COLUMN: One Way or the Other
There was an obscure novel I read sometime somewhere that I can’t recall that raised the thesis that the reason we sometimes feel a strange urge to jump off high places is that it represents one thing you could do that is not reversible. That’s where the country is now. We need to either jump or step down from the railing.
All this indecision is just making people whacko. “Whatever” has become the one-word alternative to decision making. Our indecision has carried over from the 2000 presidential election when we couldn’t decide who really won or even if a simple speck of paper was punched out or not. The country has become just too wishy-washy, namby-pamby, six-of-one half-a-dozen-of-another, water treading, every one is entitled to his opinion that we are drowning in our own lukewarm melting pot.
Let’s decide. Do we want to become the regime-change, avenging angel of the world or just keep exporting our lifestyle? If we are going to do that Lone Ranger thing then let’s put strenuous, mandatory physical education back in schools, increase math and science skills, and require two years of military service for everyone before they are allowed to go to college. Let’s be the strong, righteous, serve-and-protect police of the globe, or let’s export enough bacon cheeseburgers, fries and Vanilla Coke, too so that the rest of the world becomes as bloated and addicted to television as we are. Either path we choose we will win, but I don’t think CNN will enjoy as high a ratings if we choose the slouch and burger route.
Let’s decide. The Democrats can either continue to be the invertebrate single-celled life-form party, or they can stand up for what they believe and give people something to vote for other than a platform of “we are better than the alternative.” Or, we can continue to be amused by former pro wrestlers and actors as political candidates. Why not? At least they are up front about faking it.
Let’s decide. Start selling war bonds again and see who steps up to the counter to buy them instead of unevenly taxing everyone for the regime change effort. This will also keep more people out of a stock market that is becoming more risky than replacing the U.S. Mail with message-in-a-bottle service.
Let’s decide. Are we just going to keep buying more stuff or are we going observe the rules of supply and demand? I’ve been buying Christmas gifts since an IBM Selectric was state of the art, and I can’t remember a December when the sales figures came in above predicted levels. So, I can’t quite understand why the appliance, apparel, and thingamajig industries have not reduced their production to meet demand rather than coming up short every Christmas and making the public feel bad for not putting an addition onto their homes stuffed full of consumer goods. Why not tell everyone to have an extra baby this year to boost the economy?
Well, maybe not. Utah is a great of example of how that doesn’t work.
Dennis Hinkamp’s column appears every Friday in The Statesman. Comments can be sent to slightlyoffcenter@attbi.com.