Daily Archives: 01/05/2010

(Community Matters) Interesting reader response below on my posting about Sacrifice

If you were a Republican Party operative, you would want a period of sacrifice while the Democrats are in power so that when the Republicans come back they can be Santa Claus again.

I used to worry about deficits.  By the late 90s the government finally got its act together and balanced the budget.  I thought we were back on track for long-term prosperity.  Then what happened?  We got horrible tax policies in Bush’s first term that essentially functioned as a raid on the treasury by the wealthy.  Gone was that fiscal discipline we had strived for.  What’s the point of sacrifice if it’s just a prelude to tax cuts for the rich?  I felt betrayed.  I’m not falling for that line again.

The domestic policies in Bush’s first term were what turned me against the Republicans.  Now I say: run up the deficits.  Live for today.  Let’s put off the sacrifices until the Republicans return to power in a few years.

(Community Matters) I’m just remembering a conversation I had with a Republican at a party in Marfa.  This mega law firm partner told me they wished we’d sacrifice now in order to fix the economy.  I’m all for this.  Reminds me of earlier postings on War Bonds and Prof Brandl on How Do We Finance the Deficit .  I still believe the American people are ready to be called to sacrifice.  Though, I admit, this may not be politically practical until those on the other side of the aisle are convinced their financial sacrificing would be well spent, or invested in reducing the deficit.  I think it should be framed as paying the costs of the wars.

(Community Matters) It isn’t as simple & philosophical as it sounds.  How do we effectively combat terrorism in the air?  Where are the lines at civil liberties vs security we are willing to draw in exchange for heightened security?

These “essays” in today’s New York Times helped me better understand the cost:benefit analysis of racial profiling.  Frankly (and I suppose perhaps I should be embarrassed about it), I wasn’t automatically opposed to the new policy of profiling individuals from 14 countries.  However, the comments therein, especially those of Ben Gurion Int’l Airport (Israel) consultant Rafi Sela and computer science Professor Sheldon Jacobson remind me that racial profiling isn’t just wrong, it isn’t effective and would distract from better practices.  Prof Jacobson notes that 60-70% of passengers are known commodities.  We have enough information on them to not spend billions in security resources inspecting them as they travel.  For the other 30-40%, that’s where we should focus our state-of-the-art technologies, even not allowing some of them to travel if we cannot satisfy ourselves with safety.