Review of Glenn Beck's new book

[eight6]

[quote][i]Originally posted by SallyLightfoot[/i]

It doesn't matter who's at the top of the food chain, power corrupts.

[/quote]


Doesn't bode well for big government, does it? Based on this statement,[i] more government = more corruption.[/i]

Almost makes you wish for a one man government...like Motors for instance.

[zill]

I worked in aerospace in the UK for awhile and many of our customers were in Africa and the Middle East. All of our business was won on bribes - just part of doing business. And of course, the cost of the bribe was always factored into the pricing. So every time an African dictator wanted a new war toy, his starving, impoverished nation paid 50% more than market so that his uncle or brother could earn an "agency fee". Power corrupts, from dictatorships to democracies.

[SallyLightfoot]

[quote][i]Originally posted by eight6[/i]<br>[quote][i]Originally posted by SallyLightfoot[/i]
It doesn't matter who's at the top of the food chain, power corrupts.[/quote]Doesn't bode well for big government, does it? Based on this statement,[i] more government = more corruption.[/i]
Almost makes you wish for a one man government...like Motors for instance.[/quote]The size of the government doesn't affect the issue. You can have good/bad corrupt or ethical governments irrespective of size. Maybe your argument is that if you're going to have a corrupt government, it might as well be a small (i.e. cheap) one. If that's the case, it still doesn't remove the need for progressive taxation.

[[b]<u>Sidenote</u>:[/b] Furthermore, note that if taxes were lowered (or a flat tax implemented), in the medium/long term you would be no better off with regard to personal wealth or purchasing power. True, there would be an initial boost, and more money would be in the hands of individuals instead of govt, but these dollars will be chasing the same supply of goods & services, which is inflationary. Prices then quickly adjust to the new level, and your wealth relative to your neighbor's balances out to roughly the same as it was before the redistribution. But hey, at least temporarily it felt like you were rich.]

Our government was not designed for efficiency or size, it was designed to be stable, to ensure that no branch the power to dominate govt and devolve into tyranny.

To me, the question is whether members of the govt follow the law, and if not, are they held accountable? I think a lot of the corruption in washington (and at the state level) is due to campaign financing. If we could address that issue, I think government would be a lot less corrupt, irrespective of size.

[ghosty]

[quote][i]Originally posted by SallyLightfoot[/i]
<br>[quote][i]Originally posted by eight6[/i]<br>[quote][i]Originally posted by SallyLightfoot[/i]
It doesn't matter who's at the top of the food chain, power corrupts.[/quote]Doesn't bode well for big government, does it? Based on this statement,[i] more government = more corruption.[/i]
Almost makes you wish for a one man government...like Motors for instance.[/quote]The size of the government doesn't affect the issue. You can have good/bad corrupt or ethical governments irrespective of size. Maybe your argument is that if you're going to have a corrupt government, it might as well be a small (i.e. cheap) one. If that's the case, it still doesn't remove the need for progressive taxation.

[[b]<u>Sidenote</u>:[/b] Furthermore, note that if taxes were lowered (or a flat tax implemented), in the medium/long term you would be no better off with regard to personal wealth or purchasing power. True, there would be an initial boost, and more money would be in the hands of individuals instead of govt, but these dollars will be chasing the same supply of goods & services, which is inflationary. Prices then quickly adjust to the new level, and your wealth relative to your neighbor's balances out to roughly the same as it was before the redistribution. But hey, at least temporarily it felt like you were rich.]

Our government was not designed for efficiency or size, it was designed to be stable, to ensure that no branch the power to dominate govt and devolve into tyranny.

To me, the question is whether members of the govt follow the law, and if not, are they held accountable? I think a lot of the corruption in washington (and at the state level) is due to campaign financing. If we could address that issue, I think government would be a lot less corrupt, irrespective of size.
[/quote]


I agree. The founders did a great job......of course we had to slaughter and exterminate a race of people in order to take the land we could found something on, but still.....[}:)]

Wank Fest ON!![;)]

[SallyLightfoot]

[b]ghosty[/b] wrote: "of course we had to slaughter and exterminate a race of people in order to take the land we could found something on, but still..."

Not to mention the fact that we used slave labor to staff our critical agricultural, maritime and construction industries. Of course, if you ask someone like Pat Buchanan, he'll tell you this is the best thing that ever happened to those folks. [B)]

[i_like_lectric_motors]

[quote][i]Originally posted by SallyLightfoot[/i]
<br>[b]ghosty[/b] wrote: "of course we had to slaughter and exterminate a race of people in order to take the land we could found something on, but still..."

Not to mention the fact that we used slave labor to staff our critical agricultural, maritime and construction industries. Of course, if you ask someone like Pat Buchanan, he'll tell you this is the best thing that ever happened to those folks. [B)]
[/quote]

There's also no good reason this couldn't work again.

[zill]

Maybe if more poor people wanked, there would be less of them around to support.

Wocka Wocka Wocka!

[ghosty]

Sally, you seem to have it in for Republicans. I think you should move here to New Jersey where you'd see our elected Republican and Democrat mayors working together in harmony....y'know....taking bribes, organizing prostitution rings and illegally trafficking human organs. Woo hoo![:p]

[SallyLightfoot]

[quote][i]Originally posted by ghosty[/i]<br>Sally, you seem to have it in for Republicans. I think you should move here to New Jersey where you'd see our elected Republican and Democrat mayors working together in harmony....y'know....taking bribes, organizing prostitution rings and illegally trafficking human organs. Woo hoo![:p][/quote]Yeah, I do have it out for them. I was a moderate republican until the middle of GW Bush's first term, so I guess I can thank him for the backlash. I'll say that I'm not enamored with democrats, either-- just that over the past decade, they've been [i]arguably[/i] less evil than the GOP. So far I'd give Obama a [b]D[/b] grade for his performance (doubtful Afghan policy, a half-assed grade on the economy, and a failing grade on executive power, privacy, habeas corpus and govt. transparency.). But am I stupid enough to believe that things would be better under McCain/Palin? [i]NFW[/i].

By the way, I do live in NJ, and yes, it's reported to be a total shit-hole swamp of political corruption. I don't follow state politics very closely, so I don't have much of an analysis there. Corruption is a cross-party issue, though, that much is certain.

[ghosty]

[quote][i]Originally posted by SallyLightfoot[/i]
By the way, I do live in NJ, and yes, it's reported to be a total shit-hole swamp of political corruption. I don't follow state politics very closely, so I don't have much of an analysis there. Corruption is a cross-party issue, though, that much is certain.
[/quote]

Ah, a fellow New Jerseyan. Well, if you want to start following state politics, look no further than the daily police blotter in your local newspaper.

Democrats/Republicans in New Jersey probably frown upon Tony Soprano for his lack of ambition.

[SallyLightfoot]

Re: what I mentioned about corruption, it reminded me of the following quotes from Robert Kennedy, Jr.:

"The Republicans are 95 percent corrupt and the Democrats are 75 percent corrupt... They are accepting money from the same corporations. And of course, that is going to corrupt you."

And:

"The biggest threat to American democracy is corporate power... There is vogue in the White House to talk about the threat of big government. But since the beginning of our national history, our most visionary political leaders have warned the American public against the domination of government by corporate power. That warning is missing in the national debate right now. Because so much corporate money is going into politics, the Democratic Party itself has dropped the ball. They just quash discussion about the corrosive impact of excessive corporate power on American democracy."

<a href="http://www.corporatecrimereporter.com/kennedy123004.htm" target="_new">Robert Kennedy Jr.: Democrats Are 75 Percent Corrupt, Republicans Are 95 Percent Corrupt</a>

[Spectre General]

Here is one thing I think would put an end to a lot of corruption in politics:

Congratulations, you've just been elected to public office. You must now relinquish (or freeze for the duration of your term) all stocks/shareholdings in any industry you may have, and are no longer allowed to sit on the board of anything, other than that which you were elected to. (Congress, state senate, etc.) Public service should be just that, public service, not self-service.

I'd imagine that if you remove the ability for these greasy politicians to serve themselves, 90% of them wouldn't run for office in the first place. (Dick Cheney anyone?)

-------------------------------------------------
What is love after all
but occasional steps
of a dance.........
.......In a trance?

[SallyLightfoot]

I don't know enough about campaign financing laws, but maybe public financing could help insulate candidates from financial interests & cronyism. Also, it'd be great to see some sort of banishment of the revolving door that is public officials cashing in on lobbying careers and vice versa.

[hutter]

[quote][i]Originally posted by Spectre General[/i]
<br>Here is one thing I think would put an end to a lot of corruption in politics:

Congratulations, you've just been elected to public office. You must now relinquish (or freeze for the duration of your term) all stocks/shareholdings in any industry you may have, and are no longer allowed to sit on the board of anything, other than that which you were elected to. (Congress, state senate, etc.) Public service should be just that, public service, not self-service.

I'd imagine that if you remove the ability for these greasy politicians to serve themselves, 90% of them wouldn't run for office in the first place. (Dick Cheney anyone?)

-------------------------------------------------
What is love after all
but occasional steps
of a dance.........
.......In a trance?
[/quote]

Not a bad idea.

Maybe even a draft would work. It would be random as hell and we'd certainly get a few clunkers, but I can't see Joe Average doing a worse job than most of the career politicians/douchebags.

[WoodlandParkPunk]

Who the hell is Glen Beck???

"You just pick a chord, go twang, and you've got music." ~ Sid Vicious