{"id":1110,"date":"2008-05-12T21:42:55","date_gmt":"2008-05-13T01:42:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/s265039441.onlinehome.us\/philpaine\/?p=1110"},"modified":"2018-08-14T09:01:39","modified_gmt":"2018-08-14T13:01:39","slug":"monday-may-12-2008-what-is-progress-what-is-progressive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/?p=1110","title":{"rendered":"Monday, May 12, 2008 \u2014 What Is Progress? What Is Progressive?"},"content":{"rendered":"

In a speech, today, Canada\u2019s Prime Min\u00adis\u00adter, Stephen Harp\u00ader out\u00adlined his plan to force our coun\u00adtry down the same path to bank\u00adrupt\u00adcy and self-destruc\u00adtion that the Unit\u00aded States has relent\u00adless\u00adly pur\u00adsued over the last gen\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtion. It\u2019s first pur\u00adpose is to destroy our domes\u00adtic indus\u00adtry (espe\u00adcial\u00adly in Ontario) and reduce us to abject sub\u00admis\u00adsion to \u201cBig Ener\u00adgy\u201d, the glob\u00adal com\u00admu\u00adnism of oil sheiks, dic\u00adta\u00adtors and multi\u00adna\u00adtion\u00adal gang\u00adsters. It\u2019s sec\u00adondary pur\u00adpose is to esca\u00adlate eco\u00adnom\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly par\u00ada\u00adlyz\u00ading mil\u00adi\u00adtary spend\u00ading, and make us even more avail\u00adable as mer\u00adce\u00adnary canon fod\u00adder to our glob\u00adal mas\u00adters. Canada\u2019s indus\u00adtri\u00adal base is rapid\u00adly dis\u00adin\u00adte\u00adgrat\u00ading. Just today, the clo\u00adsure of anoth\u00ader major indus\u00adtri\u00adal facil\u00adi\u00adty in Ontario was announced. Canada\u2019s cur\u00adrent\u00adly \u201cstrong\u201d econ\u00ado\u00admy is being propped up by oil and gas pro\u00adduc\u00adtion, and pros\u00adper\u00adi\u00adty is con\u00adfined to the exportable resource regions. Oil, gas, min\u00ading. The Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive regime is forc\u00ading us back into the pathet\u00adic \u201chew\u00aders of wood and draw\u00aders of water\u201d sta\u00adtus that it took us a cen\u00adtu\u00adry of strug\u00adgle to free our\u00adselves from. The decade of bal\u00adanced bud\u00adgets and sur\u00adplus\u00ades gen\u00ader\u00adat\u00aded by Lib\u00ader\u00adal gov\u00adern\u00adments has been can\u00adceled out \u2015 pil\u00adlaged by the Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive regime \u2015 and we will soon be plung\u00ading into debt. This is the result of import\u00ading the obnox\u00adious, free\u00addom-hat\u00ading Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive ide\u00adol\u00ado\u00adgy that has crip\u00adpled and dis\u00adhon\u00adoured the Unit\u00aded States \u2015 an ide\u00adol\u00ado\u00adgy that would far more accu\u00adrate\u00adly be named \u201cNeo-Com\u00admu\u00adnism\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

Iron\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly, there is plen\u00adty of evi\u00addence that Amer\u00adi\u00adcans are sum\u00admon\u00ading the courage to rebel against the dis\u00adease of Con\u00adser\u00advatism. It\u2019s not cer\u00adtain whether this rebel\u00adlion will suc\u00adceed. At present, it seems to con\u00adsist of noth\u00ading more than an unfo\u00adcused dis\u00adcon\u00adtent, a resent\u00adment of con\u00adstant\u00adly being lied to, and bore\u00addom with the rant\u00adi\u00adng of Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive aparatchiks and True Believ\u00aders. Amer\u00adi\u00adcans want \u201cchange\u201d, but do they have any idea what they want to change, specif\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly? It seems cer\u00adtain that Barak Oba\u00adma will become Pres\u00adi\u00addent, but in a polit\u00adi\u00adcal sys\u00adtem in which only per\u00adson\u00adal charis\u00adma and mys\u00adti\u00adcal sym\u00adbol\u00adism deter\u00admine results, there is lit\u00adtle dis\u00adcus\u00adsion of what poli\u00adcies and strate\u00adgies might get Amer\u00adi\u00adcans out of the hole they have dug for them\u00adselves. Opti\u00admism and hope are nice, but opti\u00admism doesn\u2019t pay debts, or rebuild a rot\u00adten econ\u00ado\u00admy, or rekin\u00addle the flame of free\u00addom \u2015 rea\u00adson and hard work do. Con\u00adser\u00advatism has sys\u00adtem\u00adat\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly under\u00admined the abil\u00adi\u00adty of Amer\u00adi\u00adcans to either rea\u00adson or work. It has poi\u00adsoned the moral impulse. Is this cur\u00adrent shift in mood a gen\u00aduine desire to reform the soci\u00adety, or is it just anoth\u00ader ver\u00adsion of scream\u00ading to get the ted\u00addy-bear back, and return to pas\u00adsive depen\u00addence? To tell you the truth, I don\u2019t know. Such things can\u2019t be judged by fol\u00adlow\u00ading the media. I would have to live in the U.S. again to form an opinion.<\/span><\/p>\n

