To my readers,
I will be using this space for my comments on current events in the United States and overseas. I will be focusing mostly on the state of the US economy, national economic policy, social trends, our foreign policy, and the political debate related to all of these. I also will be commenting on social philosophy and justice
In the interests of full disclosure, I am a member of the Radical Center in the United States. This means I am a champion for the welfare and best interests of all of the people of the United States and the national interests of our country.
I abhor extremism of both the right and the left and do not tolerate screamers from any direction.
I place great importance on the economic strength of our country. No nation can be greater over time than its economy allows it to be. Domestically, upon which all depends The reason is simple. The strength of a nation’s domestic economy supports everything within a nation and its foreign policy and competitiveness in the world economy.
In social policy, I am a progressive. I support equal opportunity for all citizens of the country. I believe in a system of laws, not men. This means equal treatment under the law, due process, and equal access to the US judicial system. When viewed in terms of the national interests and the interests of the population as a whole, social policies are the only ones that made any sense in the United States since its founding in 1776.
Very importantly, I believe we must be a nation of laws, not men.
In 2011, these positions are considered commie pinko liberal. In the 1960s, they were considered conservative establishment of capitalist pigs.
During the 20th century, social philosophy and political power in the United States swung from right to left over long cycles. Conservative from 1900 until the Great Depression and New Deal. Conservative following WW II until the 1960s. Liberal from 1982 and Reagan through the 1970s. Back to liberal during the Clinton years. They far out to the right since Clinton through Bush and continuing today.
Throughout the 20th Century, it is fair to say that cycles to the left have resulted in major advances in civil rights and economic development. Cycles to the right, particularly since Reagan, have resulted in massive budget deficits, class warfare, and concentrations of power and wealth in the hands of a relative few citizens at the top. Under Bush from 2001 through 2008, extreme right wing policies delivered near-fatal body blows to the economy of the United States.
In contrast, the Center has remained roughly in the middle.
During 2001 to 2008, the reason was dropped from political debate. The center lost its ability be heard over the screaming of the right.
The answer became for the Center to become radical in its own position. The center can now be called the Radical Center. Those in the Radical Center are considered conservative sell-outs by the left. And, they are viewed as socialists and worse by the right.
To those in the Radical Center, facts matter. Reason matters. So does reasoned discussion of complicated issues in every area. The Radical Center places great value on finding solutions to policy issues that are effective, practical, socially just, and in the interests of the nation and all of its people.
As a Radical Centrist, I see no sacred cows or areas and people who are off limits for criticism.
Finally, I have a reasonably strong background in economics. I understand sound economic reasoning and theory. I have a built in shit detector with a hair trigger when it comes to bogus economic theories and associated social policy. At the top of the list of bogus economic theory, we would have to place Marxism, fascism and right wing theories of supply-side economics, trickle down, and tax-based theories of economic growth. Forget the politics of these points of view. The hard data reveal that each is fundamentally flawed.
What works is a free market, capitalist economic model and combinations of Keynesian and monetarist adjustments from time to time.
What works most effectively is a combination of these plus a long term strategic vision for a nation, its people, and its institutions, including the role of government; the governing policies of individuals in their lives, and how companies are managed.
These are the kinds of issues that I will be addressing.
As a person who has spent his career in the real of reason and practical solutions at street level, thoughtful consideration is what matters.
Some of my views may sit well with my readers. Others not.
You are welcome and invited to comment on anything I write in this space. As a graduate and former member of the faculty at Harvard Business School, I know that we learn our most important lessons from open and vigorous debate of issues based on facts.
Finally, you can rest assured that, other than screening for obscenity and blatant political garbage, I will not censor comments.
Onward.
/jvs
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