Shout Out: Grizzly Groundswell

A shout-out to Grizzly Groundswell for doing fantastic work this election cycle bringing to the fore issues the msm are too blind, lazy, or inept to touch. 

On Limited Government: KISS?

While ruminating this afternoon about the current presidential election campaign, something shifted in a way that revealed how the concept of limited government has been emasculated. The concept of limited government has been reduced to war cries about two issues: abortion and taxes. To be clear both are vital issues. However they have become means to different ends, rather than two manifestations of a common theme: limited government or minimizing the role of government in our daily lives.    

The abortion 'debate' gets pitched as a debate about "individual rights," "reproductive rights," and myriad other "rights."  At risk of being overly simplistic, the discussion should be about individual choice.  A less government approach would preclude the government from entering this arena; would allow individuals to make decisions about their lives. Simplistic, yes. 

Taxes reflect the scope and range of government programs.  Fewer government programs translate to less demand for government funds. Lower demand for government funds translates to a lower tax burden.  Simple. 

Encourage discussions about programs to take place at the local level. The closer a program is to the source of need and support, the more efficient the program is likely to be in terms of financial and human resources.  

Would that our politicins be able to communicate clearly about what government programs, especially federal government programs cost -- both in financial and human terms.  Would that our politicians could effectively make the case that less government translates to greater individual  freedom, greater efficiency in delivery of programs (if decision making is moved to the local level), and a more dynamic set of choices as market forces are not impeded.

Simplistic? Yep. But there's much to be said in support of the KISS principle. 

Catching Up

For reasons of convenience, I have been posting on the 2008 Presidentail Campaign over at Digito Society. I'll try to resist the pull of convenience and return to posting political ditties here. Digito Society will return to its normal apolitical issues. 

Entering a Post-Convention Era

A modest proposal: Can the Conventions!

Political conventions have been a fixture of American presidential politics since the beginning. Will changes in electoral politics and Hurricane Gustov change that? Both parties ended their primary seasons with only one candidate standing. The Democrats went so far as to do away with the traditional roll-call vote to determine their candidate. They opted for a behind the scenes, out of public eye, voting process.

Hurricane Gustov has the Republicans curtailing their convention plans.

Given the inevitability of the conventions' nominating processes, why hold the conventions at all? Couldn't the voting be handled by a secure on-line system? Granted the host cities would not reap the millions of dollars of revenue the presidential conventions bring to town. However, couldn't the human capital and monies be put to better use?

McCain's introduction of Sarah Palin as his VP candidate was far more dramatic than anything that could happen at the convention.

Solution? Can the conventions!

Social Security Debate Turns the Corner

Here are some encouraging facts about the Social Security discussion from Patrick Ruffini:

Time for Affirmative Action?

This one is from the "well duh" file:

"By their own description, 72 percent of those teaching at American universities and colleges are liberal and 15 percent are conservative, says the study being published this week. The imbalance is almost as striking in partisan terms, with 50 percent of the faculty members surveyed identifying themselves as Democrats and 11 percent as Republicans."

If these numbers documented any other flavor of diversity, heads would roll at affirmative action offices across the land.

Churchill Update

More on Ward Churchill's travails at digito society.