And maybe I don't sufficiently appreciate the value of business and the free market. After all, President Coolidge said, "The business of America is business...."
...or did he? I Google that line and find there's a little more to Silent Cal's famous words:
The real statement comes from a speech by Calvin Coolidge called "The Press Under a Free Government" which was given before the American Society of Newspaper Editors in Washington, D.C. on January 17, 1925. The quote is really: "After all, the chief business of the American people is business." However, Coolidge goes on to say that, "Of course the accumulation of wealth cannot be justified as the chief end of existence." He discusses journalism and the thought that the business interests of newspaper owners should not taint reporting. He continues, "American newspapers have seemed to me to be particularly representative of this practical idealism of our people."
His last paragraph in the speech shows what he really believes motivate [sic] Americans:We make no concealment of the fact that we want wealth, but there are many other things that we want very much more. We want peace and honor, and that charity which is so strong an element of all civilization. The chief ideal of the American people is idealism. I cannot repeat too often that America is a nation of idealists. That is the only motive to which they ever give any strong and lasting reaction.
To quote Tom Silver (Coolidge and the Historians, 1982), "Coolidge's attitude toward money-making and wealth is the commonsensical one, namely, that wealth is justified only as a means to higher ends. Wealth does provide, in its turn, the leisure and the wherewithal to pursue, for instance, a liberal education, which is among the noblest ends of man" [Cyndi Bittinger, executive director, Calvin Coolidge Memorial Foundation, "The Business of America Is Business?" Calvin-Coolidge.org, 2005].
The chief ideal of the American people is idealism. Now there's a comment to launch me into a happy weekend.
In one of my recent wee-hour Internet sojourns, I came across an interesting bit of research that was done in England. It found that the Scandinavian countries, especially Denmark, seem to have the highest "happiness" levels in the world.
ReplyDeleteI read that with a little bit of chagrin, knowing that they are heavily taxed societies while I am a rock-ribbed Republican, or thought I was, anyway, and regard taxes above and beyond the bare minimum as a mediocrity-inspiring degenerative force.
Perhaps "Revised Republican" is a better term, because my beloved G.O.P. has gone off the track, in my opinion.
Back on the subject of happiness quantification, the researchers naturally began to wonder, "How is happiness of a general population to be defined?" Their answer: "Trust in their government."
Ach!
Here in America, our very basic documents ensure that we should have the right to "pursue happiness." That would seem to mean, then, that we should seek to elect and maintain a government that we can trust.
Wealth has little to do with happiness, apparently. Yet, the prospect of reaping handsome rewards for one's work is one of the greatest motivators for people to excel.
The problem, as I see it, is that a certain few have managed to become obscenely wealthy, while some of their very own subjects have lost their homes and jobs. Even as an old-school Republican, I have a problem with that.
A big problem.
It's enough to get me to listen to Barack Obama. Who'd-a thunk it?
Stan Gibilisco
Lead
P.S. I said I'm listening to him, not that I'll vote for him ...
The wheels fell off of the repub party to the point where it is now Greed Over People (GOP). If those elected as repubs ever start acting like Senator Hagel, R-NE, the party will wake up. The former philosophy of the repubs would not sponsor, support, or tolerate pre-emptive war, or spend money like drunken sailors, purvey hate, fail to respect individual rights - to include the right to privacy, or use public money to bail-out unregulated speculators. On the other hand while modern repubs act like croney, near-criminal capitalists, modern demos appear lacking in competence to govern - they failed to stand-up to repub excesses for seven plus years. Being an independent is a miserable existence - I just want my Constitution back, is that too much to ask for?
ReplyDeleteAt present, my favorite expansion of the acronym GOP is "Greedy Old Plutocrats."
ReplyDeleteNever let it be said that I cannot see the rats in my own camp. But a new generation of Republicans is coming of age. Aloha!
Stan, as a writer, you probably know as well as I that many good things start with just listening.
ReplyDeleteIndeed! And watching. There is a Web site called ontheissues.org that describes all the Presidential candidates' positions and voting records. I have found it most informative.
ReplyDelete