No, you’re not getting my point. With 300 million different and diverse people they don’t all agree what constitutes a “good and improper ways of acting”. You have your ideas, other people have theirs.

November 9th, 2006 at 1:52 pm

“Why is America waiting for anything? Why is it not doing what it knows needs doing on its own without having to be told to by a “leader”? Why does it buy, pay for, what it doesn’t want?”

The answer is simple – there IS no “it”. There’s 300 million separate sets of choices , priorities, or needs.

So, since a reasonable number of the 300 million can’t figure out how to act in a good, effective, reasonable and proper way, all they need is a dictator, eh. One would think they could at least learn to boycott not good and improper ways of acting.

Cheers.

Thanks again, see ya on another thread.

You have to understand that people outside the US have to live with each tidal change or, worse, tsunami sent out from your shores. For a personal example, because of all the anti-immigrant and terrorist rhetoric and the numerous visits of the US security adviser to Tokyo, the government here will now demand I be fingerprinted each time I go through immigration. This, despite my 17 years in the country and permanent resident status. Still, mine is an insignificant case. I don’t fear bombs dropping from the sky or marines busting down my door. And at least for now, my job is safe from Wal-mart style globalization.

It is not that I don’t wish and hope for something better from your nation. I think I join with people all around the world who long for the US to actually follow its ideals towards more socially just action. Just we aren’t holding our breathes because of one election and more rhetoric.

So, please, grant me my more cautious, grey perspective and let’s hope a slightly brighter political climate might better nourish the seeds of grass-roots social movements. After all, this is where change occurs.

I’d like to make a subtle distinction. I’m sure you’re right that AT SOME LEVEL most politicians are in it to make the world a better place as they understand the term. But I’m talking about something a little different.

What I’M saying is that these same politicians see playing the “getting elected” game as the price they have to pay for even having a shot at improving the world. And it is such an all-consuming game that it ends up becoming the point itself. With only two political parties any voter you alienate is liable to represent a vote for the other side, so you have to talk out of both sides of your mouth. And with the cost of even a US House campaign so astronomical you have no CHOICE but to put yourself in the pocket of special interests.

So while I agree that rookie politicians may get into this with the best of intentions, but they will quickly discover that if they do not have a fanatically single-minded dedication to WINNING, their opponent, who DOES have sich dedication, will beat them and their good intentions wiill never see the light of day. it’s a devil’s bargain but there you have it.

The new majority needs to behave in a respectful and responsible matter. (To do anything else would be strategically stupid, amongst other things). The desire for political revenge, by some, should be tempered. Also, cynicism is not effective, in my opinion, because there is too much at stake.

You may experience Some degree of perverse amusement in seeing how many of these fallacies are core to political discourse. At times it seems if it weren’t for fallacies and sports analogies, polititions wouldn’t be able to say anything