Crush Liberalism

Bailouts are merely “postponing reality”

This is an absolutely excellent column by Thomas Sowell on the effect that liberals’ denying reality has had on this country, manifesting itself in the form of an union “auto industry” bailout.  Intro:

Some of us were raised to believe that reality is inescapable. But that just shows how far behind the times we are. Today, reality is optional. At the very least, it can be postponed.

Kids in school are not learning? Not a problem. Just promote them on to the next grade anyway. Call it “compassion,” so as not to hurt their “self-esteem.”

Can’t meet college admissions standards after they graduate from high school? Denounce those standards as just arbitrary barriers to favor the privileged, and demand that exceptions be made.

Can’t do math or science after they are in college? Denounce those courses for their rigidity and insensitivity, and create softer courses that the students can pass to get their degrees.

Once they are out in the real world, people with diplomas and degrees– but with no real education– can hit a wall. But by then the day of reckoning has been postponed for 15 or more years. Of course, the reckoning itself can last the rest of their lives.

Yep.  Eventually, reality does hit you in the mouth.  But by the time you have been subjected to a young lifetime of liberal indoctrination, it is too late.  Those of us who live in the real world have been properly prepared for it.  Continuing:

The current bailout extravaganza is applying the postponement of reality democratically– to the rich as well as the poor, to the irresponsible as well as to the responsible, to the inefficient as well as to the efficient. It is a triumph of the non-judgmental philosophy that we have heard so much about in high-toned circles.

We are told that the collapse of the Big Three automakers in Detroit would have repercussions across the country, causing mass layoffs among firms that supply the automobile makers with parts, and shutting down automobile dealerships from coast to coast.
…
Detroit and Michigan have followed classic liberal policies of treating businesses as prey, rather than as assets. They have helped kill the goose that lays the golden eggs. So have the unions. So have managements that have gone along to get along.

Toyota, Honda and other foreign automakers are not heading for Detroit, even though there are lots of experienced automobile workers there. They are avoiding the rust belts and the policies that have made those places rust belts.

A bailout of Detroit’s Big Three would be only the latest in the postponements of reality. As for automobile dealers, they can probably sell Toyotas just as easily as they sold Chevvies. And Toyotas will require just as many tires per car, as well as other parts from automobile parts suppliers.

Read the rest of it.  Sowell, as usual, is brilliant and right on the money.  For those of you on the left, “money” is the stuff that you earn from that thing called “work”.

December 22, 2008 - Posted by crushliberalism | Detroit, economic ignorance