Entries in Politics (2)
Corn Pone Opinion
The elections are over, we've voiced our squeaky thoughts in a relentless stream and I think it's high time for a little master wordsmithing on ATW. Vanderleun channels greatness on Public Opinion, here's a taste, go enjoy the whole feast.
Broadly speaking, there are none but corn-pone opinions. And broadly speaking, corn-pone stands for self-approval. Self-approval is acquired mainly from the approval of other people. The result is conformity. Sometimes conformity has a sordid business interest -- the bread-and-butter interest -- but not in most cases, I think. I think that in the majority of cases it is unconscious and not calculated; that it is born of the human being's natural yearning to stand well with his fellows and have their inspiring approval and praise -- a yearning which is commonly so strong and so insistent that it cannot be effectually resisted, and must have its way.
A political emergency brings out the corn-pone opinion in fine force in its two chief varieties -- the pocketbook variety, which has its origin in self-interest, and the bigger variety, the sentimental variety -- the one which can't bear to be outside the pale; can't bear to be in disfavor; can't endure the averted face and the cold shoulder; wants to stand well with his friends, wants to be smiled upon, wants to be welcome, wants to hear the precious words, "He's on the right track!" Uttered, perhaps by an ass, but still an ass of high degree, an ass whose approval is gold and diamonds to a smaller ass, and confers glory and honor and happiness, and membership in the herd. For these gauds many a man will dump his life-long principles into the street, and his conscience along with them. We have seen it happen. In some millions of instances.
Daphne
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WORLD HUNGER.....
“We do not need to make further pledges if we just deliver on what we have already promised,” he told the assembled world leaders. “The commitments and the know-how are already there. It is the political will and action that will make the difference in the fight against hunger,” he added. Before the summit, Mr Cowen presented the Government’s Hunger Task Force report to Mr Ban. He was accompanied by some members of the taskforce including Minister for Agriculture Joe Walsh, economist Jeffrey Sachs and Bono.It never ceases to amaze me how posturing politicans (and in this case their egomaniac pop star cronies) like to lecture us on the world's poor with the suggestion that if ONLY we throw more money at them, all will be better.
The truth is that poverty is most frequently associated with a lack of freedom. It is those nations that have autocrats, theocrats and tyrants ruling over them that suffer the greatest poverty. It is endemic political corruption that causes so much misery in these lands. Cowen and the rest of the pious get it wrong. The best solution to poverty is liberty, capitalism, property rights and freedom from big government.
How many of those posturing at the UN will argue for those values? Feed the world? Yes - encourage capitalism.