I've come to believe that all of politics are defined by the need to control others. My left/right spectrum is driven by one question: "Do you feel the need to control other people, all outcomes and society itself? Do you want to make rules for every situation?"
If you do, I consider you to be a Leftist, of the political Left. The Constitution makes these people uncomfortable or downright hostile, because it takes the power of control away from government and yields it to individuals and their local representatives and governments.
If you don't, I consider you to be of the Right, like libertarians. The Constitution is your guiding document, and the rights enshrined are sacred to you. You are satisfied with a Free Market and individuals self-sustaining as long as they respect your own rights and others' rights. Your terms of coexistence with others are happier and more accepting.
So I always look through this lens to figure out who a person is, and whether they are hostile to me or someone who is friendly.
Interestingly, the Classical Liberal is someone I deem very friendly, even though I am someone of the "Far" Right (as is popular in our modern lexicon). "Live and Let Live" is very comfortable to me. I am not hostile to or threatened by someone who just wants to live peacefully and surf on the ocean like a hippie. I don't care either way. I also believe this is why we can easily identify Leftists and Democrats by simply listening to them. The lockdowns, vaccine requirements and mask requirements were revealing of everyone who couldn't contain that inner desire to control everyone else. Leftists wanted to force you to be vaccinated, wear a mask and stay in your home -- away from them. People of the Right felt it should largely be each person's own decision.
I like to read the humanities through this lens. Think of obvious ones like 1984, or Lord of the Flies, or Shakespeare. It's all there.
This to me, is Friedman's essence, and your essence, Mr. Carter. It's why I continually read every piece of yours, and I feel at home, as if you were a family member.
I listen to Gavin Newsome, and Joe Biden and AOC, and Rashida Tlieb and I feel very aggressive, uncomfortable even. These people don't wish for me to live freely, but want to control my life and every aspect of it until they achieve some sort of utopian outcome that they will define. Somehow we've never reached it, as they keep trying, with ever greater vigor.
That's how I see things, and wondered if others see it the same way?
In the 1960s, the draft was composed primarily of young men who didn't go to college. College was a four year deferment and in the early years longer than that. A lot of guys went into the reserves, and had limited active duty and a continuing obligation. For someone who grew up during the draft, the important thing is whether or not you served -- not whether or not you were in harms way. A lot of guys who were drafted wound up in Europe or Alaska and not Viet Nam. It's a false dichotomy to use Viet Nam as the measure of service. Once you put on the uniform, you go where they tell you. Putting on the uniform, doing unpleasant things while the college guys were eating pizza, honored an obligation that so many never fulfilled. And this continues for reservists today. George Bush may have been rich and privileged but he put more time into serving this nation than most of his contemporaries.
"Yet, other connected people like President Bush actually served in the military but were given plum jobs stateside which never put their lives in danger"...GWB flew the F-102 Delta Dagger, an airplane that had a fairly poor record for safety. Not comparable to front-line ground or air combat, but significantly more dangerous than a desk job.
Outstanding! I hope our military isn't too far gone to the woke, imbecile side. We're seeing a sharp drop in re-enlistment and recruiting numbers. Milley and Austin need to either quit or address that asap and learn how to execute war plans instead of worrying about toxic masculinity and "white rage," whatever that is.
"Yet, other connected people like President Bush actually served in the military but were given plum jobs stateside which never put their lives in danger."
Whatever you know about economics, you clearly don't know jack about history or the military.
Bush was flying military planes. This has NEVER been a safe task that "never put their lives in danger."
IIRC, the plane Bush flew was a particularly unsafe one. But none of them are safe, and peacetime military pilots routinely die in accidents.
There's a lot of bad things you can say about GWB. But claiming he "got a safe sinecure" is not one of them
An all volunteer military does lead to better soldiers, of course. (The brass, who seemingly are incapable of winning a war, are another story.) But it also increases the gulf between classes. How many Ivy League, or even State U, grads ever sign up? It completely absolves the upper class of thinking about defending their nation. And so they don't, not even intellectually any more.
They can't afford to pay for it? Our European NATO allies should "lend" them the money. Germany, et al., are the nations most at risk from Russian expansion into Europe. They are the ones who have benefited from American generosity for most of the last century, and declined to meet their obligations even when gently reminded by Pres. Trump.
Ukraine is not a NATO country, and should not ever be.
To be clear, I think that Russia is the villain here, and should not be allowed to succeed in their invasion. The Ukrainians have fought bravely and well, and should be supported by their neighbors. As it stands now, the material and financial support given to Ukraine by USA will be paid by my grandchildren, with German (et el.) citizens and their progeny again getting a free ride.
"Yet, other connected people like President Bush actually served in the military but were given plum jobs stateside which never put their lives in danger."
I'm no great fan of the Shrub, but his job in the Texas Air National Guard wasn't exactly easy - and flying the F-102 was never a safe job. And the slander that he got out just when his squadron was going to be sent to Vietnam was just that; slander. No F-102 squadron was ever deployed to Vietnam, and never would be.
