Where’s the beef?

With the campaign season in full swing and economic woes about the nation, our nation’s leaders once again attempt to bring us into line with their initiatives using creative phrasings, silly monikers and allusions to the unproven. Such logic has brought us Orwellian-named agencies, like Homeland Security, and policies named after their intended result, such as a number of “economic stimulus” plans being bandied about these days. The best, however, are little gems like this one I heard the other day from Mr. George W. Bush: “Pro-growth policies work.” Thanks for telling me that George, I never would have guessed. Of course, if they didn’t work, wouldn’t they be “anti-growth policies?” Alas, I digress from the sideshow that is the federal government these days.\nOf course, it’s not like politicians in Washington have a lock on absurdity. My own readings of the IDS show we have some home-grown talent in the form of Chase Cooper, IDS opinion editor and master of the logical fallacy. While his normal stream of bombast is as vacuous as it is long, one recent comment was downright amazing: “I don’t have the space to detail the ways that leftists have ruined Europe ... and if you really need me to spell them out for you, then it’s doubtful you’re going to agree with anything I write anyway.” Such statements are meaningless. I could easily replace “leftists” and “Europe” with “corporations” and “Africa”, “neocons” and “Iraq”, or even better, “George Lucas” and “Star Wars.” I still wouldn’t know anything. \nThe point of this little rant is not to bash upon one particular writer or any number of politicians, but a whole system which marginalizes real debate in favor of stymieing that debate with a deluge of sound-bites, innuendoes, and “truthiness.” The excuse, of course, is that we don’t have time or space, but as my mother says, if something is important you make the time. The ideas that shape our future don’t just need a glossing over, they deserve a real debate! So while the political parsley and dressing looks nice, give me meat and potatoes.