Friday, July 6, 2007

Gullible America Swallows Anything!

Few things are more revolting than an uniformed opinion; and yet we are awash in them. Everyone has a bag of soundbites. Careful, reasoned responses are as rare as rain in the west.
Right wing nuts are more like yeah-saying bobble-heads than ditto-heads. Left wing nuts are like spiritualy starved primatives ever willing to worship the newest idol.
I was perplexed when a crowd cheered Bill Clinton on Thursday when he urged the US to ban incandescent light bulbs and to imitate the energy policies of Denmark. They should have been booing. Bill's was a premeditated, cynical suggestion designed to play on the child-like scientfic fantasies of the most mentally vulnerable members of our society--the electorate. How can I make such a charge? Bill has an astronomically high IQ and thus is too smart to have committed an inocent mistake.
Ban the bulb? Reasonable persons see the negative market consequences of such a policy. Imagine the cost of cars circa 1908 if Congressional fiat had banned the horse. The car triumphed because the market perceived it was a superior product. Beware of politicians who grow find of the word "ban."
Denmark? They have 5.5 million citizens. They rely on windmills for 20% of their power. They also have very high taxes and very high energy costs and very high employment--no underclasses, few immigrants. Talk about apple and orange comparisons! Would Bill also adopt Denmarks 28% corporate tax rate, it's streamline regulatory regime which allows businesses to launch at minimal cost in days, not weeks or months? Would he adopt Denmark's policy of a single language, a narrow culture? No one in the crowd raised any question of any sort. Again, we swallow just about anything.
Today for breakfast I had two egg-white omlettes with chicken chipotle sausage from Trader Joe's. I cannot eat bread today because I must diet in advance of a colonoscopy. Saturday and Sunday, I am permitted nothing but liquids! No dinner Sunday night-liquid included.
The prep is terrible. But it is well worth it in the end (excuse the miserable pun, please). I did this five years ago. I had no polyps. One never knows. I know too many people who have develped colon cancer to pass on the exam (I can't help myself--I love administering pun-ishments).

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