^When have we ever genuinely applied that approach in the last 20 years?
If you mean "solving the problems ourselves", I think it depends. With the Climate Change stuff, nearly ALL the efforts for the past 20 years [35 actually] have been of the "roll your own" variety. All of the Green building has been consumer driven. There has been minimal help from the Government.
Habitat for Humanity sprang up as a response to Reagan's cutting of programs. Food banks across the country did the same.
Most recycling was pushed from the consumer to government and not the other way around.
Even the Pro Life movement started out as a "try to solve the problem themselves" issue until they got to a point where their churches became PACs and they had political connections.
So, I think by nature most folks start these initiatives as grassroots or regional activities and grow them from there. "Think Globally, Act Locally" appears to be the concept.
These activities can go so far but at some point there becomes a need to move nationally and sometimes that requires more than what community groups can muster to address a problem.
Here's along the lines as what I said.
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"The gas tax holiday was never an economic or policy issue. It was meant to position her culturally. It heightened her identification with her white working-class constituency. Obama played his part by citing economists in opposing it. That completed her narrative: He had the pointy-headed professors on his side; she had the single moms seeking relief at the pump
It was an overreach. It not only deflected attention away from the amazing Rev. Wright at the height of his spectacular return. It also never played as the elitist-vs.-working-folk issue she had wanted, because it isn't just economists who know the gas tax holiday is nothing but a cheap gimmick. Ordinary folks do, too. And the gas tax idea had the unfortunate side effect of reinforcing Hillary's main character liability vis-a-vis Obama: cynical Washington pol willing to do or say anything to win votes vs. the idealistic straight shooter refusing to pander even if it costs him.
The lightness in Hillary's step in the days before Indiana and North Carolina reflected the relief of the veteran politician who, after months of treading water, finally finds the right campaign strategy. But it was far too late. And the gas tax overkill, one final error of modulation, sealed the deal -- for Obama.
There's only one remaining chapter in this fascinating spectacle. Negotiating the terms of Hillary's surrender. After which we will have six months of watching her enthusiastically stumping the country for Obama, denying with utter conviction Republican charges that he is the out of touch, latte-sipping elitist she warned Democrats against so urgently in the last, late leg of her doomed campaign. washingtonpost.com - nation, world, technology and Washington area news and headlines
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mcbear
If you mean "solving the problems ourselves", I think it depends. With the Climate Change stuff, nearly ALL the efforts for the past 20 years [35 actually] have been of the "roll your own" variety. All of the Green building has been consumer driven. There has been minimal help from the Government.
Habitat for Humanity sprang up as a response to Reagan's cutting of programs. Food banks across the country did the same.
Most recycling was pushed from the consumer to government and not the other way around.
Even the Pro Life movement started out as a "try to solve the problem themselves" issue until they got to a point where their churches became PACs and they had political connections.
So, I think by nature most folks start these initiatives as grassroots or regional activities and grow them from there. "Think Globally, Act Locally" appears to be the concept.
These activities can go so far but at some point there becomes a need to move nationally and sometimes that requires more than what community groups can muster to address a problem.
So it is inevitably big brother to the rescue of the crying and whining masses in order to become competitive? Sad thought that.
__________________ "Dave, this conversation can serve no purpose anymore. Goodbye."
So it is inevitably big brother to the rescue of the crying and whining masses in order to become competitive? Sad thought that.
Some things just take a national effort. That is a fact of life. The alternative is to be left behind.
A good example would be the Space Program in the Sixties. No corporation was going to be able to address [and fund] the issues while other countries were fully funding research and development of satellite and rocket delivery systems.
The results of the US getting involved is that we have a tremendous technology sector that provides much of the world's communication technology, holds many of the patents and gains much of the revenue from that R&D funding.
If we had stood back and NOT provided Federal funding for the Space Race, companies like IBM, AT&T, GE, Boeing and Hughes would be footnotes and France Telecom, Deutsche Telekom AG, BOE Tech [china], along with Indian, Russian and English companies owning all the communications satellites that circle the world.
While not significant as to who get the profits [unless you have stock portfolios], it is significant in the geopolitical realm.
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