For John, BLUF: A bad shift in attitude. Nothing to see here; just move along.
Here is an article by Atlantic Reporter Molly Balljan, from back on 6 January of this year. The focus is Pollster Frank Luntz and carries the title "The Agony of Frank Luntz". The sub-title is "What does it mean when America's top political wordsmith loses faith in our ability to be persuaded?"
Mr Luntz has lost faith in the electorate.
It was what Luntz heard from the American people that scared him. They were contentious and argumentative. They didn't listen to each other as they once had. They weren't interested in hearing other points of view. They were divided one against the other, black vs. white, men vs. women, young vs. old, rich vs. poor. "They want to impose their opinions rather than express them," is the way he describes what he saw. "And they're picking up their leads from here in Washington." Haven't political disagreements always been contentious, I ask? "Not like this," he says. "Not like this."The other thing, per Reporter Balljan, that bothers Mr Luntz is the sense that we have become an entitlement society.
"You should not expect a handout," he tells me. "You should not even expect a safety net. When my house burns down, I should not go to the government to rebuild it. I should have the savings, and if I don't, my neighbors should pitch in for me, because I would do that for them." The entitlement he now hears from the focus groups he convenes amounts, in his view, to a permanent poisoning of the electorate—one that cannot be undone.Actually, the Government pitching in works, until you run out of other peoples money. For example, for the Greek nation. They ran out of other Greeks money a while back and are now getting their third bailout from Germany.♠
If Germany is backstopping Greece, who is going to backstop the US?
Regards — Cliff
♠ Based in part on the theory that the Germans owe it to them, for World War II.
Greece's problem is that it doesn't have "it's own money" - it has the euro and a European Central Bank that's unwilling to act like a Central Bank and enact monetary policy. Germany is effectively the bailout party solely because Germany is bulk the the value in the euro. They're all in the same boat but don't act like it in monetary or fiscal policy, but Germany is largely at the wheel. Germany's bailouts are just reluctant admissions when the circumstances burst the illusion that you can have a currency union without a monetary union.
ReplyDeleteAs to what we can expect from our government - it's our government and we can expect the safety nets or lack thereof that we want as the body politic. As to what we can afford, well while there are certainly limits within those limits this too is a matter of polity's opinions on what we want to spend.
Apparently, the DC Ruling Class has determined that there are NO limits to what we want to spend.....or on what we want to spend it. We have surpassed the world in terms of being a welfare state.....I mean...TRUE welfare. No wonder we have an immigration problem from Mexico.....there isn't a fence tall enough, a moat dangerous enough, or enough armed men and women to keep people from "emigrating" to a country that promises them free food, free health care, free citizenship for showing up, and a political party that welcomes them with open arms. The glorious Senate can't even bring itself to weed out the ILLEGALS....oh..sorry...that has become a BAD word.....who file for tax benefits and get them..preferring instead to gouge out our military.
ReplyDeleteAND....today the Senate will vote a new Unemployment Insurance act with no visible means of monetary support other than offspring who have yet to be conceived.....let alone born if they make it through Planned Parenthood.
Actually, I think the Greeks and the Germans are probably a bit better off. And they will for certain when the dollar finally caves in......coming soon.