Like many bloggers, I find Palin irresistible to watch like a primate without an opposable thumb: a reverse evolutionary wonder that is able to function despite the obvious advantages of other competing mammals. The Tea Party convention (covered adoringly by Fox) was no disappointment with Palin proclaiming that she is prepared to run against Obama and his “hopey, changey” policies. When asked about her priorities for the nation, she quickly rattled off three priorities, including oil/gas exploration and an Administration that openly seeks “divine intervention” so that we can prosper again.
The godly answer comes around 3:45 on the video. What is so striking is how Palin attributes the current crisis to the failure to publicly call for divine intervention.
Palin also introduced the country to the poor person’s teleprompter with clearly visible notes written on the inside of her hand, here.
The crowd clearly relished every line, including such greetings as “I am so proud to be an American. Thank you so much for being here tonight. Do you love your freedom?” The correct answer to yes.
Continuing her effort to fully morph into Tina Faye’s stereotype from Saturday Night Live, Palin asked “This was all part of that hope and change and transparency. Now, a year later, I gotta ask the supporters of all that, ‘How’s that hopey, changey stuff working out for ya?'”
Palin appears to be combining a potent mix of monotheistic faith and monosyllabic words to rally her base. In this faith-based fantasy world, simply calling for divine intervention is likely enough to push the Dow back above 10,000 and restart the housing market. She fails to explain how the crash occurred under Bush who made faith-based politics what it is today. But none of that matters to this crowd, which appears desperate to hear a leader say that it is merely a matter of drilling and praying to return to “the good days.”
Gyges:
I said K St, Pennsylvania Ave and Capitol Cr.. Basically government is out of control and is being corrupted by money from K St. through corporations and other entities.
How do your examples relate to personal responsibility? The government has a duty to protect people against force by others. The interstate highway system was developed for that purpose. That it is also used for commerce is an additional benefit.
I still am at a loss to understand your claim of a false dichotomy.
Byron,
I guess it depends on how you define being responsible for yourself. Does the guy that needs the justice system to gather evidence against, try, and (hopefully) convict the guy who robbed his house while he was out sacrifice any sense individual responsibility, what about the person who relies on the government to build\maintain\police roads so he can transport his farm’s produce? That is what your rhetoric implies when applied to those situations.
About the streets, you’re saying that the problem is K street, who are just employees doing what their employer wants. You have to blame the employer for having ethically bankrupt policies as well as the employee who follows them.
Byron, you haven’t asked for my opinion on this, so I’m giving it. The regulation of corporate activities is merely an extension of the restrictions we place on individual activities. For some reason capitalists insist that we treat entities as something special, as though the evils that we visit upon each other as individuals are somehow eliminated if we act corporately. The truth is that corporate wrongs are ultimately more dangerous to society as a whole than individual wrongs for at least two reasons. First, they are cloaked in anonymity. Second, they directly affect far more people. The trend during the last half of the 20th century was to gradually immunize corporations and their officers and directors from various forms of liability in the interest of promoting investment and growth. The result has been the development of behemoths almost beyond the reach of government control and a tremendous increase in the concentration of wealth. This trend is not healthy because it eventually destabilizes social structures at the very least. My view is that the pendulum needs to swing in the opposite direction.
Buddah
Humans can be wonderfully civilized, but are more often not.
Think of the cruelest most evil thing you can do to another human being.
I had just watched the video and when I came across your comment it just stuck out, thats all. Nothing more, nothing less.
@ Elain M. – All points I agree with whole-heartedly. I wish she would go away honestly… I actually feel the same way about Obama too. Having said that, who cares if he reads from a teleprompter or she writes notes on her hand? My personal experience in public speaking and giving anything more than a quick address is that I need personally need some notes to keep me on track to my points. When did that become taboo?
Byron–
I didn’t see your comment at 5:06 pm before posting my last comment.
Maybe if the Glass-Steagall act hadn’t been repealed, things wouldn’t have gotten so bad.
