“Everyone is in favor of free speech… but some people's idea of it is that they are free to say what they like, but if anyone else says anything back, that is an outrage.” ― Winston Churchill
The contrast between classic liberalism and current conservatisim
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The contrast between classic liberalism and current conservatism may be debated on many levels, some even logical. But it is difficult to get enthused about intellectual debates when the godfathers of conservatism (aka Amway/Alticor) apparently have ascribed to new definitions of “compassion” and “less government. That is, Alticor’s recent request of the City of Grand Rapids Commission that the company be given gazillion dollar tax breaks to construct a new hotel in downtown Grand Rapids (according to a company spokesperson, the project would not be economically “viable” without government funding) has drawn the ire of an entertaining adversary; another GR hotelier-carpet magnate whose largest hotel would have its view of the Grand River obstructed by the Alticorians.At a time when Grand Rapids public schools are financially being forced to model themselves after Benton Harbor, the irony of the “free marketeers” trying to logically explain why they should be entitled to the same kinds of funds as welfare moms (but the food stamps have a lot more zeros) is trumped only by audacity of strong-arming the City Commission on the one hand (don’t forget those promised jobs for housekeeping and don’t forget the nearby restauranteurs are all in favor, capitalist all without doubt!) and then all but announcing that next year the Alticor scion (Dick DeVos) will run for Governor of Michigan on a less government, more compassion platform.It is astounding that intentional decisions of hypocrisy can on occasion make even Jennifer Granholm look relatively consistent.JPM
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Corporate welfare is not a conservative principle. Corporate welfare is a statist principle in common with fascism and communism.This is unconscionable, and Adam Smith, Edmund Burke, Barry Goldwater, Ludwid von Mises, Freidrich Hayek and Milton Friedman would be the first to say it – while they simultaneously pointed out that the public schools’ problems result from an identical statist impulse.Absent an arbitrary power of taxation, neither would be an issue.
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Hershblogger says:Corporate welfare is not a conservative principle. Corporate welfare is a statist principle in common with fascism and communism.JPM responds:We very much agree that corporate greed (masquerading as investment/welfare) conserves nothing and is incongruous with traditional political philosophy. The statist part could also easily be maintained, depending upon whether one first sees the egg (waiting to hatch into its own manifestation of greed and entitlement) or the greedy chicken (waiting to create a structure to promote self-interests, packaged as necessity when it helps and anathema when it gets in the way or costs more than it generates). No matter the order, it furthers distrust of all entities. The thought of an Alticored world (a la “conservatism”) or an IRS-HHS world (a la federalism a la mode) creates degrees of difference equally distressing as one heads toward the lavatory gagging. Having lived directly downstream (literally) of Alticor in the 1960s, and directly downstream of Forms 1040, 1099, and 10 we don’t have a suffix, we just want to make your life a living hell and empty your wallet in the process, it has proven absolute that leaving any entity to its own devices and completely alone for extended periods leads to very bad societal things– be it government, business, religion, or my Aunt Dorothy.The seemingly innate need of all of us to have some countervailing force scream at us every so often, “Are YOU NUTS??!!” is part of our fabric; No, you can’t dump toxic chemicals on the preschool playground. No, you can’t build a $420 million preschool just because you have the power to tax. No, you shouldn’t put a new $4,000 engine into your 1978 Caprice with 298,000 miles just because that nice boy at the car dealership told you he thought it was a good idea and would go to the bank with you to get the money. . .
The contrast between classic liberalism and current conservatisim
The contrast between classic liberalism and current conservatism may be debated on many levels, some even logical. But it is difficult to get enthused about intellectual debates when the godfathers of conservatism (aka Amway/Alticor) apparently have ascribed to new definitions of “compassion” and “less government. That is, Alticor’s recent request of the City of Grand Rapids Commission that the company be given gazillion dollar tax breaks to construct a new hotel in downtown Grand Rapids (according to a company spokesperson, the project would not be economically “viable” without government funding) has drawn the ire of an entertaining adversary; another GR hotelier-carpet magnate whose largest hotel would have its view of the Grand River obstructed by the Alticorians.At a time when Grand Rapids public schools are financially being forced to model themselves after Benton Harbor, the irony of the “free marketeers” trying to logically explain why they should be entitled to the same kinds of funds as welfare moms (but the food stamps have a lot more zeros) is trumped only by audacity of strong-arming the City Commission on the one hand (don’t forget those promised jobs for housekeeping and don’t forget the nearby restauranteurs are all in favor, capitalist all without doubt!) and then all but announcing that next year the Alticor scion (Dick DeVos) will run for Governor of Michigan on a less government, more compassion platform.It is astounding that intentional decisions of hypocrisy can on occasion make even Jennifer Granholm look relatively consistent.JPM
Corporate welfare is not a conservative principle. Corporate welfare is a statist principle in common with fascism and communism.This is unconscionable, and Adam Smith, Edmund Burke, Barry Goldwater, Ludwid von Mises, Freidrich Hayek and Milton Friedman would be the first to say it – while they simultaneously pointed out that the public schools’ problems result from an identical statist impulse.Absent an arbitrary power of taxation, neither would be an issue.
Hershblogger says:Corporate welfare is not a conservative principle. Corporate welfare is a statist principle in common with fascism and communism.JPM responds:We very much agree that corporate greed (masquerading as investment/welfare) conserves nothing and is incongruous with traditional political philosophy. The statist part could also easily be maintained, depending upon whether one first sees the egg (waiting to hatch into its own manifestation of greed and entitlement) or the greedy chicken (waiting to create a structure to promote self-interests, packaged as necessity when it helps and anathema when it gets in the way or costs more than it generates). No matter the order, it furthers distrust of all entities. The thought of an Alticored world (a la “conservatism”) or an IRS-HHS world (a la federalism a la mode) creates degrees of difference equally distressing as one heads toward the lavatory gagging. Having lived directly downstream (literally) of Alticor in the 1960s, and directly downstream of Forms 1040, 1099, and 10 we don’t have a suffix, we just want to make your life a living hell and empty your wallet in the process, it has proven absolute that leaving any entity to its own devices and completely alone for extended periods leads to very bad societal things– be it government, business, religion, or my Aunt Dorothy.The seemingly innate need of all of us to have some countervailing force scream at us every so often, “Are YOU NUTS??!!” is part of our fabric; No, you can’t dump toxic chemicals on the preschool playground. No, you can’t build a $420 million preschool just because you have the power to tax. No, you shouldn’t put a new $4,000 engine into your 1978 Caprice with 298,000 miles just because that nice boy at the car dealership told you he thought it was a good idea and would go to the bank with you to get the money. . .