Once again, it’s time to unleash the dogs.
Before we get started, I would like to thank those of you who have responded through e-mail to my columns. I enjoy cutting through the rhetoric with all of you and forming some solid views on politics. You may not always like what you read, but I can guarantee that it comes spin-free, with no hidden agenda.
Based on my first column, some of you might have been misled into believing that I’m a Bush-hating, Al Gore apologist. Far from it!
Truth be told, I prefer a concept known as the “radical center.” The radical center believes that great change can take place, but that it must be done on an incremental level. From this perspective, the special-interest lobby is to blame for most of the problems in Washington and the mainstream media today.
Powerful lobbies, representing hungry constituencies, are each fighting for their own piece of the American pie. It sounds like both democracy and the market interwoven in beautiful synergy, but it just isn’t so. Instead, federal bureaucrats become street hustlers, peddling out the goods to power junkies. This idea mainly offends liberals, but pertains to conservatives as well.
We’ve had three historic leaders over the past 20 years who have attempted drastic reform in government: Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and Newt Gingrich. Each one marched into Washington promising to end big government, reform the system and return integrity to politics. Sadly, each one failed more dramatically than the last.
The end result is what Ralph Nader calls, “The merging of parties into one giant corporation with two heads.” Unfortunately, Mr. Nader cannot claim innocence in this matter. He’s the godfather of the special interest. He makes a valid point, but that doesn’t change the often negative effects of his approach. Make no mistake, if Mr. Nader were elected, his platform of instant gratification would be just as harmful to our society as that of Pat Buchanan. You can’t do it all by yourself, and you can’t do it all at once. Our founding fathers constructed a system to prevent hasty decisions, and it’s a good thing they did.
As a result of pandering to the special interests, Democrats have lost touch with what once made them a liberal party. I’m not a liberal, but I used to admire the Democrats for standing their ground on economic and social policy. They helped change the world. Now, they stand for getting elected at any cost. Of course, I can’t quite call myself a Republican, either. I’m not a country club racist who wants the government out of my wallet and inside your bedroom.
If the Democrats had some integrity, or the Republicans stopped using J.C. Watts and cast extras from El Mariachi for their modern-day minstrel show, I’d gladly join either side.
The solution for a radically centrist government lies in compassionate conservatism. Unfortunately, it’s not the exact vision espoused by Gov. Bush. He’s got the right idea, but like Reagan and Clinton discovered, you can’t shove it down America’s throat.
Now, when I’m not writing this column, I tend to be a positive guy.
In spite of my love for ’80s post-apocalyptic science-fiction movies, I do believe the world is going to be OK. People surprise me every day with their sincerity, kindness and love for those around them. It’s the people running the show who scare me.
Next week, instead of pointing fingers, I’ll talk about some solutions to this problem of the parasitic economy. Until then, keep those love letters and death threats on the go-go.