Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2004/09/18

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Subject: [Leica] Re: The Economist (WAS: Kerry Who)
From: msmall at infionline.net (Marc James Small)
Date: Sat Sep 18 15:12:43 2004
References: <000001c49c4c$ae68fc60$6401a8c0@dorysrusp4> <000001c49c4c$ae68fc60$6401a8c0@dorysrusp4>

At 06:54 AM 9/17/04 +0200, Nathan Wajsman wrote:

>Actually, I do not find the Economist unbiased. I love the magazine--its 
>writing style, its thoroughness, the total absence of lifestyle and 
>celebrity articles--but it does have a political orientation towards the 
>right. They endorsed Bush back in 2000 and I am almost certain they will 
>do so again this year. I shall continue to subscribe despite that.

THE ECONOMIST was founded as and has remained a Liberal paper.  Their
editorial policy is to accept limited government control of social matters,
little government regulation of business and industry, and open trade
borders.  To call this a "right" agenda is to mistake what it means to be a
"right" thinker:  we advocate no government control of social matters, no
government regulation of business and industry, and absolutely open trade
borders.

This journal is closer to a left-centrist position than are most and I can
accept this:  I do read the Washington POST regularly, as I have come to
understand their lingo over the past forty years:  when the Post describes
someone as a "dangerous Right-Wing lunatic", I read this as "damn!  another
bloody moderate".

I recognize that the most "right-wing" part of the British political
spectrum, post Thatcherem, is what the rest of us would describe as "more
than faintly tinged with pink".  There is a very old joke circulated among
rank-and-file Republicans in the US about the failure of the Grand Old
Party to define a difference in the American political scene:  "The
Democrat Party, whenever an issue arises, answers by stating smugly that
'we will buy it for you' and the best response the Republicans can make is
that, 'we'll get a better deal'."  The Tories in the UK have fallen into
the same trap after their self-immolation over the EU which led to Lady
Thatcher's returning her seals to Her Majesty.

In other words, there really are no right-wingers in the UK and I doubt
that there are such anywhere in Europe.  We came to this continent to avoid
that daily grind of having to justify our existence to the Government:
over here, we delight in the abilities of folks to be different and to nt
need government intervention to enjoy this freedom.  (And, yes, a
half-century back, the Federal Government DID have to intervene to ensure
that racial and reliigious origin was not an issue in the supply of
government services -- but note that, today, almost all of any remaining
corrective actions are handled at a State level, and do not require the
intervention of a Federal bureaucracy.

Me?  I am a rational anarchist who advocates the elimination of all
government and allowing the citizens to handle things on their own.  But,
then, I have more faith in the common sensee of the average citizen than
does the government and the advocates of Big Government.

Marc


msmall@infionline.net  FAX:  +540/343-7315
Cha robh b?s fir gun ghr?s fir!




Replies: Reply from Frank.Dernie at btinternet.com (Frank Dernie) ([Leica] Re: The Economist (WAS: Kerry Who))
Reply from locke at straylight.ca (Greg Locke) ([Leica] Re: The Economist (WAS: Kerry Who))
Reply from raikorho at uusikaupunki.fi (Raimo K) ([SPAM?] Re: [Leica] Re: The Economist (WAS: Kerry Who))
In reply to: Message from dorysrus at mindspring.com (Don Dory) ([Leica] Kerry Who)
Message from nathan.wajsman at planet.nl (Nathan Wajsman) ([Leica] Re: The Economist (WAS: Kerry Who))