More Presidential Leadership

[Undertoad]

tw: <i>Ditto for Tom Adams.</i>

You mean Scott Adams - Dilbert?

[jaguar]

Hmm, ok tw, personally I do read Time magazine, lol, mostly coz a: I live in Australia and I can't get the economist, b: there is no Australian substitute. Admittedly it’s biased as hell, skips facts etc, but it still does open my eyes to a lot of issues I would otherwise be entirely ignorant about.

Media must cater for the masses and all the masses want is that a: a fire happened, b: is anyone we know dead, c: some pretty pictures. Sad as it is that’s the case. You have in some ways a similar mentality to me and guys I know in elite military units, when you go somewhere you check out everything, everyone, notice everything, it can be very useful.

I have Israeli friends, some of which are joining the army over there in the near future. The currant situation is tit for tat, and they are happy to admit that 'the killing of 2 14y.o Israeli boys will not go unpunished. SO the next day, 5 Palestinian cops suddenly get shots by Israeli troops thinking they are force 17. BOTH sides have to stop, but Arafat cannot control most/all of the terrorist groups who carry out these attacks. I entirely agree Sharon is scum, and should be anywhere but in power, but frankly, if I was a Jew, after persecution by pretty much everyone, I’d want some land to myself too.

As for Europe taking a lead, hopefully the new ham-fisted bush administration will force them to, because he’s just so damn stupid, to go along with him would be political suicide. Yes, sadly Europe has a lot of trouble agreeing on anything, but they do eventually get things done (euro?), but fast response to events is not their strongest point. Maybe if the long-held idea of a single European army came along there would be a much faster response.

The other reason you often get a slow response to anything with politicians is because in the end what matter to them is if they get re-elected, you need someone who is very sure of his position (Clinton) to make bold moves, most of the time.

Plato himself argued this one, because democratically elected leaders have limited terms, they will not undertake politically risky or LONG TERM SOLUTIONS (global warming, transport alternatives, etc) because they won't be around to reap the political benefits. He proposed a system of a benevolent dictator, personally I don’t subscribe to that line but I just thought I’d mention that.

[tw]

Originally posted by jaguar
Hmm, ok tw, personally I do read Time magazine, lol, mostly coz a: I live in Australia and I can't get the economist, b: there is no Australian substitute.

The Economist is sold everywhere in the world. Just from my copy, 2.70 British Pounds, 3,000 Chilean pesos, 7.50 Guyanian dollars. Annual subscription in Australia - 268 dollars Australian.

[jaguar]

Hmmm, ill have to look into that, i can't say i've heard much about it before, but if it comes with your reccomendadtion =)
TIME just gets alot more publicity i guess =)
Il but an issue next tiem im in a newsagency, thanks.

[elSicomoro]

I used to use the Economist when I was in college for research. Not bad...a tad dry though.

Lord knows how many periodicals I discovered when I went to college...

[tw]

Originally posted by jaguar
Hmmm, ill have to look into that, i can't say i've heard much about it before, but if it comes with your reccomendadtion =)
TIME just gets alot more publicity i guess =)
Il but an issue next tiem im in a newsagency, thanks.

The Economist can be dry - but if I was ever going to learn, I must read everything. How many read anything about the World Bank or IMF? Dry? Yes - which is why it was so easy to incite a lot of poorly educated college kids into Seattle riots. The rioter totally confused me since what they were rioting for is also what those organizations had already concluded internally. But then again, I read this news a year before the riotes in The Economist. Those riots only reminded me how few facts are known by the so many who have so many opinions.

There was once a bookstore in the KoP mall called Gene's that was more often frequented by the upper class. The Economist was not in racks with other magazines, but in a pile next to a cash register. It is never found in bookstores frequented by the computer techs or BA graduates. More often it is found in bookstores frequented by MAs, MS, and the other higher eductated.

IOW it is everywhere in the world - but not well known to 'local TV news' fans.

