Debate Porn And The Decline Of A Nation

Yesterday's Republican beauty contest and post debate 'analysis' is evidence as to the failure of American critical thinking skills on a national level- which is a nice way of saying that many Europeans and others are right when they say Americans are clueless when it comes to politics.

Presidential debates have become exercises in political pornography, with people losing themselves in their favorite fantasies and identifying with their favorite porn stars. The media, not content to play second fiddle now share the stage with the candidates and assume the role of director. That is like the orchestra leaving the pit to share space with the players.

Well, reality is not so easily dispensed with.

Below are some realities, in no specific order, that Americans need to understand. They are not 'relative' truths.

Asking if we went to war in Iraq about oil is an insult to anyone capable of walking and chewing gum at the same time.

If the Iraq war was only about oil, we would have agreed to lift UN sanctions levied against Iraq, bought the damn oil and saved trillions. Mr Bush would have gone down in history as the president that oversaw the greatest boom in American economic history. Democrats who insists the war was indeed about oil are either idiots or believe that Americans are easily manipulated and are incredibly stupid (an argument that has some merit).

In what had to be the evening's most memorably stupid question, Maria Bartirmoro asked the candidates if London was replacing New York as the world's financial capital.

Wall Street oversess the largest economy in the world. More money changes hands (read: redistributed wealth) in lower Manhattan than anywhere else in the world. Wall Street takes the lead in underwriting the success of capitalism around the world.

The best thing that ever happened to McDonald's was Burger King. Competition breeds awareness and innovation- and that is proved every day in every financial market in the world. More Americans and Europeans own company stock and have market based retirement plans than ever before. Capitalism has proved to benefit more people than any other economic system in history- and the engine that drives the growth and benefits for so many people is capitalism.

Wall Street would be delighted to see stronger stick markets in every free nation country in the world, because that kind of 'competition' would lead to more economic development, growth and innovation that would benefit even more people.

Chris Matthews wanted to know if oil company profits are 'too high.' Let's look at that for a minute.

Oil company profits are paid out in dividends. That's right, investors, individual retirees, private pension funds and union pension funds all benefit from higher stock prices. In fact, pension funds are the largest holders of energy, real estate and media stocks. Mr Matthews substantial salary is funded by stock market profits. It is unlikely he is disappointed with media company profits.

Grandma's shares in Exxon go a long way in birthday presents and keeping her off a regular diet of mac and cheese and off your doorstep.

High profits are one reason more Americans own homes than ever before. Now that we are talking about home ownership and the economy, it bears remembering that less than 3% of all home mortgages are in default- and just because a home is in default doesn't mean the few idiot homeowners who bit off more than they can chew are out on the street. Most defaulted loans are renegotiated.

Rudy Guiliani had the best one liner of the debate when he noted that if we institute universal healthcare in this nation, Canadians will have nowhere to go when they need advanced medical treatment. As we have said many times before, if you think healthcare is expensive now, wait till it's free.

The truth of the matter is that everyone knows our healthcare system is broken. Unfortunately, both sides of the political divide don't give a damn. If they did, they would not defend the programs they know cannot work.

Free nations all over the world are looking to reduce taxes to spur their economies. Why on earth do the American media insist that lower taxes are a bad thing? Lower taxes here mean we can buy (and save and invest) more. Lower taxes elsewhere mean that people can buy (and save and invest) more of the stuff we make.

The same applies to trade deficits. Paying for imports is good, because when we pay third world nations for their cheap exports, they have money to buy our stuff. They do not want to buy the things they make that end up at Walmart. They want American goods. Think about it.

The reason many jobs are being exported is simple. Our schools are doing a lousy job educating kids. The fact of the matter is, public schools are producing and enshrining the globally universal notion of the American Moron. Playing video games does not mean a kid is 'good with computers.' Highly paid computer programmer jobs are going to India for two reason: a) they are cheaper and b) they are better. It is b) that is most relevant. If that were not true, the jobs would stay here.

It may be time to put less focus on George Washington and Thomas Jefferson as white colonial racists. Surely school boards can make do with a few hours stolen from the thousand hours of focus on American racism, American slavery, American colonialism, and American imperialism. It may even be time to have teachers agree to competency exams.

The candiates were asked about unions. Everyone had nice things to say.

The media are not asking about unions that want to do away with secret ballot voting- and the silence on the matter on Capital Hill. If, in the absence of secret ballots, unions might intimidate members into voting a certain way on a certain matter ( a case of deja vu all over again), why would anyone believe that they would not use threats and intimidation to influence the outcome of political votes?

The Iran threat not just about a threat to the United States. It is also a threat to other democracies, including the threat to Israel. Do we want to be a nation that watches and stands by as another Holocaust unfold? Do we want to be immobile as Iran makes good on her promise to 'wipe Israel off the map' and make good on the promise to 'finish what Hitler started'? Neither the left or the right can claim any kind of moral high ground if they are unwilling to act. The same is true of those who insist we leave Iraq now- and let that nation become yet another killing field.

The best way to deal with Iran can be determined once we understand the threat Iran poses. Understanding how the current Iranian regime views itself goes a long way in explaining their world view. Ahmadenijad's World, by Mathias Kuntzel is a must read. Iran is not posturing.

Dealing with Iran is not just about Congressional approval and declarations of war. How we deal with Iran will shape the values of this nation for generations to come and how other nations, hungry for democracy will measure our commitment to freedom.

The 'freedom fighters' supported by Iran are very different than the 'freedom fighters' and opposition in Cuba, Venezuela, China, Syria and even in Iran itself. Those supported by the Iranian want to impose tyranny on nations and will use terror to achieve their goals. That is not the same as 'freedom fighters or dissidents in Cuba, Syria and elsewhere that want to shed the yoke of tyranny and repression.

This isn't about 'alternative' politics.

Yesterday's debate, as well as the previous debates by both the Democrat and Repuglican candidates are memorable for being exercises of nothingness. Unless and until candidates for the highest office in the most powerful nation on earth will deal with issues that face the nation- and world- with honestly and sincerity, this nation will continue to decline.

That is not something the citizens of this great nation deserve.