But while conservatives bravely vow to keep sending other people+óGé¼Gäós kids to Iraq, they stubbornly refuse to confront the real issues threatening America and the world.
On climate change, conservatives cut and run like rats fleeing for the nearest dumpster. Robert Samuelson+óGé¼Gäós column in today+óGé¼Gäós Post "Global Warming's Real Inconvenient Truth" really brings that point home.
Samuelson+óGé¼Gäós +óGé¼+ôargument+óGé¼-¥, to use the term loosely, is that since we haven+óGé¼Gäót managed to control greenhouse gases yet, and it+óGé¼Gäós +óGé¼GÇ£ in his words +óGé¼GÇ£ a +óGé¼+ôtough+óGé¼-¥ thing to do, we might as well abandon all such efforts that go beyond research and development. This posture is so typically of today+óGé¼Gäós Republicans +óGé¼GÇ£ don+óGé¼Gäót confront the problem, deny it. Don+óGé¼Gäót ask your supporters to pay any price or bear any burden +óGé¼GÇ£ just give them excuses instead for why we all should do nothing.
This attitude shows an appalling poverty of spirit. Just think about how many +óGé¼+ôtough+óGé¼-¥ challenges Americans have conquered in the past +óGé¼GÇ£ abolishing the institution of slavery; beating Hitler; rebuilding Europe; putting a man on the moon. If we had just chosen to deny the existence of these problems, we would have failed at all of them. Instead, we were lucky enough to have leaders with the vision, the courage and the values to face seemingly intractable dilemmas and conjure up solutions to them.
We+óGé¼Gäóre not so lucky today. In the face of climate change, and most of our other great challenges, our Republican +óGé¼+ôleaders+óGé¼-¥ have no strategy and no answer. Just deny the problem and change the subject. Just cut and run, and leave it to our children to deal with the consequences.
Well, I think it's time to CUT these jokers loose and RUN them out of town. Whaddaya think?!
I don't really believe that there's nothing we as a society can do except throw technology at our problems. But the underlying argument, that the behavior of people is difficult to change, is sound.
And I think it's only gotten worse during the past few decades. Look at gasoline prices - they're at record highs, everyone is bitching and moaning, but there is still very little decrease in demand. From an economic theory point of view this says (roughly) we care much more about getting gasoline than about the price.
Gasoline is a luxury item (or sorts) and falls in line with many of the other consumer comfort goods. We as a society are addicted to luxury, comfort, and entertainment. So it'll be extremely difficult to move people in a better direction - one that value conservation and/or consumption that isn't completely self-centered.
To that end I agree with the article - focus on the things you have control over. Changing people is very difficult.
But to your point, to say that the American people can't handle difficulty and therefore we should punt, isn't true either. They just lack the proper motivation (both self and imposed) and information.
And the current leadership is hopelessly incapable of providing the motivation and guidance that is needed to address a very serious and growing problem.
Great leaders are those who motivate us to go beyond our pettiness to reach truly lofty goals. But to be worth pursuing, these goals have to address real problems in world.
I once heard Bush say that being president is about "achieving big things." But he doesn't understand that spending a trillion dollars to bomb the hell out of another country halfway around the world, while certainly a "big thing," doesn't thereby endow him with an ounce of greatness. It's like the emperors of old who would build the most expensive palace or collect the most concubines just to prove their "bigness".
We need leaders who will motivate us to confront the real problems that threaten our futures, like climate change. What we get from Republicans is denial, distraction and disasters like Iraq -- the polar opposite of leadership.