(Lake Wallenpaupack Specific)
1 messages
Updated 5/17/2012 9:58:02 PM
Lakes Online Forum
83,686 messages
Updated 6/19/2024 3:46:15 AM
Lakes Online Forum
5,198 messages
Updated 6/19/2024 3:45:44 AM
(Lake Wallenpaupack Specific)
0 messages
Updated
Lakes Online Forum
4,170 messages
Updated 6/10/2024 6:29:37 PM
Lakes Online Forum
4,261 messages
Updated 5/28/2024 6:31:10 AM
Lakes Online Forum
2,978 messages
Updated 6/18/2024 10:06:11 AM
Lakes Online Forum
98 messages
Updated 4/15/2024 1:00:58 AM
|
|
|
| Name: |
MartiniMan
- 
|
|
| Subject: |
Brooks agrees with Rush
|
|
Date:
|
1/15/2010 12:47:57 PM
|
David Brooks, the beloved leftist-designated "conservative" that our independents and leftist thinks makes sense, has essentially agreed with Rush's points that has generated so much angst on this forum. The NYT in a separate editorial also pointed out that these events are by their very nature partly political, just as Rush pointed out.
As an aside, Bush was much pilloried because it took more than 3 days to actually get federal assistance to New Orleans. It is now 72 hours after this earthquake and not one iota of help has arrived in Haiti as of yet. This is not a criticism of the Messiah because frankly it takes time to get help there. But in reality all he has done is talk because that is all he can do. It does once again point out the double standard of the government media and the loony left. Same actual result, completely different reaction.
Another interesting note, Danny Glover has blamed the earthquake on not getting an agreement on climate change in Copenhagen. I kid you not......that is about the intellectual capacity of the loony left and frankly is no more discordant than blaming global temperature increases on carbon dioxide.
URL: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/15/opinion/15brooks.html
|
| Name: |
wix
-
|
|
| Subject: |
Brooks agrees with Rush
|
|
Date:
|
1/15/2010 2:21:17 PM
|
Interesting. Ever noticed how all societies are deemed a success or failure based on the American concept of what is successful. Recently heard a missionary speak of his experience in Afghanistan. These people have no concept of basic sanitation according to the missionary, nor do they readily accept our sanitation standards, yet they continue to live the way they have for centuries. They manufacture nothing, except for heroine, export nothing, yet they continue to live. What manufactured goods do Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and most of the rest of Muslim middle east produce? Little to nothing. Yet, they continue to exist.
Americans need to understand that the rest of the world cannot be compared to us, and shouldn't be. If the Haitians built inferior buildings and died because of it, that's not our fault, it's theirs. Yes, we should help, but we need to learn to accept the fact that there are people who live in what we consider sub-human conditions, yet continue to thrive, without us, or sometimes in spite of us.
|
| Name: |
MartiniMan
-
|
|
| Subject: |
Interesting book to read
|
|
Date:
|
1/15/2010 2:46:56 PM
|
I am a third of the way through a very interesting book by a couple of economic historians that you would enjoy. Called "From Poverty to Prosperity: Intangible Assets, Hidden Liabilities and The Lasting Triumph over Scarcity". Their basic thesis is that conventional economics do not adequately describe why economies fail or succeed. That there are hidden liabilities and assets (what the authors call software) that dictate success that have little to do with the abundance of natural resources or other hard capital (what the authors call hardware). Think the success of Hong Kong with no natural resources versus Russia with vast natural resources and a large manufacturing base. That is why sending money or building manufacturing in developing countries with dysfunctional governments for example will not have the desired effect unless and until they resolve their software problem. Haiti is a great example of this when compared to the neighboring Dominican Republic.
Interestingly, two of the factors that they say are common to successful economies are the rule of law (specifically contract law) and individual property rights. Both of which are under attack by our government today. They do not argue for no government but they do argue that government only do what cannot be accomplished by the free markets (along with reasonable regulations to ensure that the free markets perform reasonably well).
Another interesting point they make is that while natural resources are finite the various combinations of those resources is infinite. That is why we can't just look at real income as a measure of improving our standard of living. You also need to look at how many hours of work it takes to purchase certain goods and services. It is amazing the growth in prosperity in this country (i.e., the number of hours you have to work to buy say a gallon of milk) since the industrial revolution and the acceleration of oue learning.
I am not through the book as yet but so far it seems to make sense to me when you look at the world around us.
|
| Name: |
widgethater
-
|
|
| Subject: |
Brooks agrees with Rush
|
|
Date:
|
1/15/2010 5:11:47 PM
|
Better move Danny Glover over, because there is another waack-odoodle out there. Pat Robertson says it's because the Hatians made a pact with the devil over 200 years ago. It appears neither side has a lock on the idiots.
|
| Name: |
MartiniMan
-
|
|
| Subject: |
Brooks agrees with Rush
|
|
Date:
|
1/15/2010 6:23:41 PM
|
Yeah, I really cringe when he says stuff like that.
|
| Name: |
MAJ USA RET
-
|
|
| Subject: |
Brooks agrees with Rush
|
|
Date:
|
1/17/2010 9:47:42 AM
|
Glover is a mediocre actor. He was lucky to have been paired with Mel Gibson in his movies. Likeable fellow that he is, he is better served by reciting on-screen lines written for him, rather than thinking up his own. I still like Glover.
Robertson, on the other hand should be careful about what he says… very, very careful. Being a New Testament scholar and theologian, he knows better than to dish out judgment. He has no authority… especially THAT authority. The book of Matthew is replete with Christ’s condemnation of learned men who tout their faith and use it to judge others. He will find his cup full of judgment… overflowing.
I do hope he was quoted out of context. But, I am still wary of Robertson.
|
| Name: |
MartiniMan
-
|
|
| Subject: |
Brooks agrees with Rush
|
|
Date:
|
1/18/2010 8:49:11 AM
|
I don't like Glover either as an actor or a person.
As for Robertson, he is like a lot of fundamentalist Protestants that are steeped in Old Testament judgment (Sodom and Gomorrah, Noah, etc.). The Old Testament is filled with stories of God punishing the chosen people for their transgressions and he seems to see every disaster of this sort as God's punishment for something. I would say that his was not a judgment of the people of Haiti but his view that the earthquake was God's judgment of the people of Haiti. Either way, it is regrettable that he has such a high profile that when he says what he thinks (and I can assure you there are millions who agree with him but many, many more that do not, including me) it provides fodder for the secularists to pillory Christianity.
|
|
|
New Post
Search
Off-Topic Forum
Reply
»
Pennsylvania Lakes
»
Lake Wallenpaupack
Login
|
Home
