TARP and ADD

Your observation of democratic socialism and loopy thinking brings to mind UT Professors Galbrath's book that identifies
the problem as the market, which has not been honestly informing us, and replacing with it with gov't., resulting in the same, just rewarding different favorites. I'm sure the outcomes will not reward efficiencies or effort that actuates into meaningful growth. This will have an impact on social mobility to the negative for decades if not permanently. This may be an outcome that Prof. Galbraith prefers if he is of the same mind as his Stalinist antecedent.
Your argument for our Constitution makes for a candidacy of a Bob Barr type, though less dogmatic, in 2012 if Obama reinforces the statism that has bloomed under the guidance and acquiescence of the current Administration and Congress. Is it advisable for the incoming Administration to tweak, prod and reward individuals and companies to invest, save or focus effort on some demonstrably positive economic actions? The answer is yes if makes for efficiencies, stability, growth and rewards the efforts of those that do endeavor. This latest and possibly largest intervention by the gov't. in our economy was touted as a transitory not permanent. Let us pray that Prof. Galbraith and his fellow wise men do not have or get the ear of our new president for if they do all of the evils they have decried will surely be practiced by them once they control the pie.
David O. Farrell

Conservatives are crazy if they believe for one minute they'll be elected under the premise of the American people living in debt for the rest of their lives. How can Conservatives keep selling this idea that the Government should be bailing out wall street and CEO's while the people keep picking up the tab? This idea of trickle down economics is a joke, It's proven, It does not work. Conservatives like George Will don't care about the working man. They just want the little man to pay the countries bills. If these banks get bailed out, And they start lending again, People need to turn a blind to them. The country has shown, The ways of conservatism is over. Capitalism is over. The time has come for the people to get their share.

Divisiveness, dualism, blaming, labeling, name-calling, critique without solutions. Don't you understand, Mr. Will? Americans are tired of this threadbare rubbish. You offer only more of the same - the "us versus them" mentality that solves nothing. In the insightful interrogative of Dr. Phil, "And how's that working for you?" Do you plan on becoming part of the solution or remaining part of the problem?

The article stated "The results must be irrationality and, eventually, corruption. Socialism is not merely susceptible to corruption; it is corruption???the allocation of wealth and opportunity by political favoritism. "
What exactly are the bailouts if not political favortism?
The economic policies of the Regan/Bush era have in fact created the economic crisis this country now faces.
In large part due to the short sighted exclusion of the middle class if not and out and out effort to rid the country of a middle class.
There is not a Republican alive who will not claim one of the problems is the higher wages Americans (sometimes) recieve.
We now see 28% of Americans below the poverty line and an administration wondering where the consumers are, while bailing out those who have worked the system to remove as much cash from the pockets of the consumer.
Even the premise that as soon as the banks start lending again the consumer will borrow and spend once again is foolish, the fact is; the consumer is all taped out, has lost any equity to borrow against, and has lost any taste for more debt and the inherant risk it imparts.
According to Mr Wills statement on Socialism the outgoing Administration has been the most Socialist Administration in the History of the country, with the possible exception of Coolidge/Hoover.
Even giving Paulson such a staggering amount of money to bail out those who took his elimination of the "net capital rule' to extremes seems criminal, calling it socialism is too kind.

Libertarians are losing the battle for freedom, but may win in the end, because the economic catastrophe will remove many of the incentives for government intervention. When there is no elite class left to protect, socialism will lose interest. Boycott the elites. Don't buy anything from them, don't patronize their businesses,don't pay taxes, don't request government services. Put the elites out of business, the government will fold, we will be free. .

Actually Locke prohibited ALL bureaucracy. Locke says we delegate temporary authority to elected--and only elected--legislators, with the proviso that we can unelect them. They can delegate our authority no further. Authority given to the unelected, Locke defines as tyranny. No bureaucrats allowed. No matter--you, Mr Will don't believe in Locke anyway. You support term limits. Utterly un-Lockian, elitist assumption that we the people are not up to our job of supervising elected officials. It is true, sadly, but un-Lockian. Anyway Locke and his thin theories are dead. Bush killed him. Government is now transparently only about power. Nothing to do with Natural Rights, or the constraints of a Social Contract. Bush breached the contract. It's over. The more interesting question is what new theory we can come up with. John Rawls? Oh, please.

