3/25/2012 7:48:25 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time, [email protected] writes:
"So the government has been immunized from criticism." Where on Earth do you get this idea ? The point of Radical Centrism is that BOTH government and business deserve their fair share of criticism. However, because either Ernie or myself criticize government at any given time does NOT mean that all of a sudden we have become Libertarians BECAUSE in due course we will criticize the private sector for something else. NEITHER government nor business is immune from criticism. Both deserve it, and both should receive it. This is really, really basic to RC. The impression that is hard to shake is that outside of this group close to all of your "listening" is to Libertarian or Right wing views and, none at all from the Left or "other." The result is that you interpret what I say, or Ernie says, as if, when either of us criticize gvt we surely have seen the Libertarian light, which is false, or that, when we criticize business, why, surely, we have gone over to the dark side and have made peace with the Left, which is equally false. I have a friend who is a hard core Democrat. Exact same problem with him except in reverse image. He just doesn't get the point of RC, that it is independent and centrist and approximately as unhappy with Democrats as with Republicans. For him, any deviation from the Left means that you are a Right-wing zealot or worse. The result is that we never talk politics any more, just other common interests. Sure, I am not at all favorably disposed to BHO and hope for his defeat this November. But the GOP is anything but political salvation and there is almost as much to be negatively disposed about in the Republican Party as the Democrats. RC is a philosophy for political Independents, essentially. It is not an alternative version of the Republican Party. just as it is not of the Democratic Party either. Billy -------------------------------------- By libertarians, or by the media parroting an ultra-libertarian line and crediting it to the Republicans and Libertarians? I doubt that a large number of people are out there combing through Reason Magazine or the Cato Institute publications for this to become the message from libertarian sources. I mean REALLY? The Left Stream Media is for Barack Obama, just like they were in 2008-hook, line, and sinker, and they may have even converted to boat to a submarine as they were so fat in the tank then and even more-so now if that it possible. David _ "Free speech is meant to protect unpopular speech. Popular speech, by definition, needs no protection."—Neal Boortz On 3/25/2012 8:32 PM, Dr. Ernie Prabhakar wrote: Hi David, Sent from my iPhone On Mar 25, 2012, at 16:34, "David R. Block" <[email protected]_ (mailto:[email protected]) > wrote: We have EPA overreach and Globull Warming fraud all around and complaining about it is the distraction??? So we let the EPA strangle the energy supply and kill jobs because government is so saintly??? I cannot believe that I'm reading this. Yes. There are LOTS of valid reasons and positions to criticize the government and excessive regulation. The problem is that the GOP messaging around that has been hijacked by the simplistic: - market = good - government = bad mantra of libertarians Thus, any legitimate critique of the government is interpreted by the Left as a call for Social Darwinism. Giving them a perfect excuse to defend their failed experiment in social engineering. In a wiser GOP, somebody (Huntsman?) would argue coherently for a lean, smaller, modest, yet effective government that also appealed to moderate voters. But the Tea Party/Liberaltarian rhetoric appears to have scared off such candidates, and appears on track to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Which means we will get four more years of exactly the stuff you complain about. I call that a costly distraction. E David _ "Free speech is meant to protect unpopular speech. Popular speech, by definition, needs no protection."—Neal Boortz On 3/25/2012 12:21 AM, Dr. Ernie Prabhakar wrote: Hi DRB, Sent from my iPhone On Mar 24, 2012, at 21:46, "David R. Block" <[email protected]>_ (mailto:[email protected]) wrote: I thought that we were in MORE opposition to the current Presidential office holder. This seems to be a distraction. While Billy's crusade may be overblown, he has a legitimate point. The idolization of the free market and demonization of the government is largely what is making the GOP lose the masses. Yes, we can't blame all that on Rand and the libertarians, but they are the ideological core of those messages. In short: they are the distraction. E -- Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community <[email protected]_ (mailto:[email protected]) > Google Group: _http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism_ (http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism) Radical Centrism website and blog: _http://RadicalCentrism.org_ (http://RadicalCentrism.org) -- Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community <[email protected]> Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org
