Having read John Donegan’s recent epic “Do the right thing” (March 14), I do have to admit that I agree with a lot of what he has to say, which, as a recovering progressive, is a bit painful for me. It does seem that it takes American liberals, especially progressives, an inordinate amount of time to face up to inevitable realities. This, along with their inability to even consider compromise (a bond shared with their right-wing counterparts) has made our road considerably rockier than it needs to be.
It is interesting to note that the author’s focus was on social issues, which is not the traditional bailiwick of conservatives, whose traditional attitude toward them is to not give a shit except, of course, to expend any and all efforts to avoid paying for them. For this reason, one can only view the author’s effort as a “told ya so” moment. Nevertheless, progressives would do well to learn from this experience, but past experience has shown that they are not any better at learning than they are at compromising.
So, what about the conservatives? Take income inequality for example. Is it not at the root of many pressing social problems and much of the ongoing conflict in the world? And market deregulation, which has given us the savings and loan debacle, the dot-com bust, Enron, the sub-prime mortgage collapse, and the fairly recent banking ballyhoo, along with disgustingly overpaid and psychotic corporate executives, recidivist felonious corporations like Chase and Wells Fargo, and a blathering, suppurating media embodied in the likes of Fox News and MSNBC. Who knows what ill winds are trailing Bitcoin and AI. When is somebody going to do the right thing about all that?
Mark Henry
San Luis Obispo
This article appears in Mar 28 – Apr 7, 2024.
Mark Henry: I focus on social issues because I am lazy, and most of the more consequential stuff is much too detailed, and boring, or has been so extensively addressed that I can think of little else to add. The crazy causes of the left, like the transgender craze, are so wrapped up in bizarre mandated Orwellian fictions that they demand a response. I just can’t leave them alone. I spent a career writing thoroughly researched and detailed prose, and it isn’t much fun. Ranting is more fun, especially with such a “target rich” environment.
Income inequality? Not much which can be done about that. We live in a time of vast opportunities, and some people are bright, driven and lucky enough to take advantage of them and get rich. We all use their products, like Facebook, Google, Tesla, etc. Others don’t do much of anything, and they are bound to stay behind. We have a large population directionless, unmotivated people who are just waiting for success to come to them, or who do stupid things with the wealth they do get. Many squander the resources available to them, like a free or subsidized education, in favor of self-indulgence. If we redistributed the nation’s wealth so that everyone got an equal share, in 10 years wealth or so it would have redistributed itself so that roughly the same people were again wealthy and poor. Some people are good with money, others aren’t, and of course wealth is relative to others. Not everyone can be the wealthiest.
Shanti Harris: As we have seen in Ukraine and Israel, having an effective military is not a luxury that can be discarded. We face even greater challenges, like China. Admittedly, our military is grotesquely wasteful, and there is undoubtedly corruption and waste in the arms industry which we should work to eliminate.
Dump Don the Con before he takes this country down.
John Donegan
“We live in a time of vast opportunities, and some people are bright, driven and lucky enough to take advantage of them and get rich.”
Weird we didn’t have those type of people in the USA when the top 1% received 7%-10% of all income 1945-1980 but somehow they were much smarter to be able to grab 23% under Dubya?
GOV’T POLICY MATTERS, CODDLE THE RICHEST, THEY’LL KEEP TAKING AND TAKING!
Shanti Harris, Care to point what was in
” Commodities Futures Modernization Act of 2000? Didn’t that sacrosanct Liberal also precede it with signing off on the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999 (GLBA)?”
that caused a WORLD WIDE CREDIT BUBBLE AND BUST. One that Dubya cheered on in the USA as he gutted the white collar criminal division ny 40% leading up to the bubble?
Hint over 90% of loans in the US was done by mortgage brokers , or the 5 investment banks the US had in 2008 (ALL gone now) which were NOT regulated by those laws!
Hint yes BJ Bill signed onto the CONServatives “deregulation”, BS but it was the failure of cops on the beat (FBI warned in 2004 of an “epidemic of mortgage fraud”, where by 2008 the US had ONE full time FBI agent looking at mortgage fraud.
Dubya fought ALL 50 states in 2004 (who sued and won, too late in 2009) who wanted to regulate the subprime” lenders, invoking a Civil War era rule saying federal rules govern multi state banks.
Dubya allowed Banksters to more than triple their leverage, in 2004
Share of loans classified as subprime went from 8.3% of all mortgage originations in 2004 to 23.5% in 2006!!!
See those 2004 dates there?
No different than when Ronnie ignored the S&L regulator that started warning in 1983, (they were busy running for reelection according to Ronnie’s treasury secretary, that lead to the S&L meltdown.
Shanti
Sure “both sides” gut regulators on the street like Ronnie amd Dubya, “both sides” gutted revenues like Ronnie, Dubya and TFG AS they blew up spending. Clinton and Obama, the only 2 in 60+ years to say to the next guy, here’s a smaller deficit than I inherited
Hint BOTH SIDEISM IS GARBAGE. The Dem’s have some issues, but to in any way to equate them? lol
VOTE BLUE TO CHANGE DC, THIS BOTH SIDES CRAP WILL KEEP IT THE SAME. We need to get about 25% majority to get rid of the CONSERVADEMS influence!
BJ Bill was the best conservative Prez since Ike, Obama looks like the runner up. Biden might be the best progressive since FDR!
Bankrupted the US? LMAOROG
“I’m actually going to vote a straight Republican ticket”
Sure, Thomas Cole and Steve Garvey have the best interests of the working class in mind. Sure. Right.
I think you’re a bit confused, but, hey, if it’s on YouTube it must be true.
perhaps Mr Henry would care to close his CHASE/WELLS FARGO bank accounts? i can always use a few more dollars if he would be so kind!