George W. Bush has the previously unimaginable opportunity to achieve the most amazing resurrection since Lazarus. The Democrats in Congress are flailing for an answer to the current gas crisis which in large part is due to the constrictions that they have placed on oil companies. The environmentalists have had their willing lackeys in Congress place so much red tape on any and all attempts to create or expand domestic energy that it would require executive orders to reverse. Whether the question is offshore oil, offshore natural gas, coal to oil, oil from shale or nuclear power the answer is always the same: litigation from the environmentalists to make the process so expensive and time consuming that energy companies look elsewhere. Is anyone surprised that we now import 70% of our oil and haven’t built a nuclear plant in decades. Even with plans on the table for getting some of these projects towards production, the legal hurdles ensure that relief is nowhere in sight.
So how does Bush pull a Lazarus? Well first let’s look at what is not news anymore. The war in Iraq must be going better than expected at this point. The proof? It has all but vanished from the lips of every talking head on network news and only sees the light in newsprint after the foreclosure notices. The surge has been a success and President Bush is even hinting of a troop withdrawals ahead of expectations. How much credit can Congress take when they have said they support the troops in the same breath as they tried to implement their “slow bleed” policy to leave our soldiers twisting in the wind? The answer is none. What else is not daily news is President Bush’s approval rate. Why not? Could it be because the Congressional approval rate has now hit single digits? How can you condemn as unpopular someone whose approval rate is nearly 700% higher than yours?
Bush has little time left in office to begin to build a legacy. Like a boxer who has taken an early beating but comes on strong in later rounds can steal a decision, it is still possible. After Hurricane Katrina, President Bush allowed refineries freedom from the custom ,state by state, special blend they are forced to make in order to fill demand. He could do it again to bring supply up. Though he has been loathe to wield executive power in this manner, the nation needs it. He could also use the airwaves as Ronald Reagan did to rally people to pressure Congress to act quickly to approve domestic production of all our recourses on an accelerated pace.
The Democrats in Congress are once again on the opposite side an issue with the majority of Americans due to their slavish allegiance to the extreme left. The more of a spotlight the President can focus on Congressional ineptitude, the more people will rally to the cause. The majority of Americans favor domestic drilling, oppose losing the Iraq war, oppose the proposed national 55 mile per hour speed limit, oppose illegal immigration, … the list is long and these are all platforms of Conservatism. Though Bush is certainly no rock ribbed Conservative by any stretch of the imagination, he could use our ideals to mitigate or turn back the perceived Democratic successes in November. In doing so, he would emerge from the tomb that has encased him since the “Mission Accomplished” debacle.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Cultural Literacy
Cultural Literacy
I had a professor in college that spoke of a new concept to me at the time: Cultural Literacy. He was the only professor in the Education building that had any valid teaching credentials (20 years in Detroit public school) so his words carried more weight with me than the “theorists” who taught for the minimum number of years and then dashed back to the collegiate cocoon. Cultural Literacy can best be explained by giving examples. If you hear a phrase like “and your little dog too!” or “I’ll be back” (in an Austrian accent) most people will know exactly where the quote came from and who delivered the line. It wasn’t that long ago when there were only three broadcast channels (or four if you count PBS). That reduced choice meant that a large percentage of people saw the same shows every night and had a collective experience to share the next day. The lack of any recording device meant you had to actually watch the show at the appointed hour or be left out of conversation the next day.
This collective memory and the hundreds or thousands of shared experiences formed a shared cultural literacy that was unique. Think of how foreign you would feel if you find yourself in a room full of Soprano fans dissecting in the most miniscule plot twists and turns if you had never even heard of the show let alone watched it. The advent of hundreds of cable and satellite choices as well as recording devices like T-VO have fragmented society. If you want to watch a Sunday night program on Thursday morning in Spanish with closed captioning, its only a button or two away. That’s not to say choice is bad. Many programs that appeal to a niche audience like hunting, scrapbooking, or automotive performance could not sustain an audience large enough to remain on one of three networks.
Choice only gets to be an issue when it comes to news. People now get to choose news that slants the way they like to see things slanted. Those thrilling days of yesteryear, of the big three networks and the half-hour allotted to national news seem a lifetime away. When you heard the term “Special Report “ during your viewing you just stopped and knew someone had been assassinated or a serious, tragic national event had taken place. Now a car chase, a couple of whales, or Paris Hilton rate the same coverage. It is easy to fall prey to the Drastic Climate Change/ Global Warming frenzy when every weather event worldwide is broadcast as news. If you had a half hour of allotted time per day to cover the news of the world, (closer to twenty two minutes with commercials), I doubt that every heat wave, tornado, snowstorm or even thunderstorm happening anywhere in the world would rate a mention.
