervention from the people." Spot on. This or, as you mentioned also, and Article V convention seem to be the only ways out of this mess. Sadly, the left is cheering only for 'direct intervention from the people' and they are not cheering for the right.
I like to use the "Underpants Gnomes Test":
To recap, the "Underpants Gnomes" plan was thus:
1. Steal all the underpants.
2. ?????
3. PROFIT!
The Leftist agenda follows a similar track:
1. Name the current issue.
2. ????? [handwave-y "solution" for current issue]
3. UTOPIA!
Here's the test: If the person is focused on points #1 and #3 and ignores #2, they're a liberal or socialist. If they're instead focused on what's concealed by the question marks and handwaving on #2, they're probably a conservative or Constitutionalist.
To a conservative and/or Constitution-believer, the "how" of any solution/trade-off is just as -- if not more -- important as the "what" of the problem and "why" only a government-provided (and tax-funded) solution/trade-off will do. To a Leftist/socialist/communist, the "what" and "why" are reason enough for a centralized solution from an all-powerful government; "how" is an after-thought ... if it's thought of at all.
"without direct intervention from the people"
At least one third (I honestly suspect even more) of THE PEOPLE are the problem. They may not propose stupidity, but they will support it. Not just on the left, but populist-nationalist right are just as emotional and detached from reality. The adoration of Trump is just as brain-dead as the hatred.
This makes my point, expressed above, perfectly. Any support of Trump is viewed as "adoration". Forget any nuance, qualification, or context. It is not brain dead to approve of reasonable policies- secure borders, election reform, law and order, supporting our only ally and democracy in the Middle East, getting the EU to pay more for their own defense, reining in China's attempt at hegemony, elimimination of DEI in professional education and practice, recognition of basic human biology, and restoring pride in America, without having to apologize because the individual who promotes these is seriously flawed.
No there is a vast difference between seeing Trump's policies as reasonable, and the cult of personality that treats him as the Savior of the nation. Now, it is true that those who abhor the man typically can't make that distinction. If you don't hate him, you must love him; and the converse of that is not uncommon.
Then there are the conservatives (*cough* National Review *cough*) that should support Trump's policies but don't because they just can't stand the man.
“nobody needs that much money.”
That's such a stupid argument. Elon Musk doesn't have a trillion dollars filling his mattress or stacked in a room in his house, or even in the bank.
Elon Musk's net worth is wrapped up in his ownership of the 6 company he currently owns, plus others he's invested in. His 6 companies provide employment for 1bout 160k people.
Saying "he doesn't need that much money" is saying that some of those people don't need their jobs. That we don't need the innovation and creativity he's applied to his endeavors; that we don't need the products his companies produce and that we won't in the future need the technological advances and innovations his companies are working on and have yet to produce.
I don't know about you, but I don't think some blue haired, nose-ringed Starbucks employee with a doctorate in some field that ends in "studies" and is murderously envious of Elon for his successes is the type of person we need to have deciding how much created value is too much.
The cows are all coming home from FDR. Now, what do we do???
Please comment (?at length?) on Repeal of Amendment XVII.