Election issues are like an unending drum beat: Family, jobs and national security. There’s nothing’s really new in the world of politics except personalities and here we are again. I was reminded of the same ‘ole, when I reviewed my Election Day column from six years ago. It’s worth sharing, again. Take note of what folks stressed over, even then:
Political harangue is ear trash. I can’t wait for Election Day to pass, which doesn’t mean I don’t cherish the voting privilege, but, hey, even the strongest among us wear down.
Belly-aching is held sacred in this nation, and for sure, there’s plenty of reason to grouse, but the most puzzling issue is over the economy. That, at a time our national unemployment is under five-percent and doing even better in Arizona.
Note the crowds at restaurants and the soaring stock market. Note that most “poor” Americans, as defined by the Census Bureau, “have a car, air conditioning, a refrigerator, a stove, a clothes washer and dryer, a microwave, two color televisions, cable or satellite TV reception, a VCR or DVD player, and a stereo.” With few exceptions, their families are not hungry and in the past year they had sufficient funds to meet essential needs as per Heritage.org research.
So, what’s the problem? A desire by special interests for a more socialistic government, providing more handouts. American generosity is well known, but even we must remember the price of feeding at the public trough.
Observe Germany, which was once a world power: Its citizens trapped themselves in the “fear of freedom.” A report from Die Welt, a national German newspaper, claims that Germans have become “apathetic and lazy.” That acknowledged by the head of the Social Democratic Party.
It’s estimated one-third of Germans lag far behind the rest — most unemployed, others underemployed. The report points out: “Worse, they lack initiative — only now we are coming to realize that the ‘benevolent paternalism’ of a generous government did more harm than good.”
Certain other European countries are suffering the same.
Now, take a leap back into the roots of America’s success, deeply anchored in resolve and personal sacrifice. Ever heard of Muhammad Yunus? Earlier this month he won the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize. Yunus is the founder of the Grameen Bank of Bangladesh and the king of “microfinance.” This man of vision understands the human power of determination, not yet stilled by the ready breast milk of government.
As we know, microfinance is the buzz in developing countries. Small loans are provided to the poor, who then turn profits from simple crafts and services.
In Yunus’ case, 30 years ago his first loan was $27 to a group of Bangladeshi women who made bamboo furniture. As of now, $5.7 billion, nearly every dime paid back, has been loaned to the poor.
Yunus told Nobelprize.org: “People can change their own lives, provided they have the right kind of institutional support. They’re not asking for charity, charity is no solution to poverty.”
When asked why he doesn’t just “give” the money to those in need, Yunus pointed out that humanitarian aid gets lost on its way down to the poor.
In the Wall Street Journal, he suggested that microlending should be used to help Katrina victims, many who were already poor. Giving a “hand-up is much better than a hand-out,” he said, and keeps self-respect intact.
I like the way Yunus thinks; just like me. (Oh lighten up.) He’s telling us there really is no free lunch. When social benefits multiply, along with our taxes, and Democrats promise both, our economy flattens (and now, six years later, is on the brink of collapse). So we can choose: Pay with our sweat and ingenuity now or give in to catastrophic paternalism. Just something to think about on Election Day.
East Valley resident Linda Turley-Hansen (turleyhansen@gmail.com) is a syndicated columnist and former Phoenix veteran TV anchor.
Hal Apeno posted at 10:03 am on Mon, Oct 29, 2012.
Wow. Pure Republican malarkey.
downtownresident posted at 10:03 am on Mon, Oct 29, 2012.
Same drivel, different date.
I thought this was supposed to be an editorial section.
Yet, you're using it to promote your and Mitt's political agenda.
Does Mitt still claim to be Mormon, or has he, in a feeble attemt to completly re-invent himself, gone rogue?
jmc8888 posted at 10:14 am on Mon, Oct 29, 2012.
Actually our economy flat-lined because of the repeal of Glass-Steagall, the end of Bretton Woods (yep over 40 years ago, which led to inflation, free trade, outsourcing, lowering of interest rate bubble/debt pile up). While at the same time everybody, mostly Republicans, but also Democrats, have forgotten the means for a successful economy isn't paper pushing, it's nurturing the physical economy, increasing supply, and pushing scientific progress.
