Dear Mr. Koster:
With all due respect, your diatribe is wrong on virtually every point, starting with the fact that the guv's name is McDonnell. And, it goes down hill from there. Talk about empty rhetoric!
You unwisely impute ill motives to those who disagree with you. Take the Brown election. I've never said or suggested the view you imply. I think the Democratic candidate ran a poor campaign in countless respects and Brown ran a strong one that made the most of her failings as well as the discontent. It's plain to any rational observer that there is real discontent on the right and there is real discontent among progressives. Have there been racial overtones to some of the rhetoric on the right, at the top and bottom--plainly; but you create a straw man argument when you suggest that those who disagree with you simply stereotype you as a "racist" "dummie." Those are your words, not mine. You own them. I reject them.
I do believe that many good people who are upset and worried about our economy are being duped into believing that had the presidential election gone the other way unemployment would be lower and the economy would be humming along. There's zero evidence to support that. The collapse of the economy occurred on Bush's watch and was due in large part to the kind of deregulation, the market knows best delirium that members of both parties to different degrees supported. And the bailout of Wall Street, rather than helping Main Street was the Bush WH response in 2008. Those are the facts. It's not pretty and it doesn't solve the problem.
And, Obama's policies haven't solved all these problems he inherited. And, we've been very critical of Geithner's approach and have recommended alternatives that would focus more on rebuilding the economy and putting back common sense rules to prevent the kind of Wall Street gambling that tanked the economy. I've never suggested stay the course, but why let such facts get in the way of your story.
And, as I say to my friends who suddenly decided to protest deficits and taxes last April, when they were paying their 2008 tax bill under the tax code defended by the Bush administration, where were you in April or any other month of 2001 to 2008 when the budget surplus Bush inherited was being transformed into a trillion dollar deficit? Before Fox News decided to push this issue in the new administration, having largely looked away when their guy was in the White House.
I think people of good will, from all political perspectives, ought to be wary when the corporate media makes it its mission to prey on people's fears and manipulate them with misinformation and half-truths. But that's a conversation for another day. And, it's probably not a conversation with you because your mind is plainly closed. Good luck with that.
Thanks for the article - Goldman in everyone's pockets ... as usual.
One small point: I don't know if Wall Street's job description was ever to serve Main Street. The government is supposed to serve Main Street. That is the sole servant of the people - our one organ of the collective, however flawed and corrupted it may be.
There' s a problem when people start to believe that Wall Street has some kind of mandate to serve "the people" as a whole (rather than just their shareholders). I still have no idea how people began believing this idea. There's simply no foundation for this. It's a problem because people lose sight of the fact that Wall Street needs to be watched closely and sceptically.
Even the "invisible hand" theory never posits service on the part of economic powers or anyone else for that matter. Wall Street serves itself. The underlying problem with greenwashing is the incredible imbalance of economic power that allows those with resources to succeed in pulling these kinds of stunts off. Maddening stuff.
Really interesting thought. Definitely worth mulling over a bit more and hashing out with friends. One potential big pitfall I see at first blush is the old "tyranny of the majority" problem. However, with a pool of money possibly being earmarked towards that, with the bulk being able to be freely allocated by the individual, this could potentially be partially avoided. Another issue would be corruption, such as bribery, etc. But this happens currently anyways, so not much difference there.
I'll have to think about this idea a bit more. Thanks for putting it out there.
On a lighter note, when I read about nuclear power I invariably remember Homer Simpson's job - you know: "manning" the power plant, sometimes asleep at the switch or chomping down on yet another glazed doughnut, oblivious to all else.
We are all Homer Simpson in some ways and human error will never change because we won't cease to be human, nor to err... It is a scary, but sobering thought. Well worth remembering when tinkering with great natural powers.
Great article.
Dear Ms. Graves: OK, Gov. McConnell's use of a racially mixed group as a background is mere tokenism by a white male who is guilty. I'm much obliged to you for going to Hell and getting these talking points from Howie Zinn, who is leaning over one of the Devil's sulfur pits, squawking them at the hapless Democrats who believed them on earth, and found out where they led afterwards....What is Gov. McConnell to do? Just have white folks staring adoringly at him? That would really prove he's a racist, as if being a Republican wasn't enough proof for the ochlocrats who are your usual customers. As for packing the galleries, perhaps you missed the shot of The One blasting the Supreme Court with his rhetorical artillery, to a standing ovation from the Democratic zanies surrounding the Justices. That's the way to whip the Wise Latina into line! Denounce her as a rogue on national television, being sure that even she will not sass back in the face of Democratic handclaps. That's showing us the leadership skills that have made The One's health care plan a sure bet to be passed intact with a 59-41 Democrat margin in the Senate and a 256-178 margin in the House! That's the sort of talk to persuade the independents who voted for Scott Brown that they are racist dummies who need to vote correctly in order not to be called racists!
Please, keep at these philippics. No talent behind them, but they serve the useful purpose of keeping the ochlocrats reading them anesthetized into thinking that everything's all right, stay the course, ram the iceberg and sink it. They also serve a vital need for amusement for us on the Right in these grim days as the unemployment rate continues to rise, for all the loot The One shovels into the SEIU maw. Whaddaya make of the polls showing Feingold running behind Tommy Thompson in your state? Care to make any bets on what the unemployment rate will be on 25 January 2011?
Sincerely yours,
Gregory Koster
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