The President's Learning Curve - or is it Flatlining?
I assert that Barack Obama lives in a theoretical world unmodified by much real world experience. Except, of course, Chicago Politics experience.
In a theoretical world, a benign government looks out for the interests of the governed with no ulterior motives of its own.
In a theoretical world, the inefficiencies of a government collecting taxes, processing them through bureaucracies and then redeploying them to government programs are justified by the expected even-handed outcome results.
In a theoretical world, taxation has no impact on the choices made by the entity who is taxed, business or individual. So higher taxation merely produces more government revenue, since the tax payer will continue his work unabated, not discouraged by the reduced return on his financial and labor investments.
Barack Obama came into office with no business experience, and had worked only a couple of years in the Senate, renowned as a debating society. Before that, he was a professor of the ivory tower variety. This background is the quintessence of theoretical.
Barack Obama has a steep learning curve to climb in the real world. Two problems with that, however. One, he is doing it on-the-job as president at great cost to the governed. And two, the presidency is not a very good real world learning environment. No bottom line profit & loss numbers to achieve. An echo chamber environment of advisors and colleagues. And a great deal of power.
Add to this scenario his apparent desire for and belief in centralized government power, which override any interest in achieving the efficiencies and equities of free market solutions to such problems as health care coverage. He dismisses these solutions as unworkable, as he did this week when presented with them in writing at the meeting with Republicans. Since they are demonstrably workable, his unspoken agenda must be centralized government control.
Bottom line, net-net-net, end-of-the-day, is Barack Obama scaling the learning curve or just skating along a flat line of ideological indifference? It may cost this country a great deal waiting for him to get up to speed, if he ever even intends to try.
In a theoretical world, a benign government looks out for the interests of the governed with no ulterior motives of its own.
In a theoretical world, the inefficiencies of a government collecting taxes, processing them through bureaucracies and then redeploying them to government programs are justified by the expected even-handed outcome results.
In a theoretical world, taxation has no impact on the choices made by the entity who is taxed, business or individual. So higher taxation merely produces more government revenue, since the tax payer will continue his work unabated, not discouraged by the reduced return on his financial and labor investments.
Barack Obama came into office with no business experience, and had worked only a couple of years in the Senate, renowned as a debating society. Before that, he was a professor of the ivory tower variety. This background is the quintessence of theoretical.
Barack Obama has a steep learning curve to climb in the real world. Two problems with that, however. One, he is doing it on-the-job as president at great cost to the governed. And two, the presidency is not a very good real world learning environment. No bottom line profit & loss numbers to achieve. An echo chamber environment of advisors and colleagues. And a great deal of power.
Add to this scenario his apparent desire for and belief in centralized government power, which override any interest in achieving the efficiencies and equities of free market solutions to such problems as health care coverage. He dismisses these solutions as unworkable, as he did this week when presented with them in writing at the meeting with Republicans. Since they are demonstrably workable, his unspoken agenda must be centralized government control.
Bottom line, net-net-net, end-of-the-day, is Barack Obama scaling the learning curve or just skating along a flat line of ideological indifference? It may cost this country a great deal waiting for him to get up to speed, if he ever even intends to try.
posted by alison @ 11:13 AM
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