What to do When the Man with the Big Ideas Has an Empty Mind?

It would be nice if old George could be let out of his contract to run the world now so he could raise whatever money he thinks he needs. That we have to wait the 15 interminable months until he leaves town with a full pension in his pocket feels unjust and torturous. But who am I to quibble with the man who likes the Big Ideas such as Freedom and Democracy? It might be nice if someone had asked old George to define these terms before he sent people to die for them. We may have to wait for those wonderful young people who are going to Dallas to talk to him in his Freedom Institute to tell him what these words mean.

Since he won't have to be making any more big decisions about the fate of the earth (excuse me Jonathan Schell, does old George know who you are?) and he won't be held up to public ridicule every time he mangles the language (did anyone ask him to take an English exam before assuming office?) and no one will be making up stories about his love of ranching (does he really love anything more than being on his bicycle?) -- Perhaps the world can look forward to some deeper thinking because it will be allowed to have some different and better expectations of whomever takes over from this oddly uneducated, quarrelsome man who rose through the political system based on his own incompetence and some say his good looks, though I can't see it.

Oh well, here is another set of ideas, not as big as George's but ones I think worth thinking about as we ponder what we have learned from a George W. Bush presidency.

I suppose the first thing to remember is that whenever voting against someone or something we tend to make the worst choices. Think of this as a lesson in why an ABB vote failed every single time. Moving in a positive direction is much healthier for us all.

The second thing I have on my list is that Big Ideas without any context for understanding them are useless and worth about as much as any of those horrible magnetic bumper stickers people are so fond of these days. If an idea isn't worth struggling with to understand and its historical context is not worth the time to piece together, then why bother. I mean when you think of how little was truly spent on George's education concerning the Middle East it gives one serious doubts about the kind of education initiatives a man like this is capable of. And I don't care that his wife was a librarian or how many books he reads a year. Lots of people read and walk away with zero comprehension or comprehend only what they want to.

Third point (I had to move on because I could have gone on and on about the dumbest man in the world thinking he could set education policy) is to truly accept the responsibility, the collective responsibility, we all share for what this country has done not just to places like Iraq and Afghanistan but to our own democratic system and beyond that to our own civil society. At this point, there is probably no disagreement about this if we phrase the question this way: what kind of country is it that goes to war and makes huge political statements about women wearing burkas and at the same time tries to pass laws against wearing pants that hang off your butt unless you are a plumber? The absurdity of our present level of thought truly can give me mental cramps.

And the last point I can bear to look at at this moment is our terrible system of inequality. It covers every single aspect of our lives and we do nothing about it. A friend of mine stood in line recently at a Bed, Bath and Beyond store with her daughter. They were buying what the daughter thought she needed for her new apartment. The woman looked around the store and realized that none of the goods for sale were a necessity in anyone's life. Then she looked at the merchandise her daughter held, patiently waiting to purchase it all with a credit card. My friend asked her daughter if she could buy what she wanted without a credit card and the answer was, no way. Thus, we stand in line to buy useless junk on credit so that the fat cats at Bank of America can rake in our hard earned money for things we never needed in the first place. But when it comes to needing something essential like a decent meal and a proper place to rest our heads at night, too many of us don't have it and cannot even dream of getting it.

These are some of the consequences of what happens when men with Big Ideas but no minds are allowed to rule the world. Think carefully about what kind of thinker you want to be the next president.

Comments

[yellowdogSC]

Exactly.

Mr. bush has given us all the power to make all our dreams come true!

In the past, when a young American was given the opportunity to make his/her first big mistake, it meant that they lost their first brand new car, and had to get by with a used car for the next couple of years.

Lesson learned.

NOW...

They have a $25k credit card bill, a $30K car note, a $50K student loan and a $150K mortgage.

AND a wife and 2 children. And with the new credit card company’s laws, there IS NO END of the tunnel.
EVER.

Lesson learned...­too late to EVER be of benefit.

As Mr. bush might say, "If you're gonna dream, dream BIG!
ONLY IN AMERICA!"

And THAT'S what makes this so reprehensible.

Thanks for listening. (Though I don’t feel ANY better.)

[TRUE BLUE AMERICAN]

The only comment to make is the liberal, social progressives(dems) do not know that they are destroying the country. The foundation of this country has been tampered with since the late 50's by a bunch of libs. This has caused our decline. Quit blaming the President and your country for what you have done, or not done.The big government that the dems want is exactly what we don't need. Take care of yourself, stop asking for hand-outs and quit dismissing God.I have done it by living modestly and within my means, with no help from anyone.The American dream comes from hard work, not hand-outs. The "George Bush kept me from having things "is a joke and so are the liberal democrats. God Bless America.

[larry278]

W thinks that he has vast ideas but W's ideas are half vast. If Nancy & Harry hadn't objected-the 110th Congress could have started the impeachment process in Mar, 2007. The senate would have been able to try & convict Sure Shot & W by Feb, 2008. That would allowed the removal from office of the Deadly Duo & their crew. That is something which still be done to W, et al. Alas, nothing will be done about W, et al becaue of Harry & Nancy.
Cindy will be running for Nancy's seat in '08. Here's hoping that Nancy is voted out of office & Cindy replaces Nancy.

[Boomerwoman]

Deborah, Deborah! That thinking is unamerican! Lock your doors, woman, before they come and take you away!