From a friend at work....

The light turned yellow, just in front of him. He did the right thing, stopping at the crosswalk, even though he could have beaten the red light by accelerating through the intersection.

The tailgating woman was furious and honked her horn, screaming in frustration, as she missed her chance to get through the intersection, dropping her cell phone and makeup.

As she was still in mid-rant, she heard a tap on her window and looked up into the face of a very serious police officer. The officer ordered her to exit her car with her hands up.

He took her to the police station where she was searched, fingerprinted, photographed, and placed in a holding cell.

After a couple of hours, a policeman approached the cell and opened the door. She was escorted back to the booking desk where the arresting officer was waiting with her personal effects.

He said, "I'm very sorry for this mistake. You see, I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, making obscene gestures at the guy in front of you and cussing a blue streak at him. I noticed the 'What Would Jesus Do?' bumper sticker, the 'Choose Life' license plate holder, the 'Follow Me to Sunday-School' bumper sticker, and the chrome-plated Christian fish emblem on the trunk, so naturally ... I assumed you had stolen the car."

Shades of Gray

The invisible hand guiding the supply and demand of goods is the foundation of many political economic arguments put forward by politicians, pundants and drunks at locals everywhere. The simplicity of this theory is also the root of its efficacy. It is, however, just a theory with its own baggage. Primarily, that it views the political economy in black and white. Barriers to entry are rife in the economy and unless observers are willing to delve into the gray, analysis will be incomplete at best and misguided at worst.

Some products are so prohibitively expensive to produce and it is necessary for government, federal or local, to finance the production of these goods. Education, roads, ports, etc., are just some examples of these public goods. Public goods are often subject to political horse trading, but many of these goods are essential for the proper functioning of society.

Politically motivated barriers of entry typically motivated by national interest arguments. The defense industry is an obvious example. Not many citizens would foot the bill for a nuclear submarine, nor would we want the average citizen to have access to such weaponry technology. Other national interest arguments often involve protecting labor. The recent bail-out of the automobile industry is a prime example. These politically motivated barriers are implemented via shear political force, military, or by economic enticements in the form of subsidies or duties, sugar and apparel.

Cartels, or collusion, are another barrier to entry which has the potential to distort the forces of supply and demand. Cartels can distort the market in three ways. First, cartels can control the supply of a particular good to the market. Second, cartels can agree upon the quality of a particular good in the market. And finally, cartels can control the price of a particular good in the market. In some cases, all three forms of control are used, OPEC.

The final, and probably most manipulative, barrier to entry is the lack of complete information. Adam Smith envisioned an economy where both producers and consumers had complete information. Each would respond until the market reached equilibrium. Equilibrium would eliminate excessive profits and ensure the consumers are able to obtain the goods they want.

It is imperative for citizens to look deeper into the economic arguments that our politicians are putting forth if we are to receive the price and quality we deserve.

Witch Hunt

The people of the United States of America will never forget September 11, 2001. It changed the way we perceived the world and ushered in a renewed sense of patriotism and unity. Our foreign policy set, our targets were articulated and we entered a war against terrorism with the full bravado of a nation with purpose and determination. The utterance of “crusade” to describe the ensuing war on terrorism foreshadowed the changes that began taking place in the domestic arena as well.

Civil rights became subject to interpretations of “national security.” The suspension of legal rights for detainees, domestic and international, as well as wiretapping became acceptable forms of civility. The palatable hostility towards critics of these policies rivaled the Red Scare of the 1940s and 50s. Perhaps the ugliest manifestation of this intolerance is used today by those claiming that President Obama is a Muslim. Our new found patriotism and unity have also witnessed a return to our Puritan roots domestically.

Faith-based initiatives have enabled religious non-profits to help the federal government provide social services. There are clear delineations to prevent proselytizing, but precedent has been set and the mood of the country seems to be changing. Politicians are chipping away at Roe vs. Wade and stem cell research has been curtailed. As the war on terrorism continues the United States has entered a period of witch hunts. The contraceptive controversy is the most recent victim of our growing intolerance.

Ironically, we would do well to heed the words of President George W. Bush: “We have no intention of imposing our culture -- but America will always stand firm for the non-negotiable demands of human dignity: the rule of law ... limits on the power of the state ... respect for women ... private property ... free speech ... equal justice ... and religious tolerance.” The United States of America is the greatest polity today. Our greatness stems from our tolerance and our reliance on a legal system to enforce civility.

Partisan Cancer

There seems to be a World Wrestling Federation mentality in our political system that has brought our country to a standstill. We have become a polity where name calling, posturing and the bending of the truth is more popular than considering what our fellow citizens have to say. It happens with plumbers as well as politicians, so called professionals that make a nice living carrying out the rule of law in our country. It is an ugly cancer that has stumped intellectual discourse and threatens to completely paralyze our polity.

The Founding Fathers designed a Democratic Republic with checks and balances to ensure that our country does not change too rapidly. We are democracy to protect the majority, and a republic to protect the minority. We have three branches of government with specified duties to ensure our civility and guarantee the rule of law. So we don’t really need the partisan cancer that has plagued our polity.

The violent partisanship that has gripped our country has the potential to be our downfall if it is not checked. We are a resilient people but we are not a stagnant people. The Constitution is a living document and government was designed to grow and adjust with the social, political and economic changes. The Founding Fathers were correct in setting up our system to move slowly, but they did set it up to move. They engaged in deep ideological debates that sometimes lead to compromise, sometimes to stalemate, but they made a conscience effort to come to the table and hear what their fellow citizens had to say.

Don’t the American people deserve a government that will listen to all ideas? Don’t our representatives get paid to do just that? We are giving you money and entitlements, the only thing we want is that you do your job.