By Arthur C. Brooks
The Washington Post
America faces a new culture war.
This is not the culture war of the 1990s. It is not a fight over guns, gays or abortion. Those old battles have been eclipsed by a new struggle between two competing visions of the country's future. In one, America will continue to be an exceptional nation organized around the principles of free enterprise -- limited government, a reliance on entrepreneurship and rewards determined by market forces. In the other, America will move toward European-style statism grounded in expanding bureaucracies, a managed economy and large-scale income redistribution. These visions are not reconcilable. We must choose.
Comments
Fri, May 24, 2013 - 09:55 AM
So your publically stating that the Herald Gazette made this statement up as noted i [...]
Thu, May 23, 2013 - 08:50 PM
A'ja - I'm so proud of you! Mrs. G.
Thu, May 23, 2013 - 07:51 PM
yes folks go to church on Saturdays, Wednesdays, Sundays and other days and I can't [...]
Thu, May 23, 2013 - 07:30 PM
Being a parent and a grandparent I have seen what drinking has done to families whet [...]
Thu, May 23, 2013 - 04:38 PM
...be careful what you wish for, OBAMA is president, and the fools are voting GAY ma [...]
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But I am not prepared to give power and control of this country to bankers and corporations. How many more economic depressions do we need before people realize that putting all of our faith in businesses that only care about profits and will exploit weak policies and loopholes (that will hurt the american people in the end), is NOT a good system. Money becomes God.
Give the government (and control of the U.S. back to the people). We need our voice..not a smaller, watered down voice.
This is a short but compelling thesis on what's wrong with America and how we citizens can fix it. Government never made America the super-power she is today. It was people, who had the God given good fortune to be living in a country where hard work and sound thinking rewards an individual with greater prosperity and a higher standard of living.
Many government leaders today, actively sell the concept that government somehow is the driver of our economy. And increasingly it is because it is consuming at gunpoint, more out of the GDP than ever before.
But that does not make for a prosperous and free people. Only free enterprise in a free America can stop the downward trajectory our leaders in Washington DC have sent us on.
DC talking heads rattle on about 'sustainability'. We need sustainable energy. We need sustainable products.
What we really need is sustainable opportunity. That comes when the US federal government shrinks back to its Constitutional size and gets the hell out of the way.
Go beg for another handout.
How do you see when you are sitting on your head like that anyway?
The private sector has run this country up to the top of the world. This has been the greatest experiment the world has ever seen.
You people that are trying to change my country---leave the damn thing and start over with the "change you can believe in" and take the people you gave power to , with you.
The greatest successes the world has ever seen happen when people work together.
"Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it."
Your quote at the end of your statement makes me believe you are a religious person, and I respect that, but I have another thought that was instilled in me as I was growing up. God Helps those who help themselves. That is the difference between the individual society and a government one. They don't believe in Gods help. They want to be all powerful and you under their thumb. Help us get rid of it back to constitutional size, then we can get back to the greatest experiment the world has ever seen. Complete freedom as it was set up to be. Stand on your own two feet, and do not become a moocher like sooooo many.
You operate under the belief that government involvement is evil. The supposed elected voice of the people (us) are evil. This is true in the sense that government is not run by people but by corporations. They run this country. They buy our politicians so politicians no longer work for us. Those who want to limit government and remove the only barriers that corporations have on absolute power and subsequently allow them to fill the power vacuum left behind is not a great plan. The American people need to take their government back so that it becomes the voice of the people and not special interests.
Our world is more complex today than during the time of the Constitution. I do not agree that a constitution size government will be effective at all in governing our modern world.
Yes God helps those who help themselves, but we do not get to judge that. We are called to take care of the least of these.
There is so much regulation on American business today, you can hardly call the US a 'free' country. And, with all this regulation - the US federal government still failed to stop the meltdown. Why? Because they're much of the cause.
I enjoy drinking relatively clean, unpolluted water, not having an over population of 6 legged frogs and having safely built structures, among other things.
Good, effective -untainted by big business- regulation is needed...especially in the days of Goldman Sacks, Bernie Madoff and other crooks. If your definition of "freedom" includes allowing businesses and corporations to act in immoral ways that harm American people, then you should probably reexamine your ideology. Even most geniuses have been wrong a time or two.
Did you know that Social Security is unfunded to the tune of $70 trillion dollars? That's more than 5 times the US GDP. A corporation with unfunded liabilities like that would see its Officers and Directors in jail.
