Tiassa
05-27-03, 02:34 PM
William Raspberry (Washington Post) published an interesting column today, for anyone to make heads or tails of. Insightful, prodding, and critical of the superficial, though superficial in itself inasmuch as any syndicated American columnist is. Nonetheless:
Change the justification to accommodate the policy (Seattle Times) (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/134816801_raspberry27.html) .... If they believe this ? that it is the tax reduction itself, not the specific ways in which it is directed, that provides its revenue-enhancing power ? aren't they logically bound to keep cutting taxes, even to zero and beyond? Do they really believe that a stock market, stalled by the fact that there is so much investable money "sitting on the sidelines," will be stimulated by giving more money to those on the sidelines? And if they believe, as many of them claim, that Washington bureaucrats would only waste the money if we don't cut taxes, won't the increase in revenues the tax cut is supposed to trigger give the bureaucrats more money to waste? ....
.... They seem not to have thought of the question that seems so obvious ? and so obviously important ? to me: Why would Saddam, facing annihilation, take the bother to hide his chemical and biological weapons so carefully that we still haven't found them, while leaving his millions of American dollars right where we could find them? ....
.... Both the war and the tax cuts began as policy decisions. The justifications for the policies were developed ? and changed as often as necessary ? to accommodate the policy.
And a lot of people have gone blithely along .... On an irrelevant note, the Seattle Times' Letters to the Editor (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/134816800_tuelets27.html) page is hilarious today:.... Sex, drugs, rock and roll, and now video-game violence against police are clearly more important problems to solve than mundane matters such as overcrowded roads, prisons and schools. After all, it takes courage, tenacity and a pay increase to pass laws criminalizing the recreational pursuits of young citizens who cannot vote ....
.... Meanwhile, I have an inspiration for a new game called "State of Emergency 2: Olympia." The premise would be gratuitous violence against busybody lobbyists and state legislators, who have apparently stolen the common sense of Gov. Locke. Under House Bill 1009, this title appears legal to sell or rent to minors. However, this may not be a bad thing, if you accept the premise of teens being malleable enough to shape their social mores around the fantasy world of video games .... (R. Walker, Bellevue, Washington) Maybe it's not irrelevant. Didn't the US Army try marketing a FPS to encourage teens to enlist? (I remember hearing about the game and seeing clips of the GL-shooter in action, but I can't recall if the game was ever released.)
Something about policy methods .....
:m:,
Tiassa :cool:
Change the justification to accommodate the policy (Seattle Times) (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/134816801_raspberry27.html) .... If they believe this ? that it is the tax reduction itself, not the specific ways in which it is directed, that provides its revenue-enhancing power ? aren't they logically bound to keep cutting taxes, even to zero and beyond? Do they really believe that a stock market, stalled by the fact that there is so much investable money "sitting on the sidelines," will be stimulated by giving more money to those on the sidelines? And if they believe, as many of them claim, that Washington bureaucrats would only waste the money if we don't cut taxes, won't the increase in revenues the tax cut is supposed to trigger give the bureaucrats more money to waste? ....
.... They seem not to have thought of the question that seems so obvious ? and so obviously important ? to me: Why would Saddam, facing annihilation, take the bother to hide his chemical and biological weapons so carefully that we still haven't found them, while leaving his millions of American dollars right where we could find them? ....
.... Both the war and the tax cuts began as policy decisions. The justifications for the policies were developed ? and changed as often as necessary ? to accommodate the policy.
And a lot of people have gone blithely along .... On an irrelevant note, the Seattle Times' Letters to the Editor (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/134816800_tuelets27.html) page is hilarious today:.... Sex, drugs, rock and roll, and now video-game violence against police are clearly more important problems to solve than mundane matters such as overcrowded roads, prisons and schools. After all, it takes courage, tenacity and a pay increase to pass laws criminalizing the recreational pursuits of young citizens who cannot vote ....
.... Meanwhile, I have an inspiration for a new game called "State of Emergency 2: Olympia." The premise would be gratuitous violence against busybody lobbyists and state legislators, who have apparently stolen the common sense of Gov. Locke. Under House Bill 1009, this title appears legal to sell or rent to minors. However, this may not be a bad thing, if you accept the premise of teens being malleable enough to shape their social mores around the fantasy world of video games .... (R. Walker, Bellevue, Washington) Maybe it's not irrelevant. Didn't the US Army try marketing a FPS to encourage teens to enlist? (I remember hearing about the game and seeing clips of the GL-shooter in action, but I can't recall if the game was ever released.)
Something about policy methods .....
:m:,
Tiassa :cool: