In David Brooks's "Guide for the Perplexed", New York Times(August 21, 2012) Brooks lays out a guide for ”moderate” voters and tries to nudge them toward the Romney-Ryan camp. He poses the question: What is really important in this election? His answer: the election will decide how we slow and reverse our national decline. The cause of the supposed decline according to Brooks is Medicare!
No! Not the massive cuts in taxes of the Bush years or the unfunded wars of that administration, or the Bush-Ryan supported banking deregulation which initiated our present financial problems...but Medicare? Brooks and his far right readership love to denigrate Medicare. But they turn a blind eye to the big policy items I cite above, and as well, the other "government social welfare programs", for example, no where does he mention the bloated Pentagon budget.
The author would be more honest and perhaps get more of a fair hearing from the nation as a whole, were he to include these entitlement programs: corporate welfare, military expenditures and a massively bloated Pentagon budget in the equation. But Brooks, as does Mssrs. Ryan and Romney, prefer to ignore these goverment outlays and balance the budget on the backs of the poor, elderly, working classes and needy. He would redirect our priorities away from the health and welfare of our sick, elderly and our children, ignore other bloated government expenditures, and redirect investment toward industries of the future and infrastructure.
The author would be more honest and perhaps get more of a fair hearing from the nation as a whole, were he to include these entitlement programs: corporate welfare, military expenditures and a massively bloated Pentagon budget in the equation. But Brooks, as does Mssrs. Ryan and Romney, prefer to ignore these goverment outlays and balance the budget on the backs of the poor, elderly, working classes and needy. He would redirect our priorities away from the health and welfare of our sick, elderly and our children, ignore other bloated government expenditures, and redirect investment toward industries of the future and infrastructure.
We may need a reevaluation of how and what we spend forMedicare and on other expenditures too. But we must recognize the natural tension between the right and left, the "populares" and "optimates". Brooks ignores this natural power struggle or is simply part of the push of the right to upend the legitimate needs of the rest of us.
I do agree with Mr Brooks on the need for investment in future industries and in infrastructure. And on one other thing. I agree that we were great in the mid 20th century. I also recall that at that time we had a smaller standing army, modest military budget, limited entanglements abroad, and at home we spent a fair share of our tax revenues (much more of it derived from high rates on the super wealthy) on human welfare, education, and sound infrastructure. It ushered in a great period of expansion in our nation's history, but as we did then, now we must all must share in the sacrifice and the profits from this enterprise for it to succeed. Ignoring the big gray war-elephant in the room gobbling up tons of "hay", turning a blind eye to the corporate cheats, hiding fromour militarism, and ignoring wasteful wars only weakens Mr. Brooks' argument. A policy which ignores the great and growing disparity between rich and poor and the massive bloat in our military spending is one which is doomed to failure. Brooks' "Guide" thus is a misleading and erroneous one, to be ignored by the voters.
Get the picture?
rjk
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