The US government makes Bernie Madoff look like a petty shoplifter.
Medicaid and Medicare are also unfunded for an additional $50 trillion dollars.
If you want to punish someone for ripping off the system, start with your US federal government. Corporations are pikers next to them.
Like I said..big business buys politicians. They are running the show and perpetuating our government’s ineffectiveness.
The oil spill is a perfect example of how our government was bought by business..and we always pay the price. BP will get their settlement cap. All is well in the corporate world.
Government for the people is not the issue. The issue is when government is influenced by outside forces.
Let me know when you're running.
It is not a perfect system but it is better than no system.
Our world has changed in the last 200 years. The problems we face now are much more complex, are more expensive and have global ramifications. Our wonderful and intelligent founding fathers also considered that times will change, as will and needs of the people.
"provide for common defense and promote general welfare"..
We should agree to disagree.
You people that pray to big government to provide for your daily bread---new information for you that came out yesterday. For the first quarter of this year, private sector pay checks, are the least amount in the history of our country. Meanwhile the government payouts are the highest in the history of our country. This includes-welfare-social security-food stamps-unemployment for over a year-medical for illegal people and the list goes on,and on. If you can't follow that you have a set of blinders on like my grandaddy's mule named Maud. As long as she could see the feed bucket, she did not have the gumption to look around and see what else was coming her way. Just tug on the bit we forced in her mouth, and that was the direction she went. If you did not feed her, she balked,but as long as you threw those scraps, she did anything you wanted to do. Sound familiar???
You anti business people remember who keeps the business going-Fireman-school teachers-law enforcement-mill workers-any person with a 401k or Ira or any other investment to earn enough to live out our dimming American dream, what ever the job they preform for their benefit and family. These are the people that have the power to put people in charge through a simple thing called, a vote. There have been people that have lobbied since gov. It is more now than ever.If you would research people, and vote for the ones that say they will not be influenced by anything other than a guideline called the Constitution, they are out there. You made the asinine statement -It wont work. For your information it has worked for 230 yrs.-give or take a year or so. Not a bad record, but you genius people all of a sudden want to be like Europe. Well the big gov.with all of their payouts are on the verge of folding. I suppose this is the future you would put on my great grandchild. She is 4 months and she all ready owes this big government approx $36,000 dollars for her part now. So does every man, woman and child in this country, I guess this tickles you to no end. Research it, the information is there.
-into or in a condition of unity, compactness, or coherence
United we stand. Divided we fall. Its not about a single person. Its about the group.
I do not wish to live in a world in which people are looking out for only themselves.
And people tend to only look for and believe in research that will confirm their bias belief. It is actually called 'confirmation bias'..research it.
P.S If we the people do not turn Obama's health care around in Nov. I hope you people that are chomping at the bit for this, enjoy the I.R.S. to be deeply involved in your life more than they are now,because---THEY gonna be. THEY will fine you for not jumping through hoops,and not buying what THEY tell you to buy when it comes to health care, because the Ins companies will not be able to compete with gov. THEY do not have to make a profit to operate THEY just have the power to print money without anything to back it up, and use force to take it away from those that pay out their hard earned money to give to those who did not bother to have gumption enough to earn their own, but wants someone else to feed them their fish, but you would know that if you had any common sense at all, Oh yea-- if you owe the gov. for a medical procedure,and do not pay them when THEY tell you to, THEY will have the power to reach in your--bank account--savings account--401 account--any investment account you may have--and take it without your permission or knowledge, because you will be in a governmental health computer to control your treatments, and not your Dr.( Wonder what that will do to a credit card, or a check written on your account when the money is suppose to be there,but not, to pay your rent, or house payment). Fine you--put leans on anything you may be lucky enough to own, and there are a lot of other goodies that are in your Obama Socialist Health care Bill. I know you are dying for it to hurry and get here---let me rephrase that---you may die in line after it gets here, and I do not get all my information from Beck. I try to listen to both sides, and research on my own, not take a ten second sound bite and take it for gospel like a lot of small minded people that are too lazy to do a little digging on their own. You find out who is what when you crawl under the covers and not on top of them. Research That!!!! We will never be united as long as there are people with your mindset. I am so glad I stand in a very large number and growing every day that see people like you for what you are---a huggy, huggy, kissy kissy kinda type guy or gal.