I saw this on Fark today, and thought it needed to be repeated somewhere other than in a thread which will by tomorrow be forgotten. It’s basically a very good answer to a complaint I hear all the time from backers of privatization and deregulation, people whose primary argument regarding things like universal health care boils down to this statement: “When was the last time the government did anything right?” Here’s the answer:
In light of the upcoming Florida primaries, I’ve been wanting to write about this topic. However, while I’m always reading up on politics, political issues, and philosophical issues affecting the current political trends and process, I purposely keep that out of this site for a myriad of reasons, ranging from “I don’t care to piss people off (as I have in the past)” to “a fair number of readers are from other countries and therefore don’t particularly care about US elections.” I read a post today on the XCKD blag (yes, “blag”, pronounced “blawg”) which expresses my thoughts on the current issue more eloquently than I could. Here’s a clip:
Are China and Russia setting themselves up for a war against the US, and possibly NATO allies? Recent events within and between the two nations seem to point in that rather ominous direction.
A thought occurred to me yesterday which I was rather surprised at having thought, since it came to me so seemingly randomly, having the qualities of the sudden recollection of a fleeting dream, coming with such force and clarity so as to make me question from whence it came.
The press — newspapers, reporters, investigators, and yes, even blogs (well, some of them) — is, collectively, like the “Maintenance Required” light on your car.
If you’ve ever read Lee Iacocca’s autobiography (Iacocca: An Autobiography), or heard any of the history surrounding him, you know one thing: he’s a straight shooter. (If you haven’t read his biography, for the love of God, go to your library and pick it up, or buy it at a bookstore somewhere. Heck, most thrift stores have copies of it which you can get for really cheap. Check out the Amazon retail partners (linked above) if you want cheap and convenient.) At the age of 82, this guy’s been firing off left and right about what he sees as right and wrong with America today, and I’ll tell you, I agree with him, big time.
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Here for the first time? Here's a "best of the best" articles list. (Or rather, here's a list of my favorite articles.) You can read more in the Gnorb's Favorites category.
), or heard any of the history surrounding him, you know one thing: he’s a straight shooter. (If you haven’t read his biography, for the love of God, go to your library and pick it up, or buy it at a bookstore somewhere. Heck, most thrift stores have copies of it which you can get for really cheap. Check out the Amazon retail partners (linked above) if you want cheap and convenient.) At the age of 82, this guy’s been firing off left and right about what he sees as right and wrong with America today, and I’ll tell you, I agree with him, big time. 
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