One cover page article in Time was "Titanic". Why is a silly fiction movie so important as to be a cover story? Demonstrates the intelligent level that Time addresses. Would Time ever discuss the Super Collider vs. the junk science called the International Space Station? Of course not. The Super Collider addressed science problems. The ISS was hype. Time is into hype - cannot be concerned with what really makes society work. It is why readers of Time rarely know of Clayton Christenson or Paul Romer - and yet these men have pushed out the envelope - while Time was discussing a movie called 'Titantic'.

[elSicomoro]

[quote]Originally posted by tw

More often it is found in bookstores frequented by MAs, MS, and the other higher eductated.

The last time I saw it was while I was in college in St. Louis--over 2 years ago. Lord knows we don't carry it at my store.

One cover page article in Time was "Titanic". Why is a silly fiction movie so important as to be a cover story? Demonstrates the intelligent level that Time addresses. Would Time ever discuss the Super Collider vs. the junk science called the International Space Station? Of course not. The Super Collider addressed science problems. The ISS was hype. Time is into hype - cannot be concerned with what really makes society work. It is why readers of Time rarely know of Clayton Christenson or Paul Romer - and yet these men have pushed out the envelope - while Time was discussing a movie called 'Titantic'.

It's mere prerogative then. "Titanic," although it had a cheesy-ass storyline, was generally a well-produced and well-acted film. It also held historical significance. We all grew up hearing about the Titanic, but seeing the movie actually put more things into perspective...at least for me. Not to mention, making the movie was a story in and of itself.

I would then say that Time actually DOES reflect our society...at least what society wants. It offers some news, some pictures, and colored graphs. It's simplified national news for people who either don't have time or don't want to make time to read. American society seems to want everything quick and simple...voila!

[tw]

Originally posted by jaguar
Plato himself argued this one, because democratically elected leaders have limited terms, they will not undertake politically risky or LONG TERM SOLUTIONS (global warming, transport alternatives, etc) because they won't be around to reap the political benefits. He proposed a system of a benevolent dictator, personally I don’t subscribe to that line but I just thought I’d mention that.

Effective democratic leaders empower the source of all solutions. Dictators are only effective as limited solutions to finite problems.

Take a recent study of Nazi Germany, rumored back then to be more productive than Britian during WWII. True if you consider the potential size of Germany's economy. However the study demonstrates that Germany was so dictatorial that production abilities were wasted. Numbers suggest that Germany's economy was limited to about 70% of its production abilities because of its dictatorial government.

Why would this be true? Plato based his conclusions on a society called status quo. Unfortunately, society does not advance by making the same things. It is what economists and political scientists, even by WWII, did not fully appreciate. A dictatorial society can address a problem known to that dictator. But since new problems continue to arise, that society must wait for the next dictator to grow up so that he can address the next problem? It is why dicatorial societies can advance. The top man cannot empower the little people to solve a problem he does not understand.

Society can no longer wait for its dicators to learn of problems, then grow up to be a dictators. Society must have today's problem solved tomorrow. That cannot happen in a dictator soceity when the top man does not empower problem solvers and does not understand how the work gets done.

Plato's solution assumed a dictator knew everything in a world that did not change. Plato's flaw was not in his logic, but in his assumptions of what makes a world grow.

[jaguar]

True, it’s a pity we can't install some kind of long-term-solution/short term unpopular-brownie-points system though. I mean I just see it so often, short term answers to big, long term problems, particularly transportation, in Melbourne, we recently build a huge new roadway costing billions while he public transport system remains chronicly under funded. I can't help imagine what would happen if that money was spent on public transport, new trains, more trains, more trains on time, more trams, more busses, LESS CARS...*Sighs*
Yes u can argue ppl would not use it anyway, but in its currant state I only use it because I cannot drive.

[tw]

Originally posted by jaguar
I can't help imagine what would happen if that money was spent on public transport, new trains, more trains, more trains on time, more trams, more busses, LESS CARS...*

BTW, does Australia still use different gauge trains in different parts of the country? Previously trains would have to be unloaded, then reloaded on different gauge rail cars because the country used three different gauge railroads. Does that problem still exist?

[jaguar]

Yes, it does, there as been a whole 2 million or so allocated to work on this problem, the major lines i (think) are now all standardised but there is still alot of problems.