Jim Flowers' Radio Weblog

	Friday, April 29, 2005

The old joke used to be that if you want to take the voter's minds off the economy, you start a war. It seems that the way is not doing the trick, so other "red herrings" are being employed. For example, Social Security. The system is decades from real trouble, yet the mantra is so intense, so focused that one might believe it is the only domestic issue to be solved.

But, if Social Security doesn't distract you -- let's call a weekend session of Congress to play in a personal life/death decision (Schiavo). Or, we can spend a week deciding how to take evolution out of textbooks. Or, let's talk about all those activist judges those wicked Republican presidents have appointed (yeah, check the numbers -- the majority of federal judges are Republican appointees -- and they control 10 of 13 appellate circuits).

And, we'll throw some money at Education, call it No Child Left Behind, and saciate those worried about educating our children.

Meanwhile, no investement in math/science. No investment in infrastructure. No consideration or discussion given the the fact that India and China will pass us soon in the intellectual property category (that whoosh sound is being made by American companies investing capital plants in those countries to sell there -- not here). And, while the Third World is expanding wireless and Internet access to everyone, the US has fallen to 19th in the world in per capita connectivity.

Yeah -- we have a leadership problem here. By 2010 we'll have a new definition for "being Shanghai'd"

comment [] 3:58:40 PM

Thomas Friedman speaks volumes of truth in today's column:

India and China know they can't just depend on low wages, so they are racing us to the top, not the bottom. Producing a comprehensive U.S. response - encompassing immigration, intellectual property law and educational policy - to focus on developing our talent in a flat world is a big idea worthy of a presidency. But it would also require Mr. Bush to do something he has never done: ask Americans to do something hard.

comment [] 4:42:41 AM