Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Denominator

What is the common denominator of the political system??

Give people what they want ??
Give people what they need ??

Better yet, talk people into wanting what they need ??

I’m not talking the populist rhetoric of a Huey P. Long, for he gave them what he thought they wanted and needed.

I’m talking about the definition of “the people”. I mean all the people, rich, poor and in between.

Best of all is to allow all the people the ability to determine for themselves what they need and what they want and to try whatever method they desire to try and get it. Then try to find someone or some party that will try to let me do just that.

Americans call that freedom.

That idea of freedom can be found in the Constitution.

I want the freedom to choose for example how to educate my children. The freedom to decide what they should learn, at what speed they can best learn it.

If worse comes to worse and I decide to teach them 2+2=5;;; is it somehow better that the government makes the same mistake and teaches all the children 5 is the sum of 2+2??

I’m too old to think the government doesn’t make mistakes.

Which method is easiest to correct? Which method can simply be remedied with acknowledgement of a mistake?

When was the last time you heard a government bureaucracy admit to any mistake?

I’m still young enough to admit an obvious mistake for the sake of my children. I trust myself to do that quick and as painless as possible for the love of my children.

In the same vein, when did you last hear a large corporation admit to a mistake. Instead they’ll wage a multi million dollar ad campaign about how great the product really is, trying to hide the obvious. At least until they can come up with another product.

Here I might ad that a small company, say a mom and pop doesn’t have the time or money to do such silliness. They simply say oops then go about finding the right way to undo their mistake.

What about a political party? Last time? Mistake? Never. An individual candidate almost always.

I think that I will start looking for that difference in the business’ I shop at. (and politicians I vote for). I may be different than most but I’ve had countless talks with “company” people on the phone and in person just trying to get them to say they did or said something wrong.

It’s sometimes possible to do that but it takes a lot of time and usually isn’t worth the effort. Buying a new tie as an example; but for the education of our children it is indeed worth the trouble.

I think I’ll start looking for that difference in all the services I buy whether they are with cash or through my tax dollars.

I will also stop calling government workers civil servants. Servants don’t get paid and I would feel unjustified and morally opposed to having servants do anything for me. Seems like our greatest leader tried to put an end to that sort of thing.

Lincoln by the way was a Republican.

Lest we forget. It took him a long time to find a general who'd admit to a mistake them move on and move on and mistakes did Grant do untill he won the war.

When the Civil Servants understand that they are getting paid by our money for what they do and that they willingly and freely have choosen to do that job; perhaps they will come to the conclusion that they owe us a days worth of effort. Some satisfaction. Perhaps the politicians who control them will themselves give us a days worth of effort and try to do just that.

As a freedom loving person I know what I feel. I feel fully justified in demanding just that.

May be the common denominator in the political system is that “we” get involved and start to do just that.

Just that is the answer, and what a powerful just that can be, if we can do -- yup you guessed it -- Just That.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative