Nearly ten years have passed since the September 11th attacks. In his address this week, President Obama calls upon the nation to commemorate the anniversary by devoting a day to community service. Just as firefighters, soldiers, and regular citizens have given of themselves over the last decade, we can all contribute, whether in tiny bits or large chunks, to make our world more peaceful and just.
In his call to service, the President invokes the unity that our country found in the months following the attacks. Such a non-partisan atmosphere feels a distant memory in the rancorous political muck of today, and it is tempting to long for a revival of this spirit. How are we to become a great nation anew if we don't stop bickering?
Certainly, we would do well to bicker less. And we need not bicker purely for the sake of bickering. I agree with the President that we could spend our time more usefully, and he is right to direct us to serve our communities rather than picking our toenails or prowling Facebook.
But on this tenth anniversary of our nation's deadliest terrorist attacks, President Obama needs also to rehash the less honorable aspects of our response. As a twelve-year-old in the fall of 2001, I listened to the local radio while citizens decried Islam and its faithful as inhuman agents of evil.
"They should all be nuked," one caller demanded.
Just over a year later, an overwhelming majority of Congress voted to authorize the invasion of Iraq if Saddam Hussein refused to relinquish his weapons of mass destruction (which, needless to say, did not exist).
"America speaks with one voice," proclaimed President Bush.
This has been a decade marred by prisoners detained and tortured at Guantanamo Bay, without trial or basic human rights. Last summer, a pastor in Gainesville, Florida planned to commemorate the September 11 attacks by hosting an "International Burn a Quran Day." On a regular basis, friends and strangers bait me, hoping that as a Jew, I will lash out and rant against Muslims, indulging in a dash of xenophobic backscratching.
We have been down this road before. German-Americans during World War I and Japanese-Americans during World War II tasted the foul byproduct of our patriotism. When will we learn?
On this anniversary, we can serve our country by joining a community service project organized by an unfamiliar church, or synagogue, or mosque. We can attend a new sort of religious service, even if only once. And when an ignorant or confused citizen tosses off a racist or ethnocentric comment, we can share our view of how important diversity is to our nation's fabric. Such a response would serve our country better than the grim, stony silence that prevails all too often in the face of injustice.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Saturday, August 20, 2011
2011.08.20 Weekly Address: Putting Country Ahead of Party
President Obama's bus tour of the Midwest is designed, smartly and necessarily, to inspire Americans, to instill a sense of pride in our country and its future. In his address this week, the President lauds the discipline, integrity, responsibility, creativity, resourcefulness, and determination of regular Americans. We are not the problem, the President says. Rather, politicians in Washington need to live up to our high standard of behavior and whip together a plan to reduce our unemployment and debt.
This may all be true, but as an American myself, I am neither convinced nor inspired - not yet. It's not that I don't trust President Obama as a person, and I do have faith in myself and my fellow citizens. But when the President met with small business owners, what did he see? What, exactly, was he inspired by? Do they have functional, unique business strategies? Are they making use of social media and green technology? Are they producing or marketing local goods?
President Obama, I want to be inspired, and I am willing to be. I was inspired on June 24, when you announced the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership, a program that connects scientists and entrepreneurs to the funding necessary to pursue their ideas. You told me of the brilliant minds at work throughout the nation's top research institutions, and you cited specific examples of their work.
Stale platitudes will not inspire me. It's easy to say that we're hard-working, that we're the greatest country on earth. But to be inspired, I need to hear real stories of contemporary American success. So you met with inspiring small business owners. What did they tell you at your meeting? What are they doing that's so great?
There is one other item that would really inspire me, something that's been missing from political discourse for most of my life. Why doesn't President Obama, or any other national politician, tell us that we're smart? Sometimes politicians say that students and professors and scientists are smart. But never the American people. What if the President said, and believed, that we are the smartest country on earth? That we are honest, hard-working, and intelligent? As an incidental bonus, the President might finally shake the persistent notion that he, himself, is "elitist."