The coverage of the war, the economy, etc. are now viewed through a political prism throughout the twenty-four hour news cycles. Fox News was being avoided by Democratic candidates who caved to their far Left constituents. The big three networks as well as CNN race to point out the personal flaws of Republicans while ignoring or helping to explain away the Democrat’s imperfections. How else to explain how stealing documents from the National Archives prior to the 911 Commission hearings by Sandy Berger is delivered with a smile and chuckle ,and “Scooter” Libby’s conviction for “lying” to FBI agents in the investigation of a non-crime is a national event on the level of Watergate? The recent appearance of Hillary on The Factor does give reason to hope. But I wonder if she would have gone on Fox if she had the delegate lead?
The Obama/ Rev. Wright coverage is the latest example of “choose your coverage” TV. If you think Rev. Wright is a reasonable man who raises valid points watch ABC, NBC,CBS,CNN,PBS etc., if you believe he is a hate filled conspiracy theorist who sets race relations back decades, watch Fox or listen to talk radio.
American culture has always changed with the times but remained fairly true to the “melting pot” theory of yesteryear. No matter what country immigrants came from they melded into Americans in a generation. With society now catering to every language and cultural norm of the incoming masses, the impetus to become Americans is lost. Unless there is a shift towards embracing American law, language and lifestyle, the Balkanization of the United States will continue unabated. Well I think Shepard Smith has something new on Obama so I gotta go.
I had a professor in college that spoke of a new concept to me at the time: Cultural Literacy. He was the only professor in the Education building that had any valid teaching credentials (20 years in Detroit public school) so his words carried more weight with me than the “theorists” who taught for the minimum number of years and then dashed back to the collegiate cocoon. Cultural Literacy can best be explained by giving examples. If you hear a phrase like “and your little dog too!” or “I’ll be back” (in an Austrian accent) most people will know exactly where the quote came from and who delivered the line. It wasn’t that long ago when there were only three broadcast channels (or four if you count PBS). That reduced choice meant that a large percentage of people saw the same shows every night and had a collective experience to share the next day. The lack of any recording device meant you had to actually watch the show at the appointed hour or be left out of conversation the next day.
This collective memory and the hundreds or thousands of shared experiences formed a shared cultural literacy that was unique. Think of how foreign you would feel if you find yourself in a room full of Soprano fans dissecting in the most miniscule plot twists and turns if you had never even heard of the show let alone watched it. The advent of hundreds of cable and satellite choices as well as recording devices like T-VO have fragmented society. If you want to watch a Sunday night program on Thursday morning in Spanish with closed captioning, its only a button or two away. That’s not to say choice is bad. Many programs that appeal to a niche audience like hunting, scrapbooking, or automotive performance could not sustain an audience large enough to remain on one of three networks.
Choice only gets to be an issue when it comes to news. People now get to choose news that slants the way they like to see things slanted. Those thrilling days of yesteryear, of the big three networks and the half-hour allotted to national news seem a lifetime away. When you heard the term “Special Report “ during your viewing you just stopped and knew someone had been assassinated or a serious, tragic national event had taken place. Now a car chase, a couple of whales, or Paris Hilton rate the same coverage. It is easy to fall prey to the Drastic Climate Change/ Global Warming frenzy when every weather event worldwide is broadcast as news. If you had a half hour of allotted time per day to cover the news of the world, (closer to twenty two minutes with commercials), I doubt that every heat wave, tornado, snowstorm or even thunderstorm happening anywhere in the world would rate a mention.
The coverage of the war, the economy, etc. are now viewed through a political prism throughout the twenty-four hour news cycles. Fox News was being avoided by Democratic candidates who caved to their far Left constituents. The big three networks as well as CNN race to point out the personal flaws of Republicans while ignoring or helping to explain away the Democrat’s imperfections. How else to explain how stealing documents from the National Archives prior to the 911 Commission hearings by Sandy Berger is delivered with a smile and chuckle ,and “Scooter” Libby’s conviction for “lying” to FBI agents in the investigation of a non-crime is a national event on the level of Watergate? The recent appearance of Hillary on The Factor does give reason to hope. But I wonder if she would have gone on Fox if she had the delegate lead?
The Obama/ Rev. Wright coverage is the latest example of “choose your coverage” TV. If you think Rev. Wright is a reasonable man who raises valid points watch ABC, NBC,CBS,CNN,PBS etc., if you believe he is a hate filled conspiracy theorist who sets race relations back decades, watch Fox or listen to talk radio.
