Quote:
Originally Posted by jeff5may
I believe there are plenty of good people in politics. But what is good for me may not be good for you. Consider that their constituency keeps most politicians in office. This is why so many politicians waffle on issues and play both sides of the fence. The system is geared so the evil geniuses end up in appointed or permanent positions and remain, while the (relatively) moral and ethical people are retired or ejected. Popular opinion changes by the hour, so what a lawmaker did yesterday may not be OK today. When election day comes, "tree-hugger Jim" gets voted out for the platform he followed during his term. Cuz the forest doesn't need him to save it for a decade or so. Thanks and goodbye, Jim.
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Actually, I think we agree on a surprising number of things. Where I think we disagree is on the definitions. For instance, suppose you live in a small town, like I do. Walmart tried to get in here. A lot of people really wanted it because all they could think about was lower prices for things. They didn't think about the fact that those lower prices come at a cost.
1. This is the biggest: It would have driven most of the smaller retailers in town out of business that carry the same products Walmart has.
2. They pay such low wages that the employees are eligible for government subsidies like food stamps and other low income subsidies. This means you and me are subsidizing them.
3. It helps put American manufacturers out of business because of the low (subsidized) cost of Chinese goods.
Happily we stopped them from coming here. This issue isn't so much about someone elses interests being different from you or mine. It is an education issue where people have not been educated in critical thinking. They see only the small immediate payoff of lower product prices and not the big picture of lower quality of life and increasing poverty in small towns across America. A lot of people are just plain stupid about these issues and its not about my interest being different than yours. Even the manager of a new local Walmart will have to see the hollowed out core of a small town that used to be vibrant. And he'll be saddled with the burden of knowing he is benefiting at the cost of the whole town. Like I said, it takes good people to make a government function well. That means people who see the big picture quality of life for the greatest amount of people, not just a few at the top of the pyramid, like the Walton clan.