It isn't entitlements or welfare that brought us here, it's FRAUD. It's a fact our country's physical economy has been contracting since the Vietnam War. All the 'numbers' are bigger (and worth less) because of INFLATION and DOLLAR DEBASEMENT.
People don't realize that when Glass-Steagall was weakened, then usurped, and finally repealed, the fake paper and fraud (see MERS home loans that the gov't partially bailed out and why did we pay for homes the BANKS don't own and why are we allowing them to kick out people form homes the BANKS don't hold the title to?) grew up around everything to the point where we have 1400 trillion (give or take) in fraudulent, worthless derivatives. Those 'bets', worthless casino bets are what we bailed out in 2008...both Bush AND Obama.
Because every day Glass-Steagall isn't reinstated, our deposits continue to be on the hook as COLLATERAL, leveraged to the hilt on derivatives. This puts pressure on the Gov't to bailout the fraudsters, because if they go down they take everyone's deposits with them. Which means the gov't would have to backstop the FDIC, which means they'd have to pay trillions upon trillions for that. So they say, hey give us those trillions before the chain breaks, what a scam. But they're still at risk. All needless. All for nothing that provides value. All for worthless fraud.
In the end when you look at all the needless hyped up no reason wars (which is EVERY ONE since WWII concluded...or if you want to get technical the 'non-wars'), the manufactured deficits created though tax cuts, the bailouts, and all sorts of other fraud that make up the majority of our 'national debt' not SS/Medicare which last I checked, are the only part of this gov't that are STILL in SURPLUS. I.E. They're using CAPITAL, not in the RED and using DEBT.
Another pointless article, from someone who never understood our situation, never did, never knew business or economics, and will never know. It's very simple. Pass Glass-Steagall, end the frauds, collapse the useless wall street entities that are blood suckers which provide no value only extract through fraud and hooking others onto debt, and return to a science based revival of the physical economy.
There ARE people going hungry, foregoing care, working until they are 90 if they can find a job,
This economy has been going down for 40 + years. But December 2007 (no not the Sept 2008 crapshow where everyone realized it) was the turning point. We had finally gone too far, and unless we recant every evil ideology and piece of fraud we've done basically since the Vietnam war, we have a hypeinflationary collapse of the world society dead ahead while the real economy is in shambles.
Where's NASA? Hell we started shutting it down 40 years ago before Neil Armstrong walked on the moon. (which is why being born in 1978, things like the moon landing are ancient, and we haven't done them in my entire life, and don't look to in my lifetime either....sad. We were supposed to go to Mars in the 1980's. Now we won't even in the 2030's. Hell we COULD do it in a decade or so from a decision to do so, but we're more interested in talking about bs that doesn't matter instead of focusing on what matters. That's what paper pushers do. They say it's tax cuts or entitlements, when really it's physical economics and major projects or fraudulent paper pushers, derivatives and collapse. Romney and Obama...the democrats AND republicans are both part of the latter.
Romney is a moron. Obama is a moron. Both are two sides to the same coin. None bring change. None ever did. One's a war criminal. The other most likely will be (if given the chance). None have a clue about business or economics (as wall street is about fraud and playing it's game...not actual business).
Too bad we don't have candidates who have solutions. Nor do they even know the problem. We have morons that get the problem and solutions both completely wrong.
Glass-Steagall
Arizona Willie posted at 10:19 am on Mon, Oct 29, 2012.
What a load of cra*.
If this woman really talks this way in real life, I bet she spends half the day washing her mouth out trying to get rid of the taste of BS.
Arizona Willie posted at 10:21 am on Mon, Oct 29, 2012.
What she REALLY needs is a brain enema.
Plug it in her right ear and drain from the left side.
snipes posted at 10:27 am on Mon, Oct 29, 2012.
Wow. Pure LIBERTARIAN malarkey.
bubba posted at 11:03 am on Mon, Oct 29, 2012.
