incrementalism

I don't often talk politics here, but it seems to me that the people of the United States have gotten so used to incrementalism that they don't even realize it when they are being nickle and dimed into the poor house!

What is incrementalism? Well, you see it everywhere, but here's a couple of examples. Last year at about this time, gasoline hovered at around $2.00 a gallon. It's been that way for a couple of years, so we'd found a way to budget for it and still make ends meet. Then, with the "ethanol" crisis, gas went up to around $3.00 a gallon and people started screaming bloody murder. Now it's gone back to around $2.50 and everyone's happy! WHY IS EVERYONE SO FLIPPIN' HAPPY???!!! It's half a dollar more than last year and Exxon is about to offer Bill Gates a loan! Next year, it'll be another "crisis," gas will go up to $3.50 a gallon, everyone will scream, and then it'll settle in at $3.00 and everyone will be thanking the god of refined petroleum products that it's not $4.00! Socially, it works the same way. Everyone looks the other way as the vulgarity of Hollywood is splashed everywhere - the next thing you know, social morality is a thing of the past and what had been unacceptable and morally outrageous only a few years ago is commonplace and tolerated, if not accepted.

With gasoline - what're ya goin to do? We have to get to work; we don't have much choice in the short run. With questions of morality, we have a big say, and we don't have to protest or make a big stink about it! All we have to do is refuse to buy the garbage they're selling and they'll start creating entertainment that's more acceptable. After all, they worship a god as well - the god of profit and the free market. We can manipulate market forces as well as they can and turn THAT situation to our liking.

Along those same lines...the Democrats just don't get it! They increase the minimum wage, ostensibly to increase the buying power of people on the lower rungs of society. What's the outcome? Milk goes up to $4.00 a gallon, bread to $2.00 a loaf, beef to $5.00 a pound on the average. Do minimum wage people not EAT, or what? The fact is, their buying power has been REDUCED, not increased! Way to go, Democrats! Oh, I know; the increase in the minimum wage is only part of the story. A lot of corn that used to go toward feeding beef and dairy cattle is now going into energy production. Why? Well, I'll get into that next time!

LIC, Dan