New Kesher Talk contributor "Levy Ben" takes stock.
I didn't watch the president's State of the Union address. I never do. I have never heard a president give me any information I didn't already have, ever, in one of these speeches. Goals, however lofty, are not the State of the Union", they are the objectives of a leader.
I already know the State of my Union.
Security: Issue number one for me. Despite evident hatred around the world, despite the capability of our enemy as clearly manifest in bombings in other nations, despite my presence in an obvious target area, and a very "soft" target at that, my Union remains suprisingly bomb free. Must be good.
Economy: I have a good job. Every capable and ambitious person I know has a good job. Most of the incapable, unambitious ones have jobs, including the two who work for political machines (on opposite sides). I tried to get a price quote on aluminum railings yesterday for a building in lower Manhattan, but the manufacturer, the AMERICAN manufacturer, is backlogged through 2007. Our transit worker's union thinks the economy is so strong that we can support a retirement age of 50. Must be good.
Freedom: For the life of me I cannot think of anything I cannot do now that I could do five years ago, except possibly take a knife onto an airplane. I cannot think of anything I wish to do that the government won't let me do. Even the government's most annoying critics remain free to annoy. My freedoms are untouched, depsite all the hollering I hear. Must be good.
Environment: New Jersey has so many bears they must shoot them, and egrets have returned in mass to the Meadowlands. And that is the state we make fun of. The river looks okay, I wouldn't drink it, it's got fish, I wouldn't eat them. So, I think good may be a stretch, and likely unachievable with 20 million people in an urban area, but it's okay and at least has made improvements. My environement is as good as I would expect.
Cost of Living: Not so good, what with oil having gone through the roof, but the simple fact is that most of our high costs are due to the rise of demand from India and China, and therefore beyond the reach of any president. What are we supposed to tell them, we Americans want cheap oil/wood/copper/whatever and therefore you Chinese and Indians shouldn't be bidding against us? And lawyers manage to slap on a 30% markup to just about every transaction in the nation- this is something the president can go after. But won't. My cost of living could be better, but it's not unbearable. Most Americans don't know what "unbearable" really is, despite a city full of immigrants who can tell us.
Health Care and Retirement: Curse this incredible health and longevity we have, which has damned us all to living far beyond our economically productive years, making it necessary to revise our plans for keeping us sustained over the decades after we leave the workforce. Things were obviously better in the days when company pensions took care of you for life. Which generally ended within a decade of retirement, and involved delibitating medical conditions for which there were no expensive therapies available. The old retirement systems are crumbling in the face of unstoppable math, and I give the president credit for recognizing the problem, but in the end, nothing was done. My retirement plan remains: Retire hell, I will slowly fade into consulting!
Science: Hey,we're going to Pluto! A decade from now, I will get to look at cool pictures. But there is still that stem cell thing. In my gut it's a wash, even though my head knows understanding the human body outweighs the makeup of a ball of ice a zillion miles away.
So, all in all, the State of my Union: The most important things are doing well, and there are a few loose odds and ends to worry about.
(cross-posted to Kesher Talk)
Iraq? Do the 2200+ boys and girls get a mention?
I'm in pretty much the same boat - except that I've now got two grandkids to raise so I'll be working till I drop. Good post. Chris has a good point, though. The whole mid-east thing is awash in questions. But the only one seeming to have an answer is Iraq.
Chris,
As I said, security is issue number one. Terror is generated by social and cultural factors, which means it will not end until the social and cultural factors of the middle east have radically changed. We may not have been able to draw a western style org chart linking Saddam to 9-11, but let's not look at their culture through western shades. Saddam was hip deep in support of the concept of terror, and as such, and as one of only two national leaders to openly praise the 9-11 attacks, certainly was a causative factor- remember we are talking of a culture in which informal links are as strong as our legalized, institutional links. Hence, we have lost good people in Iraq, but at the same time life goes on for our hundreds of millions with no attacks here. To believe those two facts are unlinked puts a great strain on coincidence.
The fact is, we pay a price for our choices. In choosing one strategy in a war on terror, we have undermined two very hostile nations, and hopefully one day many more nations, in the middle east. If we are succesful, one day, maybe, that sign on the highway to Mecca forbidding the city to the infidels will come down, and Muslims will be no more upset about the idea of a Jew, Hindu or Christian visiting Mecca than a Catholic is when a Muslim visits the Vatican. On that day, when enlightened egality finally rules in the middle east, terror will be consigned to history, and we can look back at the losses and wonder if it was worth the price.
Until then, we will continue to bleed. We suffer 40,000 a year dead in motor vehicle accidents. Do you think, perhaps, the US government could lower the death toll by half if non-essential use of automobiles was outlawed? Or perhaps lowered it by 5%, more than balancing our losses in Iraq, merely by terminating all driving licenses at age 65? Wouldn't it be an easy choice if the only thing to consider was the number of the dead, and not the freedom of a 70 year old to actually live a dignified life? We pay a cost in blood to allow senior citizens their dignity, this is a mathematic fact. The point is that all choices have a cost. We will never know the cost we would have paid if we hadn't invaded Iraq, but to assume on the basis of no evidence that it would have been zero is, to me, absurd given the size, scope, and evident capability of our enemy.
If not Iraq, what ELSE do you think has given us 4 years terror free in the United States? Surely not the good will and brotherly love of the world? Do you really think a thin line of baggage inspections and phone taps has held back the tide?
Ben
Ben,
Your response (#3) was really an excellent follow-up of the original post. I don't think that was the question Chris wanted answered, but it was still a good post. I think both of you are saying and feeling the same thing but different ways.
We will never know the cost we would have paid if we hadn't invaded Iraq, but to assume on the basis of no evidence that it would have been zero is, to me, absurd given the size, scope, and evident capability of our enemy.
I liked that - good way to summarize the response to the antiwar leftists open ended question.
We are stuck with the problems in the Middle East for at least twenty years after they stop teaching their children that everyone else is the problem.