Obviously 10 plus years on a diet of freedom fries and washing them down with the tea flavored Flavor Aid has caused Linda's distotred vision of the last 10 years.
daveofthedesert posted at 11:48 am on Mon, Oct 29, 2012.
Wow! Someone dumber than Palin!! She could be a script writer for the bimbos on Faux news.
Mike McClellan posted at 1:14 pm on Mon, Oct 29, 2012.
Linda's choice of comparison years is an interesting one, choosing to compare 2012 to 2006.
2006, of course, was a year or so before the housing bubble began to leak before bursting, a year or so before the accompanying derivative market with its ridiculous products based on overheated housing began to tank.
Of course, it fits with Linda's narrative to use 2006 rather than 2008, because the numbers appear more favorable to that narrative.
She appears to be suffering from an acute case of Romnesia, forgetting the intervening two years after 2006 that preceded Obama's election.
A convenient memory lapse.
Engaged Voter posted at 2:18 pm on Mon, Oct 29, 2012.
Did anyone else notice that Linda pulled a 180 degree flip-flop on the state of the economy from some of her previous pieces?
Either she's hoping we all miss it, or dementia is setting in.
Either way, I'm disappointed but not surprised. ;)
Engaged Voter posted at 2:20 pm on Mon, Oct 29, 2012.
"Certain other European countries are suffering the same."
Speaking of which, how is Iceland doing? They fired their government and jailed their bankers. And they're doing GREAT now.
Food for thought.
mnjcpa posted at 8:03 am on Tue, Oct 30, 2012.
Biden to the father of one of the navy seals MURDERED in Benghazi.....'your son had b*&lls the size of cue balls`.
Yeah, daveofthedesert - Palin really had it on Joe Biden for intelligence.
Unbelievable.
mnjcpa posted at 9:16 am on Tue, Oct 30, 2012.
dave - wondering when the editors will pull your disgusting comment. Way to shore up the Obama base!
Mike McClellan posted at 9:17 am on Tue, Oct 30, 2012.
mjncpa, you claim a certain economic understanding . . . is it your understanding that the economic conditions of 2006 mirrored the economic conditions of 2008?
Obama did not become President in 2007, after all, so Linda's comparison date is specious at the very least. Unless you believe that the American economy of 2008 was no different than that of 2006.
mnjcpa posted at 9:36 am on Tue, Oct 30, 2012.
I'm not an expert, but I know what small businesses are experiencing and it ISN'T the `recovery` that Obama claims. I voted for him in 2008, but Obama offers NOTHING to the private sector to make a business owner want to vote for him again.
Your question is too broad to cover in a comment column. And our problems extend over 30 years - not a two year period. I get why you support what you do - haven't met a teacher yet that isn't vehement against Republicans.
A better suggestion is for you to continue writing great articles about making changes to the education system. You've got some great ideas - keep putting them out there!
downtownresident posted at 11:13 am on Tue, Oct 30, 2012.
mnjcpa,
Thanks for the compliment. "complicit media that refers to Romney as a murderer, felon, Big Bird's the problem, Romnesia, abortion on demand, the Obama campaign has become a caricature of immaturity."
You forgot to blame Obama for 9-11 and the Holocaust while you were whining about unfair treatment.
mnjcpa posted at 12:58 pm on Tue, Oct 30, 2012.
I"m sure the media suppressing the Benghazi cover-up story is another compliment to you downtown. I wonder if the ambassador and navy seal's family feel that compliment too?
Bluepoet posted at 2:53 pm on Tue, Oct 30, 2012.
So, Linda--it's hard to remember which came first, now...the liberal use of the word socialism, or should it be credited to your favorite news source, and I'm not talking about Channel 5, either...
It's ironic that a so-called semi-retired reporter has allowed herself to become inculcated into the American version of the Chinese forced labor camps, who tout "re-education throught labor". Turn off the TV, Linda, and go walk in a garden somewhere, once in a while...let the actual thoughts you may be able to think, just happen!
Your only cognitive thought, throughout the article, was that "there's nothing really new in politics." After that, you should have stuck to your instincts, and made it
-30-
Engaged Voter posted at 3:25 pm on Tue, Oct 30, 2012.
