Doug Ross @ Journal

True Majority

"B" pointed me to this presentation from TrueMajority, which makes some simplified comparisons between the size of the Pentagon's budget and federal spending in other areas, such as K-12 education and 'world hunger'.

Left unstated are basic facts such as the current system for funding K-12 eduction. That's right, it's not federally funded. Your property taxes, already frighteningly large in most places, pay for the vast majority of public education. One need only examine the per-student spending levels in successful and failing systems (e.g., Sycamore and Cincinnati Public Schools, respectively) to recognize that throwing money at the problem simply is not enough. More important -- by far -- is family involvement in and commitment to education and, at root level, the integrity of the family structure. As CPS's funding has increased, its performance has worsened based upon various, published metrics. If you want to burn money, the CPS example is instructive. It's just not as simple as cutting a check.

Solving world hunger is -- similarly -- never as easy as simply throwing money and food at the problem. Witness the occurrences in Somalia where warlords took over control of the food supply. The Clinton Administration's poor handling of the situation led to the disastrous events depicted in Blackhawk Down. Food distribution and economic well-being are promulgated by open, democratic and free societies, not by proxy and not by hoping that the money we spend will be put to good use by dictators and corrupt governments.

Left unstated in this little presentation is the single most important historical event brought about by the buildup of our military infrastructure: the fall of the Soviet Union. Democracy is slowly, inexorably sweeping over the Soviet Republics, bringing freedom and economic health to lands that have seldom seen such vigor. The promise of a democratic Iraq -- brought about by nothing less than a massive investment in our military -- gives hope to a Middle East that is open, free, financially successful, and integrated with the rest of the world.

If a simplistic, 'feel good' world view makes you feel better, by all means, join up with Ben Cohen and his compatriots. If, however, you suspect that there are true bad guys in the world... that they mean us irreparable harm... and that the only thing they understand is brute force -- then investigate the matter more deeply. After all, the bad guys would never, ever nuke us, would they?

The root causes -- and solutions -- to the problems we face are never as simplistic as they appear. For as Santayana said, "Those who do not remember their history are doomed to repeat it."

Pontiac - hot and bothered

How many years has it been since a GM product got you 'hot and bothered'? The Pontiac Solstice may be just the vehicle to get you in a GM frame of mind.

"...Perhaps most attractive, however, is the price: a Solstice at $19,995 buys you, in the words of Hunter, a vehicle that offers 4wheel disc brakes, Bilstein shocks, 18 inch wheels, as standard. Significant downgrades will likely be confined to fabric interior material and no power windows..."

2006 Pontiac Solstice