The date for John Locke's work is 1688 or 1689, not 1609.

As usual, Mr. Will is so articulate with both words and ideas, it's hard to know what to comment on first. However, I'll just quibble with one set of statements: "

"When prices are arbitrary, which they must be when not set by markets, you have the essence of socialism. The results must be irrationality and, eventually, corruption."

Seems to me the prices WERE set by the markets, and they WERE arbitrary - houses and gasoline, to name two, were both artificially inflated and manipulated by dishonest lenders and rampant speculators, leading to the current financial morass. These were the excesses of captialism run amok - greed and gluttony - not the excesses of socialism - sloth and envy.

Seems more likely that the problems were CAUSED by irrationality and corruption, rather than our financial mess resulting in them, a markedly different interpretation of cause and effect than Mr. Will would have us believe.

Is/was this socialism? Capitalism? Liberalism? Conservativism? The answer is all, and none, of the above.

Perhaps we need a new -ism: Dumbass-ism comes to mind, and it is wonderfully universal in both description and application, makes the issue of narrow ideology obsolete, and avoids casting blame at any one group.

Clearly, the jackass must be the Creator's favorite animal, since He created so darn many of them.

America is in trouble. We have new leaders with new ideas. What should we we do with old ideas? How can we move forward without comprehending the past. We need a new era of enlightenment where people look deeply into all ideas both old and new. However, bad ideas should be exposed and put to rest. Why did Bush allow all these problems drown America. This we need to know.

The intrusion of Government into business would not have been necessary if we had a government with a brain for the last eight years, one with the ability to think beyond their next paycheck so typical of Republicans.
Aside from the preoccupation over the average Americans paycheck that Republicans univerally believe is too much.

Are you still writing? On what basis do you claim to punditry? Dis you foresee this mess? Did you oppose the people --corporate executives and Republican politicians --who did so much to create it.

No? I didn't think so.

Just be quiet and pray for forgivenss.

Greetings:
If you all would like to save the Republic of the US of A, then u might like to investigate the following...
1. Save mortgage forclosures on ARMs:
Let us use a 3, 4, or 5 year ARM. In the 3 year arm, let us say the 1st yr was 3%, the 2nd yr was 4%, and the 3rd year was 5%. It is now the 5th year and the ARM is at 7%, and climbing.
Freeze the ARM at the 3rd year's rate of 5% for the next 3 years. No one loses! The home owner will (87%) be able to make the martgage payments. The banks get their money, maybe not all of it, but enough so they dont need to be bailed out any further.
2. Remove the cap on Sociasl Security and place Social Sexcurity money in a trust that cannot be touched by Congress!
3. Give every tax payer and/or those on SS a one time $5,000 tax credit toward, either their mortgages, or Credit Cards. Who owns most of the credit cards? The banks do! The card holder can pay down his debt, and the banks get an infusion of money!
4. This is the most important and can CREATE between 5 and 10 million NEW and fairly well paying JOBS!
Allow the Automobile Industry go into bankruptcy. Under Chapter 11, they will restructure their management, become leaner, and retool for more efficient vehicles. At $70 an hour for (average) employees, at full compensation, it is impossible to compete in the world of trade!
They had a wake up call during the Carter Administration's Oil Embargo. They chose to ignore it.
Begin building hydrogen engines or fuel cells, and installing for all used vehicles This includes fleets of trucks, busses, ATVs, SUVs, and ALL automobiles. This will force the Auto Ind to retool their lines, or give up the ghost!
5. Begin building Wave or Tidal Generators to be placed off our shores. This would create massive NEW jobs and we would once again be leaders in the world. We wouldnt be looking for handouts from the countries who hate us and would like to see us fail!
This could be created by tax incentives via green energy, etc.
6. Bring home the troops from Iraq, Afganistan, and South Korea. Place them on our borders and have them assist in port security and inspection of goods. The money that they have been spending overseas would be spent here!
This must be done NOW or we will have a short recession and a long depression!

ThinkingSquare
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