America\u2019s shift to a vague desire for \u201csome\u00adthing dif\u00adfer\u00adent\u201d is dri\u00adven by dis\u00adcon\u00adtent and ennui, a psy\u00adcho\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal state that Cana\u00addi\u00adans don\u2019t find them\u00adselves in. Our cur\u00adrent Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive regime is a sec\u00adond-hand cast-off of the Amer\u00adi\u00adcan arti\u00adcle, a mechan\u00adi\u00adcal aping by those among us who have the habit of import\u00ading out-of-date trends. Some of us are always adopt\u00ading some Amer\u00adi\u00adcan or Euro\u00adpean idea after it is old-hat and worn out. But, after many years of eco\u00adnom\u00adic solid\u00adi\u00adty and sen\u00adsi\u00adble finances, gen\u00ader\u00adat\u00aded by Lib\u00ader\u00adal gov\u00adern\u00adment, there is lit\u00adtle dis\u00adcon\u00adtent in the land. The first cracks in the foun\u00adda\u00adtions are not being noticed, or tak\u00aden seri\u00adous\u00adly. So it is still pos\u00adsi\u00adble for Harp\u00ader to ped\u00addle to Cana\u00addi\u00adans import\u00aded ide\u00ado\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal trash that Amer\u00adi\u00adcans are sick of.<\/span><\/p>\n

So the ques\u00adtion before us, in both coun\u00adtries, is: What Is Progress? What Is Pro\u00adgres\u00adsive? The vague jum\u00adble of inco\u00adher\u00adent ideas and trends that are labeled \u201clib\u00ader\u00adal\u201d in the Unit\u00aded States \u2015 and suc\u00adcess\u00adful\u00adly demo\u00adnized by the high\u00adly orga\u00adnized pro\u00adpa\u00adgan\u00adda machine of the Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive aris\u00adtoc\u00adra\u00adcy \u2015 doesn\u2019t offer any kind of alter\u00adna\u00adtive. It is mere\u00adly a reac\u00adtive impulse. The peo\u00adple labeled \u201clib\u00ader\u00adal\u201d in North Amer\u00adi\u00adca are the per\u00adfect suck\u00aders, the per\u00adfect chumps. They sel\u00addom see through lies, and can be manip\u00adu\u00adlat\u00aded with ease. They nev\u00ader seem to catch on to the fact that Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtives always do the exact oppo\u00adsite of what they say. Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtives yap about free\u00addom, and build con\u00adcen\u00adtra\u00adtion camps. They yap about patri\u00ado\u00adtism and hand over the coun\u00adtry to for\u00adeign tyrants. They yap about \u201cmoral\u00adi\u00adty\u201d and wal\u00adlow in filth and cor\u00adrup\u00adtion. They yap about \u201cfree mar\u00adkets\u201d and run the biggest state-man\u00adaged and state-inter\u00adven\u00adtion\u00adist, col\u00adlec\u00adtivist regime in human his\u00adto\u00adry. They yap about oppos\u00ading \u201cbig gov\u00adern\u00adment\u201d and relent\u00adless\u00adly pur\u00adsue the infla\u00adtion of gov\u00adern\u00adment pow\u00ader and an omnipo\u00adtent Impe\u00adr\u00adi\u00adal pres\u00adi\u00adden\u00adcy. They yap about the evils of \u201ctax-and-spend Lib\u00ader\u00adals\u201d and indulge in an insane spend\u00ading fren\u00adzy that has bank\u00adrupt\u00aded the world\u2019s most pow\u00ader\u00adful economy.<\/span><\/p>\n

