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Politics : Dutch Central Bank Sale Announcement Imminent? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: sea_urchin who wrote (18496)	6/4/2003 2:45:40 PM
From: mcg404	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 82340

Searle: <I assumed the praise for Bush's policies constituted love> Maybe, but not in the sense that the republicans loved Reagan. I think the support for Bush is very conditional, and because of that I can see it evaporating very quickly given the right set of circumstances. I'm not sure he has any kind of 'hard-core' support. <Maybe if one doesn't have a dog to kick or a wife to swear at, then the government is a convenient substitute.> Ok, i assume you are trying to be funny, and i'm amused. But seriously, i am personally bothered very much by the constant government-bashing that the republicans engage in - which seems to have been non-stop since the reagan era. Seems that after a generation of tearing down one of our 'institutions', it has been amazingly easy to throw out the principals this country was founded upon. And it seems to me there is a connection. <IMO, people are forced to waste far too much time scheming how to reduce tax or government interference in their lives in one way or another...Which, in turn, means more lawyers, more litigation, and more wasted effort and expense.> I agree entirely. And I have a personal solution. Adopt a lifestyle consisting of LESS specialization. But seems many (most) others want to go the other direction - and i'm just saying you can't have it both ways. <I think the Libertarian attitude to government is more one of contempt for those involved in it...> I think you are damning a little too broadly (for my taste). There is government of career employees and one of elected officials. Do you mean both? Because I'd argue that the career employees are just a cross-section of your society (ok, with some level of selection bias, but not significant). And yeah, they do a lousy job lots of times - and so does the private sector if we're honest about it, but there are checks and balances, and yeah, they don't always work great...but it's the elected ones who really make things crazy (imo). <I think the madness will continue and may even get worse.> I agree, for the time being. But come next November... John