American culture has always changed with the times but remained fairly true to the “melting pot” theory of yesteryear. No matter what country immigrants came from they melded into Americans in a generation. With society now catering to every language and cultural norm of the incoming masses, the impetus to become Americans is lost. Unless there is a shift towards embracing American law, language and lifestyle, the Balkanization of the United States will continue unabated. Well I think Shepard Smith has something new on Obama so I gotta go.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Rejection 08
Rejection 08
Where did we go wrong? Conservatives have a lose/lose dilemma in November. The odds are a Liberal will be elected as our next president. Oh sure there is a difference among the three remaining choices. We have Barak Obama the most Liberal member of the Senate according to his voting record. We have Hillary Clinton the malleable Liberal/Moderate/Experienced/Change candidate (depending on the current polls or audience members). Then we have the Liberal Light candidate John McCain: Everything you always wanted in a Liberal and less.
The field will be narrowed to only one of the two remaining Democrats by summer. But regardless of which of them faces McCain, for Conservative voters the choice is between second class and steerage tickets on the Titanic. Oh sure, we know the boat’s going down but at least we can choose the level of amenities.
With either Democrat as president, evil corporations will be taxed at a higher rate as well as the “rich”. The problem is that only individuals pay taxes. Taxes levied on business are a cost of doing business and are thus transferred to the consumer. As far as punitive taxes on the “rich”? Well, the top five percent in this country pay almost seventy percent of the taxes. Can anyone say “fair share”? The resulting climate for business will strangle any chance of a quick recovery from the current economic situation. While we are on the subject, the unemployment rate has finally reached the horrible level that it held during the economic boom years of the last Clinton presidency…hmmm. We’ll have to look into that. There are few real differences policy wise between Clinton and Obama. Do you want the upper or lower bunk in steerage? It boils down to the scandals we all knew and loved, or the new and exciting ones we don’t.
Which brings us to John McCain. Except for his current (and getting nuanced by the minute) stance on the war, there is no difference to be seen from any other Liberal. He was against making the tax cuts permanent, tried to force feed his Amnesty Bill through the Senate and consistently co-sponsors bills with the most Liberal wing of the Democrat party. Today’s rumor is that Condeleeza Rice may be the VP. While this leans the ticket a little to the right, it is no guarantee that she can steer policy.
Rush Limbaugh’s Operation Chaos may be succeeding in prolonging the Democratic fight but if it is too successful, we may end up with a Democrat candidate too scarred to win. So if we are determined to have a Liberal president I for one would rather have a Democrat. The Republican party could then take the loss as a lesson and start a shift back to reality.
Where did we go wrong? Conservatives have a lose/lose dilemma in November. The odds are a Liberal will be elected as our next president. Oh sure there is a difference among the three remaining choices. We have Barak Obama the most Liberal member of the Senate according to his voting record. We have Hillary Clinton the malleable Liberal/Moderate/Experienced/Change candidate (depending on the current polls or audience members). Then we have the Liberal Light candidate John McCain: Everything you always wanted in a Liberal and less.
The field will be narrowed to only one of the two remaining Democrats by summer. But regardless of which of them faces McCain, for Conservative voters the choice is between second class and steerage tickets on the Titanic. Oh sure, we know the boat’s going down but at least we can choose the level of amenities.
With either Democrat as president, evil corporations will be taxed at a higher rate as well as the “rich”. The problem is that only individuals pay taxes. Taxes levied on business are a cost of doing business and are thus transferred to the consumer. As far as punitive taxes on the “rich”? Well, the top five percent in this country pay almost seventy percent of the taxes. Can anyone say “fair share”? The resulting climate for business will strangle any chance of a quick recovery from the current economic situation. While we are on the subject, the unemployment rate has finally reached the horrible level that it held during the economic boom years of the last Clinton presidency…hmmm. We’ll have to look into that. There are few real differences policy wise between Clinton and Obama. Do you want the upper or lower bunk in steerage? It boils down to the scandals we all knew and loved, or the new and exciting ones we don’t.
Which brings us to John McCain. Except for his current (and getting nuanced by the minute) stance on the war, there is no difference to be seen from any other Liberal. He was against making the tax cuts permanent, tried to force feed his Amnesty Bill through the Senate and consistently co-sponsors bills with the most Liberal wing of the Democrat party. Today’s rumor is that Condeleeza Rice may be the VP. While this leans the ticket a little to the right, it is no guarantee that she can steer policy.
Rush Limbaugh’s Operation Chaos may be succeeding in prolonging the Democratic fight but if it is too successful, we may end up with a Democrat candidate too scarred to win. So if we are determined to have a Liberal president I for one would rather have a Democrat. The Republican party could then take the loss as a lesson and start a shift back to reality.
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