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Cracker Commentary
 Friday, January 24, 2003Diplomatic War Preparations Oceanguy is right when he says we need to get ready for war to make the diplomacy work. Saddam and his ilk will only only listen to the diplomats if we convince them twe intend to fight. The only way to do that is to intend to. Fake sincerety won't work. Tuesday, January 14, 2003Tricky Trickle When it is suggested that tax cuts go to the people who actually pay taxes and are therefore wealthy enought to use that money to create more jobs, the deriders yell "Trickle-down!" They want the cuts to go to those who pay no taxes. They argue that the poor will then spend the money which will bring about new jobs by giving companies more money to create them (as tax cuts for taxpayers would do directly). In other words, trickle-down is baloney but trickle-up makes sense. Thomas Sowell says there is no trickle-down theory in economics. It's strictly a political thing. You don't say. Saturday, January 11, 2003Gray Davis, Libertarian Governor Davis strikes a blow for localism by shifting some services that the state can't afford to cities and counties. Navy to leave Puerto Rico? When the activists on Vieques get what they want, the abandonment of the Navy's bombing and artillary range, Puerto Rico may lose its biggest employer. According to this morning's Sentinel, if the Navy leaves Vieques it may not see any need to stay at Roosevelt Roads, near San Juan. The Vieques protesters are just one more example of the hordes of activists who become fixated on their own cause and the consequences be damned. In the 1970's, I helped bombard the Vieques beach from a destroyer out of the Roads and there was one accidental casualty. We were reservists and one sailor didn't realize that when a tin can fires its four-inch rifles, the whole ship jumps and you don't want to be resting your chin on a railing. He only needed a couple of stitches, though. Thursday, December 26, 2002Governor Blogger? This says Jeb Bush is trying to be the first e-governor. It sounds like he's making a good start, but does he have a blog yet? Wednesday, December 25, 2002Who decides? KQED (San Francisco public television) has a pushme/pullyu poll on airport security. Under You Decide they ask, "Should U.S. airport security use profiles that include ethnic characteristics to screen passengers?" I clicked Yes and was asked "Are you sure?" then given four more chances to answer, with additional information accompanying each. Friday, December 20, 2002A Murray said what about Osama? I don't know anything else about Senator Patty Murray, but I may have to change my name. Sunday, December 15, 2002Party, party, party
Rachel Lucas and Arthur Silber think it might be time for a new political party, and I don't think it's a bad idea, either. Despite what they taught us in elementary school, there is no "two party system" in America, only a system dominated by two parties. Of course, other parties do pop in and out of existence, usually around a particular candidate (the Bull Moose Party) or issue (the once-again-notorious Dixiecrats). Some, like Socialists and Libertarians, even have a philosophy or agenda that gives them staying power. The two major parties stand for exactly the same thing. They stand for election. Minor parties seek office to implement their platforms while Democrats and Republicans devise platforms to win office. Usually, more principled candidates will be found in the smaller parties and demagogues will gravitate to the two majors, especially the one in control, where they actually have a chance at power. (Yes, I know there are some demagogues in small parties and there are both Democrats and Republicans who have scruples.) With a significant third party, it's less likely that any one party would rule and principles might have a better chance of swaying the vote on specific issues. Right now could be a good time to enter the fray, since neither major party dominates Congress and a small block of representatives not tied to either of them could wield some real power. The Republican Liberty Caucus that Hank writes about in a comment to Rachel is a good step, and I have thought at times that libertarians might have a better chance of making a difference if they work within existing parties rather than competing with them. But the risk is that Democrats and others will see it as nothing more than a faction within the party and oppose its ideas along with all things Republican. As a separate party, libertarians could offer those ideas as an alternative. What I would really like to see, though, is to drop the Republican tag and have a Liberty Caucus, whose main task is not to elect candidates but educate voters, supporting liberty friendly views and candidates in any party. As much as we would like to blame them, the politicians are not the problem. They just do what will get them elected and as long as voters expect them to solve every little problem, they will be glad to accept the responsibility and the power that goes with it. Only when voters occasionally say, "We don't want you to do this for us," will they even consider relinquishing any control. To paraphrase a well known saying, if you have politician by the constituents, his heart and mind will follow. In recent years there have been some encouraging signs that voters may be better informed. For most of my life, the media have covered politics much like sports, primaries treated as playoffs leading up to the championship in November. We had in depth reporting on campaign strategies, polls and whether a candidate can spell potato, but, except for an endorsement editorial shortly before the election, there was little to help anyone decide whom to vote for. In 2000, and even more so in 2002, the media seemed to provide more useful information about issues and candidates and more fact checking of claims in ads and speeches. Add to that the unimpeded coverage and commentary of bloggers, which did have an effect, and real information was available. Rachel, Arthur, and the rest of us need to keep blogging, reading, talking, whatever it takes to spread ideas. Then, if we can't make a difference within the existing system, maybe start an Anti-Idiotarian Party and see how donkeys and elephants do against rottweilers.
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