Are you implying that it’s the government fault that people do/did greedy things and rip/ripped off millions of people?
A Wall Streeter’s fairy tale: Once upon a time, I was unselfish and generous. The government cast a spell upon me and made me into a greedy pig…and I lived happily and wealthily ever after.
Byron It has nothing to do with original sin. It is just a guideline for keeping greed in check so that you don’t harm your fellow human beings. Excessive greed sent Madoff to prison.
Elaine:
they become that way because of government regulations. 🙂
I agree some are, part and parcel of being human but the majority are good decent people.
Elaine:
those instruments that you mentioned, all acceptable to Washington regulators and if memory serves me invented because of government regulations.
The principles that I mentioned above apply to Wall Street as well.
Byron–
I believe that SOME men and women are vile creatures.
Swarthmore mom:
and look at what they gave us:
Steel
Financial markets
Cars
Trans-Atlantic steamships
Rail Roads
Chemicals
and a bunch of tangential goods and services to support them.
As I said above I hope they are “greedy” as hell.
I also don’t believe man has original sin or that he is evil or a low and vile creature.
Byron–
That’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about the kinds of things that were done to make a few people big money at the expense of millions of others…resulting in the loss of life savings and pensions for many people. I was thinking of things like Credit Default Swaps and subprime mortgages that were chopped up and and then bundled up as mortgage-backed securities. I was thinking of people like Joseph Cassano of AIG–who walked away with about three hundred million dollars.
I’m not talking about people like Bill Gates. He doesn’t work on Wall Street, does he?
ECookie,
The Fixed news, did I dream this, that beck fell for something out of fixed news and was sidelined because of it? Well many Nancy did the line. But he still did not check his facts….
swartmore mom,
it is? I thought they were named
1. Sneezy
2. Sleepy
3. Dopey
4. Doc
5. Happy
6. Bashful
7. Grumpy.
Wow, the things you learn here.
Byron Greed is one of the seven deadly sins. Don’t you remember the robber barons?
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pi7bpysGBYM&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1]
Gyges:
I still don’t see how I have created a false dichotomy.
If you live in a free society you need to be responsible. To me a free society implies that citizens have certain responsibilities. They must take care of themselves for one.
So I need it spelled out a little better, I don’t think your Nazi commercial is “german” to this.
Elaine M:
“Do you think it would follow that the people working on Wall Street would be less greedy then?”
What is greed? If I make my company and my stockholders billions of dollars am I not entitled to an appropriate remuneration? Is 2% too much or 5% or 10% or 1%. If my contract says I am to receive 6% of after tax profits am I greedy if I want to be paid per my contract (a legal document)?
Have I not provided a benefit to society? In fact that really isn’t even a good argument. Benefits to society are a tangential benefit to people pursuing their rational self interest. The Declaration of Independence tells us we can pursue happiness and that we have a right to our life and liberty.
I would posit that if you are against “greed” you are against the fundamental philosophy on which our country was founded.
People in Africa would say a teacher’s salary is an astronomical sum and that you are “greedy”. Most in Africa probably make less than a $1000/year. Does your teachers salary “take” from them?
If Bill Gates makes 1 billion dollars a year it does not take away from John Smith. Bill Gates and others like him expand the pie for the rest of us, they do not make the pie smaller.
The problem is not individuals in pursuit of their dreams or ambitions it is government trying to restrain those individuals that can see a little farther and are willing to pay the price to reach the far horizon of human potential. For that they should be compensated. They also offer the rest of us a road map if we are willing to read and learn and they provide a pleasant journey filled with comfort and abundance.
“Greedy”, I sure as hell hope they are.
Bdaman,
That is not even close to the depravity people are capable of nor is it representative of the matter at hand. That link is about a self-defense issue, not about the legitimacy of law regulating commerce and corporations. While the character in the video is most certainly not Mr. Sociable, I submit that it is his actions – not state charter and failure to regulate – that cause him to be a danger to others. Apples and oranges.