Jack of All Trades, Master of None
But Republicans should beware, and even mute their mischief. We’re in the middle of an actual disaster. When they win back the presidency, they’ll probably get the big California earthquake. And they’ll probably blow it. Because, ironically enough, of a hard core of truth within their own philosophy: When you ask a government far away in Washington to handle everything, it will handle nothing well.
And yet, we are giving Washington more control of our health care.
Because, ironically enough, of a hard core of truth within their own philosophy
I would say it’s a hardcore consequence of their own philosophy. When you elect people who don’t believe in competent government in the first place, that’s the kind of government you get. Surprise!
It’s a problem that Democrats need not bring upon themselves if they would only grow bigger balls and actually start governing responsibly instead of following Republicans around trying in vain to win their support. (Healthcare comes to mind immediately.)
Posted by scott on May 30, 2010 at 1144 hrs
competent government
Now there’s a contradiction in terms!
Posted by Jay4Liberty on May 30, 2010 at 1209 hrs
I rest my case. Why would anyone elect someone to a government office if that was their opinion?
Posted by scott on May 30, 2010 at 1221 hrs
Try this scott. Try to form a government and get me to participate in it without using force or intimidation.
You can’t.
Government by it’s very nature is force and incompetent.
Posted by Jay4Liberty on May 30, 2010 at 1233 hrs
Dude, you’re like a 15-year-old who learns an interesting factoid and then goes around interpreting the entire world with it: “Government is based on coercion” seems to be the extent of your understanding about anything. If only the rest of the world would see! you think to yourself. But the rest of of us did see; and we saw a lot more, and we have a view of government that is, well, about 1000 times more grown up than yours. Give it a rest already.
Why don’t you try this, genius: come up with an idea that’s better than government.
Posted by scott on May 30, 2010 at 1240 hrs
Dude, you’re like a 15-year-old who learns an interesting factoid and then goes around interpreting the entire world with it: “Government is based on coercion” seems to be the extent of your understanding about anything. If only the rest of the world would see! you think to yourself. But the rest of of us did see; and we saw a lot more, and we have a view of government that is, well, about 1000 times more grown up than yours. Give it a rest already.
Why don’t you try this, genius: come up with an idea that’s better than government.
What’s the matter scott, don’t like truth?
Yeah, that’s a grown up system alright. Run around making rules so you can hire bureaucrats to threaten and punish others for not following your little rules. Take a look at your local government and look at how many idiots are there just to enforce stupid rules that have nothing to do with one person harming another. Your fence isn’t high enough or it’s too high, your grass is too long, the color of your house isn’t right for this neighborhood, you can’t park a truck on the street, you can’t store a boat outside of the garage, you can’t have an unregistered vehicle in your driveway…the list is endless.
I will not come up with an idea for you because I am not here to run things for you. I am not here to be part of your little group. I am not here to figure things out for you. I merely want to be left alone and not have to run around to different government people to ask permission for this or that or buy a license or permit to do something that the government people will never check.
If anyone needs to grow up it’s the moron government people who are just playing a real life version of SimCity and reliving their little playground battles.
I don’t care what the rest of world sees. Let ‘em keep doing this failure called government. Maybe they can more riots when they don’t get their stuff.
Government. If you’re not ready to grow up and be an adult, it’s there for you!
Posted by Jay4Liberty on May 30, 2010 at 1259 hrs
Given your passionate views about living in a community of others, I’d really rather you find someplace where you can really get your crazy on without harming others. I’ve joked with you previously about shacks in the woods, but I really wonder if we all wouldn’t be happier if you found one for yourself. I’m betting you’d be the chief beneficiary, too. You could lecture the squirrels all day about the evils of government, shout to the trees about how all government is violence, and educate the sky about how all taxation is theft. Meanwhile the rest of us can get on with the business of living together and solving our common problems as best we can.
You’re even worse than DiGaudio. Think about that. Just think about it.
Posted by scott on May 30, 2010 at 1445 hrs
Jay, don’t bother argueing with scott, he’s made an ass of himself several times in the past two days by being completely wrong. I think he may be on his period or something.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on May 30, 2010 at 1451 hrs
Tell me you don’t agree with Jay, Dan. You also believe the central truth of the universe is that government is violence and taxes are theft?
Maybe you guys can get a shack for two. Christ.
I’m not above making an ass of myself. But I think you guys are just mad because I embarrassed the shit out of SoL when he ventured to blame teacher sex crimes on higher education.
Posted by scott on May 30, 2010 at 1455 hrs
Funny scott you want to live in harmony with everyone. except people that disagree with you. Nice
Government isnt violence, its inept, corrupt. clueless. taxes spent unwisely is theft. why do you defend both.Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on May 30, 2010 at 1514 hrs
Government is a necessary evil - but keeping government as small as possible makes everyone happy.
What separates the have nots from the “haves” - it’s simple - Pride in yourself and the desire to work. Two quantities in low supply in far too many people.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on May 30, 2010 at 1530 hrs
What’s the matter scott, don’t like truth?
Not liking truth is one of the main prerequisites of being on the Left.
Posted by Calvin Freiburger on May 30, 2010 at 2027 hrs
Lots of rhetoric above- zero answers.
Owen, inform me please about what private industry did, does, is doing, will do to stop the disaster or stop one from happening in the future.
“Lets get government out of their way.” (Thus worked great with the banks and Wall Street)
“there is a disaster and government can’t fix it, can’t fix anything and is always the problem”. (Blah, BLah,Blah)
and the oil -just keeps seeping up out of the hole.
So fix it- blog wizards
My head hurts when I read this “government is the problem crap “with nothing to solve the problems that private industry- not God- caused.
Answers please.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on May 30, 2010 at 2304 hrs
To mark: the government has not been able to respond to the diaster like BP. Yes, BP and others caused the diaster and they are the only ones to fix it. Who in the government can fix the leak? No one. Who has hired the fishing boats to clean the ocean as best they can? BP. Who has hired workers to clean the beaches? BP. If government was so great, why haven’t they done the cleaning and had BP reinburse the government?
That is BP’s obligation. Most of the bitching I have heard is about the federal government not being prepared.Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on May 31, 2010 at 0130 hrs
What in the world are you talking about, Dan?! As I intently watched PMSNBC (Scott’s home away from his home planet) I was told, by no other than the CEO of our country, that he’s been on the BP job (supposedly with his boot on their neck) “...since day one.”
Great job there, Barry.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on May 31, 2010 at 0934 hrs
I will not come up with an idea for you because I am not here to run things for you. I am not here to be part of your little group. I am not here to figure things out for you. I merely want to be left alone and not have to run around to different government people to ask permission for this or that or buy a license or permit to do something that the government people will never check.
If anyone needs to grow up it’s the moron government people who are just playing a real life version of SimCity and reliving their little playground battles.
Oh, that’s rich. To paraphrase: “Your idea sucks. I have no better idea for how to get 300 million people to share space, but I am going to disguise that behind some BS about how it’s not my job to have ideas, like I’m too cool for school. I just want your idea to leave me alone.” And you’re telling someone else to grow up? Growing up is realizing at some point in your existence that locking the door to your room and crawling under your bed isn’t a long-term life plan. You don’t like our society, either have a plan to change it or get rich and buy a f@#%ing island somewhere.
There are a lot of people who post here that I disagree with (I’m sure the feeling is somewhat mutual), but at least they come to the plate with a suggestion. Your attitude of “I don’t need ideas, I’ll just criticize everyone else’s” is about as half-assed and lazy as it gets. I’d give you better than 15-year-old though. You remind me more of the obnoxious college freshman in Intro to Political Theory who read Charles Murray’s “What It Means to be a Libertarian” over the summer (quite possibly the laziest defense of the ideology ever) and now parrots its malformed truthiness all while refusing to answer any real questions.
Posted by Recess Supervisor on May 31, 2010 at 0942 hrs
“Limited Government” does not equal “No Government”
Although RS, MM, and scott have an intensely difficult time grasping that.
Regarding the oil spill. Back in 1994, NOAA put together a plan for what to do in case of an accident like what happened with the Deepwater Horizon. It was not implemented. Not by Clinton, Not by Bush, Not by Obama. Obama put someone in charge at MMS with zero experience with the Oil/Gas industry. Just this year, Obama’s administration proposed cutting the budget of the Coast Guard oil spill response center.
We have had decades of a bipartisan failure of Government. Including administrations that completely believed in the competence and benevolence of government.
I view it as a perfect example of the failure of big government. Maritime issues are chartered in the Constitution as a duty of the Federal Government. The correlary being, if the government cannot adequately perform the functions for which it is chartered, how can we possible expect it to do those it shouldn’t.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on May 31, 2010 at 1053 hrs
Let us not forget, finding and capturing oil in 5000 feet of water is orders of magnitude more difficult to do and almost infinitely more difficult to correct major problems than in shallower coastal areas.
These issues are always about trade-offs. NIMBYism and protecting the coast from the blight or risk of a nearby spill means pushing them out into deeper water and we’re seeing what risks come along with it.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on June 01, 2010 at 0824 hrs
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