Commentary

I Know We Voted For Bush, But Are We Really That Crazy?

Apparently Americans are insane. No really, go check it out. Now I think that there is one very big problem with this study. Have you seen television lately? It is blanketed with ads telling us that every time we feel a little down, it is mental illness. Drug companies have re-labelled every element of what we used to call personality into psychoses. The key to this study is the term "clinically diagnosed." We live in a society obsessed with mental health. But just because someone diagnoses you with anxiety disorder doesn't mean you're nuts. I bet a lot of people in the third world are pretty stressed out too.

In other news...


China & Germany

James Pinkerton has an excellent article in Newsday about contemporary China and its comparisons to 20th century Germany. I think he is right on target, which should creep out all of us, given that if China tries to expand, they'll be a lot more dangerous than Germany ever was. The example of Germany should also give pause to those who have a simplistic "capitalism = democracy" equation. Germany was one of the world's greatest industrial powers, and under Wilhelm II and Hitler could scarcely be described as democratic.


Good Citizens?

Oliver Willis thinks the citizenship test for immigrants is a bad idea. Why? Because our own citizens would probably flunk it. This is not the most encouraging argument. The fact that our citizenry lacks basic knowledge about the country and its political institutions should send all of us running into the schools (or library) to demand this problem be fixed. Having an educated citizenry is one of the essential building blocks of a democracy, because educated people are harder for tyrants, demagogues and lunatics to manipulate.

Oh, and why do we know so little? In part because we don't get taught much in schools. Today's article in the NYT indicates that education schools are disgraceful. Having taught for a few years, I can tell you that consistently the worst students I had every semester were education majors. Followed by journalists. Scary stuff.


The Senate Gerrymander

Turning to another subject, Paul von Hippel writes in the Gadflyer that the Senate, because of it represents each state equally, is at present effectively a Republican gerrymander. Precisely. This situation is a big part of what makes the Electoral College such a mess as well, since the number of Electoral College votes each state has is equal to the number of House and Senate members from that state. But whining about the gerrymander isn't going to fix it. Do we really think we are going to successfully amend the Constitution to abolish or reform the Senate? Keep dreaming. A more constructive approach would be to realize that because the Senate overrepresents rural areas, it is imperative for us to figure out how to appeal to small town America. We need to craft a small-town liberalism.

Speaking of liberalism, I suggest you all read Digby's excellent suggestion that liberals work to expand the notion of "liberty." We have been caught up with the neo-libertarian, conservative definition, which is dominated by private property rights. We can make a lot of political hay by pointing out the freedom to make personal choices is the really vital thing about liberty. It might do something to get us out of this intellectual box we appear to be in.



Naughty, naughty David Brooks

Okay, this will be a quick one. David Brooks in his op-ed argues that the failure of Social Security reform demonstrates everything that is wrong with both parties and the political system. If only the two sides would compromise! Of course, there is the hidden assumption that we need to do anything major about Social Security. Which there isn't. Oh, and who do you think Brooks wants to do the compromising? Hmmm.

Brooks is just advancing the basic Republican theme that the system is in crisis and the Democrats need to compromise. A theme the stupid Mainstream Media is buying hook line and sinker. Look, the only thing wrong with Social Security is that the Republicans insist on running up big deficits by way of tax cuts. That's it. Period. No Bush tax cuts, no Social Security problem. So try and sell me another one, David.