The Sunday Jan 18th Detroit Free Press has an editorial on what Obama should do after all the shouting is done. It calls for Obama to challenge Americans to make more and more sacrifices. It also demonstrates a hatred of the free market and the rights of individuals to keep the fruits of their own labor. A few quotes:
“The nation’s economic problems are, yes, primarily, a function of irresponsible lenders and market functions run amok. But the problems also reflect a consumer frenzy that trampled the wisdom of financial prudence and the need to save. It was fostered by unrealistic individual expectations that every year would be better than the last and by at least some insistence that government not interfere with free markets.”
Here we see that the market was responsible for the meltdown, private individuals went into a consumer frenzy, the people have an unrealistic benevolent universe premise and at least some silly notion that the government should leave them alone. The theme of that paragraph seems to be ‘people who are allowed to pursue their self-interests will always hurt themselves because they don’t really know what is in their best interests, so the Attilas-government and their Witch Doctors-the press, must step in (interfere) and challenge the people to do what’s right.’ Exactly how a man with a gun, government, challenges citizens without the same guns, is not made clear. But there’s more:
“On health care, there needs to be a national conversation about priorities. If full coverage is the goal, it won’t be accomplished without real sacrifice by those of greater means, and it may mean pursuing affordability in ways that frighten free marketeers. Obama can’t force that. Nor can Congress. Americans have to decide that’s what they want, and demand it — or at least accept it.”
Obviously, “ways that frighten free marketeers” doesn’t frighten the Free Press. But why can’t Obama or Congress force the sacrifices? No answer is given. I can only suppose that the Freep doesn’t want to look like it’s advocating dictatorship. Instead, it wants citizens to be enthusiastic about jumping into the sacrificial ovens or, less the enthusiasm, be willing to jump in anyway, (accept it).
I figure that it won’t be long before the Free Press explicitly calls for Obama and the government to exact forced sacrifices. This is what happens to a mind that accepts the notion that sacrifice is virtuous and self-interest is evil, i.e. altruism.
Notice that the editorial calls the expectation that every year will be better than the last unrealistic. In other words, a growing economy is unrealistic. Are they preparing us for a shrinking economy? Are they preparing us for what I wrote about in my post today, “What Is Obama’s Standard of Practicality”?
Their advocacy of government intervention and their disbelief in a positive economy coincide quite nicely.
Usually they hail state meddling as being prudent, just and effective. With this in mind, one might ask “effective to what end?”
Myrhaf –
The notion of an economy without growth has been a wet dream of the New Left for decades. In reality this has to mean a declining economy–because, like life itself, human production is either flourishing or suffocating. There is no standing still.