Public Enquiry Project: Adrian's vision of politics as an enquiry

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May 24, 2004

Adrian's vision of politics as an enquiry

In my sixtieth year I'm getting very concerned about the future of our nation and the well being of my children and grandchildren. Today's extreme polarization of the two main political parties is a sign of weakness, not strength in our body politic.

As a person who was a Democrat for two Decades and a Republican for three decades; I've looked at life from both sides, now. I've decided that:

1 - The strength of the Democrats is in routing out potential problems and injustices and pressing for their "solution" by government action.

2 - The weakness of the Democrats is that most of them are so narrowly focused that they are incapable of constructing usefull real world solutions and their disdain for people who see things differently means that they can't work and play well with others.

3 - The strength of the Republicans is that they pay more attention to both sides in constructing solutions that work better in the real world.

4 - The weakness of the Republicans is that they tend to be too content with the status quo.

Of course people with a different point of view will see my above characterizations differently, and I'd very much like to hear other such characterizations. The point I'm making here, is that the best understanding of political problems and the best solutions to those problems result from a cooperative process between the two parties, not the shoving down the throat of one side by the other.

The Founding Fathers designed and developed a marvelous system of checks and balances that requires a strong consensus to do anything big. It's served us well (better than any other system including Europe and Japan) for the last few centuries.

I see the political process developing into an enquiry wherein the political parties compete on their abilities to work and play well together for the benefit of alll rather than representing the interests of narrowly focused interst groups to buy votes to get power and force their ideas on others.

My experience of going through this enquiry process with liberal friends has convinced me that, at the bottom, it's usually possible to reach agreement on factors and relationships (variables and equations) and that the actual points of difference tend to be the weighting (value) of those factors (variables).

The Public Enquiry Project is the place to develop and implement this vision of an America that works for everyone and devalues no one.

Adrian

May 24, 2004 in Republican Politics | Permalink

Comments

Hey there Adrian! Though I am a Libertarian and not a Democrat I find a number of inconsistancies, half truths and plain old bullshit in your assertions.

1) Have the Republicans been any better at stemming the growth of government than the Democrats? No way! Government was much smaller even under Clinton! GW Bush cut taxes then increased government spending! This is what Julia Child might refer to as "A Recipe for Disaster". The deficit is skyrocketing out of control with no end in sight.

2) Is it the Democrats that have a "disdain for people who see things differently"? Meanwhile Bush is killing tens of thousands of innocent Iraqi's while insisting they establish a Democratic government and he's pushing Christian priciples down their throats. For all the weaknesses the Democratic Party may possess, this is not one of them.

Posted by: Jeff | May 24, 2004 at 03:43 PM

1) ...GW Bush cut taxes then increased government spending! This is what Julia Child might refer to as "A Recipe for Disaster". The deficit is skyrocketing out of control with no end in sight.

WELL, JEFF, YOU ASSUME THAT CUTTING TAX RATES DECREASES REVENUES. YOU ARE WRONG. HGISTORY SHOWS THAT A JUDICIOUS TAX RATE REDUCTION ACTUALLY INCREASES REVENUES.

2) Is it the Democrats that have a "disdain for people who see things differently"? Meanwhile Bush is killing tens of thousands of innocent Iraqi's while

THIS IS COMPLETE BULL. SUPPORT YOUR SILLY ASSERTION...

insisting they establish a Democratic government and he's pushing Christian priciples down their throats.

IS DEMOCRACY A CHRISTIAN VALUE? WHAT ABOUT TURKEY, INDIA, JAPAN, TAIWAN?

Posted by: Adrian Spidle | May 24, 2004 at 04:08 PM

Hey guys just remember that the mid east poverty is a huge part of our worlds unrest. Just look at the lack of growth the GDP of the Mideast from Pakistan to Egypt. This translates to severe unrest and this is an ancient problem. I don't know what the answer is, and I hope we don,t receive another surprise event from the angry Middle Easterners

Posted by: alfredjames | May 24, 2004 at 05:51 PM

"Hey guys just remember that the mid east poverty is a huge part of our worlds unrest.