I've come to believe that all of politics are defined by the need to control others. My left/right spectrum is driven by one question: "Do you feel the need to control other people, all outcomes and society itself? Do you want to make rules for every situation?"
If you do, I consider you to be a Leftist, of the political Left. The Constitution makes these people uncomfortable or downright hostile, because it takes the power of control away from government and yields it to individuals and their local representatives and governments.
If you don't, I consider you to be of the Right, like libertarians. The Constitution is your guiding document, and the rights enshrined are sacred to you. You are satisfied with a Free Market and individuals self-sustaining as long as they respect your own rights and others' rights. Your terms of coexistence with others are happier and more accepting.
So I always look through this lens to figure out who a person is, and whether they are hostile to me or someone who is friendly.
Interestingly, the Classical Liberal is someone I deem very friendly, even though I am someone of the "Far" Right (as is popular in our modern lexicon). "Live and Let Live" is very comfortable to me. I am not hostile to or threatened by someone who just wants to live peacefully and surf on the ocean like a hippie. I don't care either way. I also believe this is why we can easily identify Leftists and Democrats by simply listening to them. The lockdowns, vaccine requirements and mask requirements were revealing of everyone who couldn't contain that inner desire to control everyone else. Leftists wanted to force you to be vaccinated, wear a mask and stay in your home -- away from them. People of the Right felt it should largely be each person's own decision.
I like to read the humanities through this lens. Think of obvious ones like 1984, or Lord of the Flies, or Shakespeare. It's all there.
This to me, is Friedman's essence, and your essence, Mr. Carter. It's why I continually read every piece of yours, and I feel at home, as if you were a family member.
I listen to Gavin Newsome, and Joe Biden and AOC, and Rashida Tlieb and I feel very aggressive, uncomfortable even. These people don't wish for me to live freely, but want to control my life and every aspect of it until they achieve some sort of utopian outcome that they will define. Somehow we've never reached it, as they keep trying, with ever greater vigor.
That's how I see things, and wondered if others see it the same way?
In the 1960s, the draft was composed primarily of young men who didn't go to college. College was a four year deferment and in the early years longer than that. A lot of guys went into the reserves, and had limited active duty and a continuing obligation. For someone who grew up during the draft, the important thing is whether or not you served -- not whether or not you were in harms way. A lot of guys who were drafted wound up in Europe or Alaska and not Viet Nam. It's a false dichotomy to use Viet Nam as the measure of service. Once you put on the uniform, you go where they tell you. Putting on the uniform, doing unpleasant things while the college guys were eating pizza, honored an obligation that so many never fulfilled. And this continues for reservists today. George Bush may have been rich and privileged but he put more time into serving this nation than most of his contemporaries.
"Yet, other connected people like President Bush actually served in the military but were given plum jobs stateside which never put their lives in danger"...GWB flew the F-102 Delta Dagger, an airplane that had a fairly poor record for safety. Not comparable to front-line ground or air combat, but significantly more dangerous than a desk job.
Outstanding! I hope our military isn't too far gone to the woke, imbecile side. We're seeing a sharp drop in re-enlistment and recruiting numbers. Milley and Austin need to either quit or address that asap and learn how to execute war plans instead of worrying about toxic masculinity and "white rage," whatever that is.
"Yet, other connected people like President Bush actually served in the military but were given plum jobs stateside which never put their lives in danger."
Whatever you know about economics, you clearly don't know jack about history or the military.
Bush was flying military planes. This has NEVER been a safe task that "never put their lives in danger."
IIRC, the plane Bush flew was a particularly unsafe one. But none of them are safe, and peacetime military pilots routinely die in accidents.
There's a lot of bad things you can say about GWB. But claiming he "got a safe sinecure" is not one of them
An all volunteer military does lead to better soldiers, of course. (The brass, who seemingly are incapable of winning a war, are another story.) But it also increases the gulf between classes. How many Ivy League, or even State U, grads ever sign up? It completely absolves the upper class of thinking about defending their nation. And so they don't, not even intellectually any more.
Give stuff to Ukraine?
No, thank you.
Sell it to them?
That's a good idea.
They can't afford to pay for it? Our European NATO allies should "lend" them the money. Germany, et al., are the nations most at risk from Russian expansion into Europe. They are the ones who have benefited from American generosity for most of the last century, and declined to meet their obligations even when gently reminded by Pres. Trump.
Ukraine is not a NATO country, and should not ever be.
To be clear, I think that Russia is the villain here, and should not be allowed to succeed in their invasion. The Ukrainians have fought bravely and well, and should be supported by their neighbors. As it stands now, the material and financial support given to Ukraine by USA will be paid by my grandchildren, with German (et el.) citizens and their progeny again getting a free ride.
No, thanks.
"Yet, other connected people like President Bush actually served in the military but were given plum jobs stateside which never put their lives in danger."
I'm no great fan of the Shrub, but his job in the Texas Air National Guard wasn't exactly easy - and flying the F-102 was never a safe job. And the slander that he got out just when his squadron was going to be sent to Vietnam was just that; slander. No F-102 squadron was ever deployed to Vietnam, and never would be.