I have a hunch that if our politicians could believe that we are, for the most part, intelligent, discerning, and engaged citizens, we would live up to this promise. Maybe being smart could become cool - not only among schoolchildren, but among business owners, construction workers, and football fans. Maybe we would watch less TV. Maybe we would read the newspaper, try a new book, and encourage our kids to come home not with a B, but an A. Instead, too many Americans remain obstinately ignorant, distrustful of information, feeling hopelessly uninformed. And as a result, we are left prey to unscrupulous politicians who continue to game us with bogus economic theory, indulging our prideful ignorance.
I know that I would be more inspired not only to work hard, but to think hard, if President Obama believed in our country's brainpower. Every day in America, I encounter individuals who are pleased, a little amused, by their own ignorance. Maybe being ignorant would not be as funny if President Obama led our nation to believe that we are smart and thoughtful. Because we are. I am sure of it. But no matter how intelligent we are, it won't do us any good if we don't believe it.
This may all be true, but as an American myself, I am neither convinced nor inspired - not yet. It's not that I don't trust President Obama as a person, and I do have faith in myself and my fellow citizens. But when the President met with small business owners, what did he see? What, exactly, was he inspired by? Do they have functional, unique business strategies? Are they making use of social media and green technology? Are they producing or marketing local goods?
President Obama, I want to be inspired, and I am willing to be. I was inspired on June 24, when you announced the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership, a program that connects scientists and entrepreneurs to the funding necessary to pursue their ideas. You told me of the brilliant minds at work throughout the nation's top research institutions, and you cited specific examples of their work.
Stale platitudes will not inspire me. It's easy to say that we're hard-working, that we're the greatest country on earth. But to be inspired, I need to hear real stories of contemporary American success. So you met with inspiring small business owners. What did they tell you at your meeting? What are they doing that's so great?
There is one other item that would really inspire me, something that's been missing from political discourse for most of my life. Why doesn't President Obama, or any other national politician, tell us that we're smart? Sometimes politicians say that students and professors and scientists are smart. But never the American people. What if the President said, and believed, that we are the smartest country on earth? That we are honest, hard-working, and intelligent? As an incidental bonus, the President might finally shake the persistent notion that he, himself, is "elitist."
I have a hunch that if our politicians could believe that we are, for the most part, intelligent, discerning, and engaged citizens, we would live up to this promise. Maybe being smart could become cool - not only among schoolchildren, but among business owners, construction workers, and football fans. Maybe we would watch less TV. Maybe we would read the newspaper, try a new book, and encourage our kids to come home not with a B, but an A. Instead, too many Americans remain obstinately ignorant, distrustful of information, feeling hopelessly uninformed. And as a result, we are left prey to unscrupulous politicians who continue to game us with bogus economic theory, indulging our prideful ignorance.
I know that I would be more inspired not only to work hard, but to think hard, if President Obama believed in our country's brainpower. Every day in America, I encounter individuals who are pleased, a little amused, by their own ignorance. Maybe being ignorant would not be as funny if President Obama led our nation to believe that we are smart and thoughtful. Because we are. I am sure of it. But no matter how intelligent we are, it won't do us any good if we don't believe it.
Monday, August 15, 2011
midweek news flash: Berkshire Eagle op-ed
I wrote this op-ed, published by the Berkshire Eagle in today's paper, outlining a plan to maintain Republican solvency and restore functional government. I urge Speaker Boehner to disengage with the Tea Party and lead the GOP towards the center, forcing a party fracture. This maneuver would be both politically savvy and highly convincing to a influential swath of moderate voters.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
2011.08.13 Weekly Address: Putting the American People First
...America voted for divided government, not dysfunctional government...
But, President Obama contends in this week's address, a dysfunctional government we have. And although the President officially disagrees with Standard & Poor's downgrade of the U.S. credit rating, he would surely agree with this one main thrust of the report:
"We lowered our long-term rating on the U.S. because we believe that the prolonged controversy over raising the statutory debt ceiling and the related fiscal policy debate indicate that further near-term progress containing the growth in public spending, especially on entitlements, or on reaching an agreement on raising revenues is less likely than we previously assumed and will remain a contentious and fitful process."
Contentious and fitful. Like children. Or, perhaps more relevantly, like pillars of hubris, swollen with pride, holding the course so as not to appear weak.
As such, in the aftermath of the debt ceiling hoo-ha, Republicans remain adamantly opposed to tax hikes for the rich. This might feel good inside, but the House majority is not doing itself any favors. On the contrary, they have everything to gain by backpedaling, even just a touch. Approval of Congress is at a historic low, and numerous polls (I'll link one example) show that a majority of Americans, even a majority of Republican voters, want the newly-anointed bipartisan "supercommittee" to reach a compromise.
I'm confident that the sooner Republicans stop hollering about "no new taxes," the less silly they will appear. Wouldn't it make sense to count the deficit war as a political victory and move on? After all, they made the President look weak, triggered a credit downgrade which wreaked havoc on the stock market, and took a wonderfully uncompromising stand against taxes. Now would be an ideal time to pick some fresh, new talking points before the public begins to notice the real-world consequences of this round of GOP political bullying. After all, Standard and Poor's has noticed, and they've raised quite the stink. That's sort of like police lights in your rearview mirror. A fair time to pull over, even if you were literally in the middle of saying that you'll never get a speeding ticket.
But the party faithful prattles on. At the Republican presidential debate last night, when asked if they would reject a deal that concedes one dollar of tax increases for every ten dollars of spending cuts, all eight candidates stuck their hands up like a band of crazed teacher's pets. Not a flicker of hesitation.
I understand that in a primary campaign, it is sometimes necessary to appeal to the party base, but I honestly think these people are not helping themselves. The American public can indeed be fooled, and we don't always pay close attention to important, relevant political matters. But when it's this obvious, when politicians repeatedly flout their refusal to compromise, their ideological stasis, for such an extended period of time, few thinking voters will take them seriously. So what are they trying to accomplish?
But, President Obama contends in this week's address, a dysfunctional government we have. And although the President officially disagrees with Standard & Poor's downgrade of the U.S. credit rating, he would surely agree with this one main thrust of the report:
"We lowered our long-term rating on the U.S. because we believe that the prolonged controversy over raising the statutory debt ceiling and the related fiscal policy debate indicate that further near-term progress containing the growth in public spending, especially on entitlements, or on reaching an agreement on raising revenues is less likely than we previously assumed and will remain a contentious and fitful process."
Contentious and fitful. Like children. Or, perhaps more relevantly, like pillars of hubris, swollen with pride, holding the course so as not to appear weak.
As such, in the aftermath of the debt ceiling hoo-ha, Republicans remain adamantly opposed to tax hikes for the rich. This might feel good inside, but the House majority is not doing itself any favors. On the contrary, they have everything to gain by backpedaling, even just a touch. Approval of Congress is at a historic low, and numerous polls (I'll link one example) show that a majority of Americans, even a majority of Republican voters, want the newly-anointed bipartisan "supercommittee" to reach a compromise.
I'm confident that the sooner Republicans stop hollering about "no new taxes," the less silly they will appear. Wouldn't it make sense to count the deficit war as a political victory and move on? After all, they made the President look weak, triggered a credit downgrade which wreaked havoc on the stock market, and took a wonderfully uncompromising stand against taxes. Now would be an ideal time to pick some fresh, new talking points before the public begins to notice the real-world consequences of this round of GOP political bullying. After all, Standard and Poor's has noticed, and they've raised quite the stink. That's sort of like police lights in your rearview mirror. A fair time to pull over, even if you were literally in the middle of saying that you'll never get a speeding ticket.
But the party faithful prattles on. At the Republican presidential debate last night, when asked if they would reject a deal that concedes one dollar of tax increases for every ten dollars of spending cuts, all eight candidates stuck their hands up like a band of crazed teacher's pets. Not a flicker of hesitation.
I understand that in a primary campaign, it is sometimes necessary to appeal to the party base, but I honestly think these people are not helping themselves. The American public can indeed be fooled, and we don't always pay close attention to important, relevant political matters. But when it's this obvious, when politicians repeatedly flout their refusal to compromise, their ideological stasis, for such an extended period of time, few thinking voters will take them seriously. So what are they trying to accomplish?
Sunday, August 7, 2011
2011.08.06 Weekly Address: Getting the Economy Growing Faster
President Obama sketches out a plan to substantially reduce unemployment and reinvigorate the economy in this week's address. To be sure, the President needs a plan. But he does not mention why he is focusing primarily on domestic manucturing, a strategy that, in my opinion, requires a bit of explanation.
Though our international trade deficit is problematic and unsustainable, we are, by no means, obligated to tackle the issue by suddenly becoming a manufacturing nation. Nor is that really possible, to the extent that would be necessary, in the 21st century. Manufacturing jobs disappeared overseas (decades before the current recession) not because of faulty policy or American decline, but because international labor became relatively cheap and plentiful. Today, we can no longer compete with Chinese production of pencils and McDonald's toys - our standards of living are simply too high - and that's OK.
To improve our balance of trade and to reactivate the economy, we need to focus on what we do best in this century. As Tom Friedman has argued, now is the time to be "stapling a green card to the diploma of any foreign student who earns an advanced degree at any U.S. university." The nation's system of higher education is surely one of its greatest assets; we must use it to our advantage in the global competition for talent. In the last decade, our own Silicon Valley has spawned multi-billion dollar companies such as Twitter, Facebook, and Google. These are the U.S. exports of the 21st century, and we can maintain a stronghold in this market by continuing to invest in technology start-ups. And our financial sector, while demonized and reviled, remains a global leader and major contributor to net exports.
The fact is, we need not be ashamed of our Chinese-made pencils, or, for that matter, our Chinese-made iPads. Manufactured goods were an important part of our nation's economic development, but we might best build a future upon eduction, research, financial services, and high-tech design - sectors in which we currently excel.
Though our international trade deficit is problematic and unsustainable, we are, by no means, obligated to tackle the issue by suddenly becoming a manufacturing nation. Nor is that really possible, to the extent that would be necessary, in the 21st century. Manufacturing jobs disappeared overseas (decades before the current recession) not because of faulty policy or American decline, but because international labor became relatively cheap and plentiful. Today, we can no longer compete with Chinese production of pencils and McDonald's toys - our standards of living are simply too high - and that's OK.
To improve our balance of trade and to reactivate the economy, we need to focus on what we do best in this century. As Tom Friedman has argued, now is the time to be "stapling a green card to the diploma of any foreign student who earns an advanced degree at any U.S. university." The nation's system of higher education is surely one of its greatest assets; we must use it to our advantage in the global competition for talent. In the last decade, our own Silicon Valley has spawned multi-billion dollar companies such as Twitter, Facebook, and Google. These are the U.S. exports of the 21st century, and we can maintain a stronghold in this market by continuing to invest in technology start-ups. And our financial sector, while demonized and reviled, remains a global leader and major contributor to net exports.
The fact is, we need not be ashamed of our Chinese-made pencils, or, for that matter, our Chinese-made iPads. Manufactured goods were an important part of our nation's economic development, but we might best build a future upon eduction, research, financial services, and high-tech design - sectors in which we currently excel.
Friday, August 5, 2011
midweek comments: stocks are down, jobs are up
There's been some exciting news about the economy over the last 24 hours as stock prices plummet and job growth seems to be picking up. The media is having a blast with sensational graphics and dramatic headlines, but let's hang on to our thinking caps and get a few things straight.
1. Now is a splendid time to buy stocks.
If you can swing it, if you happen to have money you can manage to part with for a while, invest it in Wall Street. Stocks are suddenly a bit cheaper, so gobble them up while you can. Help yourself, help the economy.
2. Unless you're a day trader, today's stock plunge doesn't need to affect you.
Regular people who have invested part of their wealth in stocks have no obligation to sell them on a day like today. In fact, to do so would be exceedingly silly. Those who can stomach the temporary disappearance of wealth and hold onto their horses of impulse will be rewarded later when things return to normal.
3. Things will return to normal (eventually).
Better yet, things will continue to improve after they've returned to normal. Markets go up and markets go down, and all we have to do is wait.
4. The media needs to get a grip before it is too late.
Naturally, the media are inclined to frighten the masses into thinking the economy might never recover. It is a captivating story. But this sort of yellow journalism has a real impact on consumer and investor confidence and, therefore, a chilling effect on economic growth. In the long run, the press is only making things worse for all sectors, including its own, by inspiring fear and reservation in the public.
5. The economy just added 112,000 jobs.
Finally, unemployment is down, if only by a smidge. With stock prices down (read: more affordable) and jobs up, the economy might be able to pick up some real momentum.
We can only wait to see whether these predictions and assessments will hold true. In the meantime, I don't think there is any reason to dismiss optimism entirely and squander opportunities for growth.
1. Now is a splendid time to buy stocks.
If you can swing it, if you happen to have money you can manage to part with for a while, invest it in Wall Street. Stocks are suddenly a bit cheaper, so gobble them up while you can. Help yourself, help the economy.
2. Unless you're a day trader, today's stock plunge doesn't need to affect you.
Regular people who have invested part of their wealth in stocks have no obligation to sell them on a day like today. In fact, to do so would be exceedingly silly. Those who can stomach the temporary disappearance of wealth and hold onto their horses of impulse will be rewarded later when things return to normal.
3. Things will return to normal (eventually).
Better yet, things will continue to improve after they've returned to normal. Markets go up and markets go down, and all we have to do is wait.
4. The media needs to get a grip before it is too late.
Naturally, the media are inclined to frighten the masses into thinking the economy might never recover. It is a captivating story. But this sort of yellow journalism has a real impact on consumer and investor confidence and, therefore, a chilling effect on economic growth. In the long run, the press is only making things worse for all sectors, including its own, by inspiring fear and reservation in the public.
5. The economy just added 112,000 jobs.
Finally, unemployment is down, if only by a smidge. With stock prices down (read: more affordable) and jobs up, the economy might be able to pick up some real momentum.
We can only wait to see whether these predictions and assessments will hold true. In the meantime, I don't think there is any reason to dismiss optimism entirely and squander opportunities for growth.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
midweek comments: debt compromise
In the aftermath of Tuesday's debt deal, liberal commentators and members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus are furious at radical Republicans for hijacking the debt debate and forcing President Obama's "surrender." But, as Daniel Markovits writes in his piece, "How the GOP lost on the debt deal," published yesterday in the Los Angeles Times, it's a wonder things didn't end up a whole lot worse for the left, considering the Tea Party's extremist negotiating tactics.
Perhaps most importantly, Republicans can no longer bolster their hand with the ultimate bargaining chip: the threat of default. When a bipartisan commission meets this fall to negotiate further budget cuts, anti-tax hawks will no longer hold the power to shove the economy into the ditch; they will settle instead for indignant sound-bytes and symbolic bluster. Though the President is disappointed that Washington wasn't able to grow up and stitch together a bigger deal, the fact remains that the nation has escaped with Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and education grants - the pillars of our social safety net - fully intact.
Perhaps most importantly, Republicans can no longer bolster their hand with the ultimate bargaining chip: the threat of default. When a bipartisan commission meets this fall to negotiate further budget cuts, anti-tax hawks will no longer hold the power to shove the economy into the ditch; they will settle instead for indignant sound-bytes and symbolic bluster. Though the President is disappointed that Washington wasn't able to grow up and stitch together a bigger deal, the fact remains that the nation has escaped with Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and education grants - the pillars of our social safety net - fully intact.
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