Posted by: alfredjames"

TRUE. But the cause of that poverty is, I'm afraid, the primitiveness of Islam as practiced in those countries. Many of the citizens of Islamic nations can't read, and many of those who can read; read the Koran only. The rest who read newspapers and magazines only read organs controlled by Islamic dominated governments.

It's a system designed to keep those societies as losers.

Adrian

Posted by: Adrian Spidle | May 25, 2004 at 09:53 AM

Adrian,

It wasn't long ago that most Americans only learned to read their Bible. Does that highlight primitiveness or that this was the most important book in agrarian lives that were unconcerned with national level politics, but rather with making sense of their small piece of the world? Also, was that a system designed to keep those people as losers? Abraham Lincoln was from a background very much like I described.

I think it more appropriate to say it is the primitiveness of government practiced, rather than the primitiveness of Islam. How many millions in China only learned to read Mao's Little Red Book? How many Russian children only learned to read Lenin? Not failures of faith, but rather failures of government.

I would tend to agree with you on your dissection insofar as Republicanism used to be (and still is for such worthies as John McCain). But the corporate dominated party of today bears little resemblance to the party of small government and fiscal prudence so long associated with Republicanism.

To me, the ultimate difference between Rs and Ds fall into two categories. Ds believe in government as an engine for social change while Rs believe in the market as an engine for social change. Ds believe in government on an increasingly macro scale (as in federal or even world) while Rs believe in government at the most micro of levels (state, county or even town).

I think that the idea of the market as an engine for positive social change is not borne out by the evidence. To my mind, almost any positive social change was implemented by government, not by markets. I honestly cannot conceive of any positive social change that was created by the markets.

As for the scope of government, I am of two minds. I think there is a place for world level government, especially when it comes to universal crimes like genocide and when it comes to worldwide economics. On the other hand, many decisions, like education and other social programs are often more flexible when implemented locally.

Oh, and as for the disdain . . . I'm not sure it's so much disdain as a genuinely good desire to do the right thing married to often complete ignorance of what the right thing might entail for people other than themselves.

I just found your site via Talk Left where you left a comment. I do hope your site will become a haven for constructive conversations and not another hangout where enmity is built through disinformation and bile. There's too much of the latter.

Posted by: Jeff Ray | May 26, 2004 at 04:23 PM

One more thing, as you noted, judicious tax decreases increase revenue. I'm not sure I'd classify the tax reduction of the past three years as judicious.

Posted by: Jeff Ray | May 26, 2004 at 04:25 PM

YOUR MOUTH TO GOD'S EAR. I WLL MAKE IT SO. Your post is great and I have to go. I'll be back to give you the serious consideration you deserve.

Adrian

Posted by: Adrian Spidle | May 26, 2004 at 04:57 PM

Adrian,

GREAT POINT

Also, was that a system designed to keep those people as losers? Abraham Lincoln was from a background very much like I described.

TRUE, BUT YOU CAN"T DENY THAT ALL SACRED TEXTS SERVE A POLITICAL FUNCTION OF KEEPING THE POOR AND UNPOWERFUL FROM RESENTING THE RICH AND POWERFUL.

BINGO. YOU HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD.

I ASK YOU< DO YOU REALLY TRUST APPOINTED BEUROCRATS OVER BUSINESSMEN? I SURE DON'T. DON'T FORGET THOSE APs HAVE THE LAW, THE JAILS AND THE GUNS ON THEIR SIDE.

PERHAPS. BUT DON'T FORGET THAT POWER CORRUPTS AND ABSOLUTE POWER CORRUPTS ABSOLUTELY. TO QUOTE JEFFERSON - "A GOVERNMENT POWERFUL ENOUGH TO GIVE YOU EVERYTHING YOU WANT CAN TAKE AWAY EVERYTHING YOU HAVE.

HOW ABOUT A WELL REGULATED MARKET?

AT ALL LEVELS POWER MUST BE DIFUSED AND COUNTER BALANCED.

PERHAPS.

Posted by: Jeff Ray

THANKS FOR YOUR THOUGHTS,

Adrian

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