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December 28, 2012
Zero-Sum Prez
P.J. O'Rourke: Dear Mr. President, Zero-Sum Doesn't Add Up You sent a message to the world. The message is that we live in a zero-sum universe.
There is a fixed amount of good things. Life is a pizza. If some people have too many slices, other people have to eat the pizza box. You had no answer to Mitt Romney's argument for more pizza parlors baking more pizzas. The solution to our problems, you said, is redistribution of the pizzas we've got—with low-cost, government-subsidized pepperoni somehow materializing as the result of higher taxes on pizza-parlor owners.
Posted by gerardvanderleun at December 28, 2012 9:05 AM. This is an entry on the sideblog of American Digest: Check it out.
Your Say
I don't have the exact P.J. O'Rourke quote but in one of his book he said when he was younger college age his grandmother asked what political party he belonged to. He said he was a communist, his grandmother responded, "At least you are not a democrat."
Now Mr. O'rourke is a member of the Pants Down Republicans.
http://denisboyles.com/PDRepublicans.html
Posted by: Potsie at December 28, 2012 9:58 AM
You cannot rationally discuss issues when the simile of the difference of opinion involves a pizza and a pizza box. Then you must back up a bit and find out where you start to possibly agree. 'Zero sum' begs asking where you agree on private property rights and productivity. Get that straight and you can start on more mature stuff like cutting up pizzas.
Posted by: Michael Richards MD at December 28, 2012 10:55 AM
Sorry, just to add - the US has the Democrat Party and the Passive, Traitorous, Enabler Party, so don't hold your breaths waiting for sincere, passionate argument from Republicans.
Posted by: Michael Richards MD at December 28, 2012 11:05 AM
Humble apologies. Last one. Hail Osama. Did less damage than Obama.
Posted by: Michael Richards MD at December 28, 2012 11:09 AM
Incorrect, MD. You cannot rationally discuss political and economic issues at all with most people before you have first gained their attention with a simple contradiction. P. J. O'Rourke has made that his business, and he does it well. He has even gone to the trouble of authoring a translation of Wealth of Nations.
Posted by: james wilson at December 28, 2012 11:09 AM
Doctor, I didn't know there was a difference between the republican and democrat parties. Two sides of the same coin.
Posted by: Potsie at December 28, 2012 2:01 PM
There's a difference, Potsie. One party is hell-bent on gaining and keeping power at all costs, and the other is bound and determined not to offend the power-hungry party or cause it inconvenience in its march to domination. And yes, both disgust me no end.
Posted by: waltj at December 29, 2012 8:33 AM