Litmus test I didn’t write most of this but I wish I had. I did the last paragraph. The original was in reference to a particular elected official of high office but it struck me that it could apply to all politicians/bureaucrats as to whether they care with the point being its not whether they care but... The question is WHAT they care about, what their priorities are. Somebody in their position is bound to see the world from the view from 30,000 feet. They have political agendas that are their particular worldview of how, by whom and to what extent societies should be organized. The most characteristic positive legacy that we in the US have is that we are (theoretically) allowed to do what we wish, within the constraints of not causing positive harm to others, without being interfered with, harassed or have unnecessary and arbitrary constraints and expectations placed on us by others who think they have fancy ideas so clever as to justify both sidestepping that critical legacy and violating this particular nations most basic operating principle; the principle that people deserve to be free. We should conduct ourselves within that paradigm and formulate solutions that are consistent with those operating principles. We should work towards solutions that dont involve destroying anyones right to self-determination. And this is possible if we proceed with that principle in mind as the foundation upon which we build. Its who we are as a people. I, lee, would also add that any fancy idea that does not pass this test be dismissed out of hand to work on the next best solution that helps the problem as much as possible while maintaining the most basic operation principles. In fact, I’m sad that such notions should even make it to the point of having to BE dismissed rather than when they are first uttered. If the next best solution doesn’t solve the problem fully, well too bad, keep trying because the basic operating principle must be paramount. WHY? Because most problems, until solved, affect some at different times but not all all the time whereas every diminishing bit of the freedom promised in our basic operating principles degrades us all and in a more permanent, irreversible way.
Posted on: Wed, 30 Oct 2013 22:41:07 +0000
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