Ah, the irony of mnjcpa attacking other commenters with baseless putdowns (infantile) and accusing the president of being a "caricature of immaturity".
You want another caricature of immaturity?
The majority of mnjcpa's comments fit the bill.
Disappointed, but not surprised. ;)
DavidNichols posted at 11:28 am on Wed, Oct 31, 2012.
For the record Mrs. Turley Hansen:
January 2008 began the E-verify Law, the I.C.E. Deportation/Incarceration Programs, "The Great Recession", "The Foreclosure Crisis", and "Our New Ballooning National Deficit".
Fact: The HARD LABOR Immigrants gladly did for America was the very FOUNDATION of our Strong Economy, and the twenty-five year Period prior to the January 2008 start of the largely L.D.S./Arpaio lead "Anti Immigrant Rant" was the "Most Prosperous Period in Total U.S. History".
This is our I.C.E.'d Economy!
I.C.E., and Hatred "Put the Car in the Ditch."
This Great Nation of Immigrants was Built on Far Better Principles, and Values than to rip Good Hard Working Christian Parents away from their Legal Citizen Children, or to devise Laws to Starve these Families!
"America is great because it id good, when it ceases to be good, it ceases to be great."
Alex De Tocqueville
The only way to "Repair America's I.C.E.'d Economy", is to once again Remember who we "Americans " are, and once again strive for Good, not Greed.
"Choose the Right"
This is "The Wrong Road America is on!
Notice any change in Food Costs?
To: Good.
bobunf posted at 8:03 am on Thu, Nov 1, 2012.
Linda’s column is near illiterate, makes no sense and warps reality about 180 degrees. For instance:
Her description of Germany as “once a world power: Its citizens trapped themselves in the ‘fear of freedom.’”
Well, yes, they were a world power under the Nazi’s, but hardly a recommendation. As for today, even after absorbing a much poorer East Germany, GDP per capita is $39,211, ranked number 17 out of 180 countries.
Then there is her adoration of Yunus and microfinance in Bangladesh where there’s “no free lunch.” There’s also a GDP per capita of $1,788, ranked number 151 out of 180.
Which country’s economy would a rational person choose to praise and which to fault?
mnjcpa posted at 9:38 am on Thu, Nov 1, 2012.
Engaged - My comment was to downtown's comment and the Benghazi cover-up is HARDLY baseless. Unless of course you only listen to the main media channels who've decided to protect Obama from these murders that could have been prevented. Try improving your reading skills.
Engaged Voter posted at 3:04 pm on Fri, Nov 2, 2012.
mnjcpa - Way to evade and deflect.
Your name-calling comment was directed at the other commenters.
The fact that you are trying to weasel out of it now speaks volumes. ;)
Phxnative1 posted at 11:32 am on Sat, Nov 3, 2012.
Linda I used to think you were objective and sound, it now appears you are wrongly mis-informed and just wrong. This is Republican jingoism at it's worst, you appear to live in an adjacent world with Mitt Romney, Arizona doesn't need you or you're brand of 50's Redneck Republicanism....Lets just hope Arizona voters are better educated and live in the real world of 2012.
Malbecman posted at 10:45 am on Sun, Nov 4, 2012.
Ha ha ha. Muhammed Yunus and Grameen Bank is an excellent example of collective private/government partnerships - not unbridled capatilism! These loans are given to entrepreneurs too poor to qualify for traditional bank loans - usually women. Without Grameen and the governmental agencies, particularly the UN, that support it. No matter how much these worthy entrepreneurs deserve it, they could never receive loans through traditional banking outlets. Bain Capital ain't going to hand money to these poor scrappers!
So forward thinking and collective public policy CAN be beneficial... Just something to keep in mind this election.
Engaged Voter posted at 6:03 pm on Tue, Nov 6, 2012.
"Benghazi cover-up"
LOL...willfull ignorance is both funny and sad.
I am curious why the Teabaggers ignored the last eleven embassy attacks, but focus on this one. Couldn't have anything to do with the "Kenyan Muslim" in the White House, could it? ;)
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