By, Nancy Tengler
www.wiseandfrugalgovernment.blogspot.com
Stay with me here. I am about to quote Aristotle again. I have to. Because his ethics and understanding should be part of our dialogue today. Especially when it comes to politicians. Especially when it comes to Obama and his policies.
In the Nicomachean Ethics, Chapter 6, paragraph 7 on Theoretical Wisdom, Aristotle writes: “That is why it is said that men…have theoretical but not practical wisdom: when we see that they do not know what is advantageous to them, we admit that they know extraordinary, wonderful, difficult, and superhuman things, but call their knowledge useless because the good they are seeking is not human” (157). Or good.
He goes on to provide an example of the man who knew that “light meat is easily digested, and hence wholesome, but did not know what sort of meat is light, he will not produce health” (158).
This man does not produce health. Knowing that light meat is healthy is only half the equation. The other half–the important half–is having the ability, understanding and, yes, wisdom to be able to identify light meat. Healthy meat.
The same is true of Obama’s rhetoric. Saying that we need to produce jobs and then proposing penalties to the very people who produce those jobs is akin to arguing for a healthy diet while downing a bag of Cheetos Cheese-Puffs. Voters of all ages and educational background instinctively understand the notion of cause and effect. If I touch the hot stove again, I will get burned. That is practical wisdom. Something that Obama lacks.
Time to step back from our president’s raging inferno of rhetoric and acknowledge that his policies have done nothing to create jobs and everything to create unprecedented deficits. In record time. Six months ago he was all for the Bush era tax cuts and now he demagogues the rich and argues for tax increases. Which is it? White meat or dark? What is the cause of our problems, rich people? Or uncontrolled and fraudulently wasteful spending?
I know healthy meat when I see it and this red meat Obama is throwing at his far left base is reckless and irresponsible. And anything but practical.
By, Nancy Tengler
About ten years ago, give or take, then California Governor Gray Davis gave a press conference to discuss the Golden State’s financial crisis (yes, even then). In that press conference he explained to reporters that it was not that state government spent too much, rather that the revenues weren’t large enough. The translation of his remarks for the economically naive is: despite the fact that Californians are among the highest taxed citizens in the nation (exceeding even New Yorkers) they weren’t paying enough for the state’s services. If they were, we can extrapolate from Mr. Davis’ statement, the revenues would be great enough to cover spending.
Thou hath not changed much California.
Except in one regard: businesses and wealthy individuals are fleeing the state. In 2007 according to the Pew Research Center, California experienced net migration of -681,000 individuals. In other words, California, in one year alone lost almost 700,000 taxpaying citizens to other, more tax-attractive states. In one year alone. From 2004-2007 the net loss of California citizens was 1,900,000. That’s 1.9 million.
The California revenue problem has continued to deteriorate.
Enter Dr. Arthur Laffer (who also exited California during that period). He identified the importance of tax policy to economic growth illustrated best by the Laffer Curve. The Laffer Curve demonstrates that lower tax rates increase incentives to produce income and economic growth thereby resulting in increased tax revenues. There are two points on the Laffer Curve–picture a side-saddle bell curve–where tax revenues equal zero: at a zero percent tax rate and at an 100% tax rate. The former equation is obvious–absence of a tax rate will result in no revenues. At a 100% tax rate, zero tax revenues are also collected because all incentives to produce are removed when the government’s take reaches 100%.
Economic growth and job creation needs to return to the forefront of our national dialogue. A realistic and economically sound tax policy should be debated. Economic class warfare benefits no one. Dr. Laffer believes, “the 2012 election will be a referendum on the economic policies of President Obama.”
I certainly hope so.
By, Nancy Tengler
This semester I have the privilege of teaching a collegiate seminar of the Great Books. We just completed Thucydides’ account of the “The Debate at Sparta and Declaration of War” from his History of the Peloponnesian War.
There is a reason the study of this work has long been considered the foundation of classical education. Our culture seems to have lost a thirst for the Great Books, unless of course we can digest them on screen in Hollywood extravaganzas like Troy which are often loosely, to say the least, based on the actual text.
During the Debate at Sparta, the Corinthians were presenting their grievances against Athens to their allies, the Spartans. …the likeliest way of securing peace is this: only to use one’s power in the cause of justice, but to make it perfectly plain that one is resolved not to tolerate aggression.
Sound advice we would do well to consider as our servicemen are gunned down at airports by Islamic extremists, our soldiers are gunned down on our own army base in Texas by an Islamic extremist and our citizens are held captive and murdered on their own vessel by Somali Pirates. Our response has been muted through each of these hostile, aggressive acts. Our response, frankly, has been absolutely shameful.
The Corinthians understood what Sparta didn’t: that Athens was a determined and patient foe. …they gradually encroach upon their neighbors. Now they are proceeding slowly because they think your insensitiveness to the situation enables them to go on their way unnoticed; you will find that they will develop their full strength once they realize that you do see what is happening and are still doing nothing to prevent it (emphasis mine).
Joe Biden told us during the election that our “young president” would be tested and we would wonder at his response. From the New York Post, October 21, 2008:”Watch. We’re going to have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy. And he’s going to need help . . . to stand with him. Because it’s not going to be apparent initially; it’s not going to be apparent that we’re right.”
For once I agree with ole Joe. It is CLEARLY not apparent that “we’re right.” The Corinthians, however did understand the role of government in protecting her citizens: to use power in the cause of justice and to make it perfectly plain to our enemies that we will not tolerate aggression.
Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/politics/item_SwNf3ALrmaf4Zdb4K0KDoN#ixzz1FdyQ7YV4
