Monday, November 09, 2009

The Blank Wall

John Stossel nails the true meaning of the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall:
There was one bad thing about the fall of the USSR: We lost a very visible bad example of big centralized government.

With Washington now turning to central planning to “fix” healthcare, clean the environment, and “create” jobs, it’s helpful to have role models of failure. They remind citizens of the politicians’ arrogance.

For the young, the example of the Soviet Union resonates less and less.
On the bright side, Stossel does have this to say:
We do, however, still have North Korea, Cuba, State Motor Vehicles Departments, K-12 education, and the Us Postal Service.
That said, I don't have Stossel's faith that the young will recognize government incompetence when they see it. After all, there is still the problem of government education.

6 comments:

William R. Barker said...

Why does it not surprise me that you leave China - the PRC - off of your list?

BILL

EdMcGon said...

Ask Stossel. It was his list, not mine. :P

Anyway, I don't consider China a "communist" country in the Leninist sense. The Chinese culture has morphed communism into something different. "Communo-capitalism", perhaps?

William R. Barker said...

Ed,

I just hope that you don't pay for your foolishness and short term selfishness with the lives of your children one day.

Lenin opined "The Capitalists Will Sell Us The Rope With Which We Will Hang Them."

Barker opines "The McGonigals Of American Will Help Build Up The Economy And Thus Military Of China Which China Will One Day Use Against Us."

BILL

EdMcGon said...

The Chinese don't need my help. They already have people like Bernanke and Geithner in power over here. ;)

William R. Barker said...

I'll never understand why you think this is funny, Ed.

Seriously... is it simply a deflection mechanism - a way of hiding your shame that you know in your heart I'm right and that people like you are a major part of our adversary China's economic/political/economic support network?

Ed... I like ya... but your selfishness and narrowness of vision never ceases to perturb me.

BILL

EdMcGon said...

a way of hiding your shame that you know in your heart I'm right and that people like you are a major part of our adversary China's economic/political/economic support network?

The problem with you is you see China as the problem. As Walt Kelly said in the immortal cartoon Pogo, "We have met the enemy and he is us."

We The People are doing this to ourselves. Why are you blaming China when WE are the method of our own destruction? The Chinese are intelligently, taking advantage of our own foolishness. I should hate them for doing what is in their best interest? Forgive me for respecting them for doing what I would do in their situation.