The pathet\u00adic crea\u00adtures called \u201clib\u00ader\u00adals\u201d in the U.S. invari\u00adably react, not to what Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtives do<\/strong>, but only to what they say<\/strong>. So, if Amer\u00adi\u00adcans, caught in a sad dual\u00adis\u00adtic \u201cleft-right\u201d men\u00adtal\u00adi\u00adty, try to change things, they invari\u00adably embrace pre\u00adcise\u00adly the val\u00adues that Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtives real\u00adly want. Big\u00adger gov\u00adern\u00adment with big\u00adger pow\u00aders, bureau\u00adcrat\u00adic mega-projects, more alpha\u00adbet agen\u00adcies with dra\u00adcon\u00adian author\u00adi\u00adty and no account\u00adabil\u00adi\u00adty, more \u201cbig\u00adness\u201d, more mega\u00adlo\u00adma\u00adnia, more raz\u00adzle-daz\u00adzle and pomp, more social engi\u00adneer\u00ading, more direc\u00adtion from the top down. These are Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive val\u00adues, not \u201clib\u00ader\u00adal\u201d ones. And the real Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtives will always come back into pow\u00ader, because they are the gen\u00aduine arti\u00adcle. In the next round, they will glee\u00adful\u00adly inher\u00adit the greater state pow\u00aders, hand\u00aded to them on plat\u00adter by the pre\u00addictable reac\u00adtions of \u201clib\u00ader\u00adals\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

Take, for exam\u00adple, one of the few areas of pol\u00adi\u00adcy for which Democ\u00adrats in the U.S. have spe\u00adcif\u00adic plans. They are propos\u00ading a nation\u00adal health-care insur\u00adance sys\u00adtem. Pre\u00addictably, the sys\u00adtem they pro\u00adpose is actu\u00adal\u00adly one that was devised by Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive \u201cthink-tanks\u201d \u2014 one that is inef\u00adfi\u00adcient and unwork\u00adable on pur\u00adpose<\/em>. Good luck with that. Because of the two-dimen\u00adsion\u00adal \u201cleft-right\u201d non\u00adsense, Amer\u00adi\u00adcans are led to believe that this is a form of \u201csocial\u00adized med\u00adi\u00adcine\u201d, that it exists on a con\u00adtin\u00adu\u00adum with their exist\u00ading set\u00adup at one end, and state-man\u00adaged, col\u00adlec\u00adtivised med\u00adi\u00adcine at the oth\u00ader. This is non\u00adsense. but it is believed equal\u00adly by sup\u00adport\u00aders and oppo\u00adnents of health care reform. Because of this non\u00adsen\u00adsi\u00adcal sys\u00adtem of clas\u00adsi\u00adfi\u00adca\u00adtion, attempts to pro\u00advide uni\u00adver\u00adsal health care are bound to end up with a big mess, instead of improved health care.<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve exam\u00adined the data as care\u00adful\u00adly as I could, and there is absolute\u00adly no ques\u00adtion that Cana\u00addi\u00adans get a much bet\u00adter health care deal than Amer\u00adi\u00adcans do. A vis\u00adit to an Amer\u00adi\u00adcan hos\u00adpi\u00adtal con\u00advinced me of that with\u00adin fif\u00adteen min\u00adutes. But I have relied on inter\u00adna\u00adtion\u00adal\u00adly and objec\u00adtive\u00adly gen\u00ader\u00adat\u00aded data to form my con\u00adclu\u00adsions. The Cana\u00addi\u00adan sys\u00adtem, which is not \u201csocial\u00adized med\u00adi\u00adcine\u201d at all, does two things: 1) it pro\u00advides bet\u00adter qual\u00adi\u00adty health care at half the price that Amer\u00adi\u00adcans pay, and 2) it pro\u00admotes greater indi\u00advid\u00adu\u00adal\u00adism and per\u00adson\u00adal inde\u00adpen\u00addence. Those are the pur\u00adpos\u00ades of any prac\u00adti\u00adcal risk-reduc\u00adtion scheme, and the essence of a demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic response to any large-scale social prob\u00adlem. But, because of absurd ide\u00ado\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal gib\u00adber\u00adish, most Amer\u00adi\u00adcans, and even many Cana\u00addi\u00adans, pro\u00adfound\u00adly mis\u00adun\u00adder\u00adstand this system.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In a speech, today, Canada\u2019s Prime Min\u00adis\u00adter, Stephen Harp\u00ader out\u00adlined his plan to force our coun\u00adtry down the same path to bank\u00adrupt\u00adcy and self-destruc\u00ad\u00ad\u00adtion that the Unit\u00aded States has relent\u00adless\u00adly pur\u00adsued over the last gen\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtion. It\u2019s first pur\u00adpose is to \u2026<\/p>\n

Read more \u00bb<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1110","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-a-blog","category-as-blog-2008"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1110","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1110"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1110\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8537,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1110\/revisions\/8537"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1110"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1110"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1110"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}