seamus
- : http://rangelife.typepad.com
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Reed, a couple problems with your system:
1. Sports fans here on the west coast constantly complain about an "east coast" bias among the sports media, and they're right. How many times have we read stuff like this?
Even worse, the draft winners are in the far Northwest... and everyone in the East is asleep when they play anyhow.
Who gives a damn about your sleep schedule? The Celtics' home games start at 4pm in California, essentially making them unwatchable for anyone who works for a living. World Series games start when most west coasters (and mountain timers) are still wrapping up our workdays. A few people live in California, you know.2. Your bid system is especially flawed because many players' primary forms of revenue come off the field. If I had a choice playing for the Saints for $3MM/year or the Giants for $2.5MM/year, I'd still make more money playing for the Giants. This is the case now with free agency, and the draft is part of the system that keeps teams in Green Bay and Jacksonville competitive with the Philly and Chicago franchises.
Posted at May 24, 2007 1:56 PM in response to Another Needed Reform
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I think the word "Change" is more powerful than "Reform." "Reform" is bureaucratic, "Change" is personal.
And what was the expression about honesty and counting your spoons?
I think America is feeling very jittery about our long-term competitiveness in the world. Rising China, jobs going overseas, deficits, failing education... not good.
How about:
Security. Fairness. Change.Posted at June 30, 2005 4:47 PM in response to A Thought
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I agree with your high-level point; that progressives need to embrace some kind of higher values (or at least "strategy") to inform their direction. "Stem cells, yes! War, no!" isn't going to cut it.
About these four you state:
(1) Voicelessness: Is this true? And if 40% of Americans are conservatives and 30% are liberals, do progressives really want people to have more persuasion over government?
(2) Guarantee of freedom from want... As a previous poster wrote, what does that really mean? And how do you separate this from a welfare state that will keep people from working?
(3) Absence of strong culture: Conservatives win on this. They believe that America used to be more unified in a Christian, English-speaking culture that's been ruined by liberal media, immigration, corporate America, multicultural pluralism, and the triumph of secularism in public life. Progressives don't necessarily have a counterpoint, except that this nostalgic culture wasn't really that great for the 70% who weren't white, straight, Christian, married men.
(4) Standard of living: Yes! The question is: what creates this higher standard of living? And do progressives understand what creates growth?
Posted at May 31, 2005 4:45 PM in response to pouring myself a cup
