If I weren’t on hiatus, I’d write a blog post about this generally sensible column and its incoherent tenth paragraph:
What makes these voters potential Republicans is that, lifestyle choices aside, they view big government with great suspicion. There’s no law that someone who enjoys organic food, rides his bike to work, or wants a diverse school for his kids must also believe that the federal government should take over the health-care system or waste money on thousands of social programs with no evidence of effectiveness. Nor do highly educated people have to agree that a strong national defense is harmful to the cause of peace and international cooperation.
Question for discussion: When the US military builds a children’s hospital in Basra, is that a “social program?” And if so, is there “evidence of effectiveness?”
when i think about social programs with no evidence of effectiveness the thing that comes first to mind is ‘abstinence only’ sex education, which is usually associated with republicans.
what i think happened to mr. petrilli in the tenth paragraph is he started to go off on a bit of a rant. honestly, i am finding it difficult not to do the same and will therefore conclude my comment here.
With regard to the hospital in Basra, it’s certainly a social program in the context of Iraq, and certainly Iraqis could sit around and debate whether or not it was providing a necessary benefit.
But in the context of a foreign nation building something like this in another country, I see it as a bribe to not shoot at our troops. And on that front, it becomes a different question as to its effectiveness. Does it work? Don’t know. Seems better than bombing or shooting at people, I guess? While I’d prefer we did not invade Iraq, it seems like building hospitals while we’re there seems like a pretty decent idea, and cost effective, at least compared to expensive military munitions.
I feel like maybe I missed the point. 🙂
Perhaps there is some linkage to credible objectivity here and that would be found somewhere near the realm of “product placement” strategies. Presumably, this entails an appropriate stipend from Whole foods.