Posted on 10/11/2010 8:00:56 AM PDT by WebFocus
If you write a column, you get a lot of e-mail. Sometimes, especially in a political season, it's possible to discern from it certain emerging themes – the comeback of old convictions, for instance, or the rise of new concerns. Let me tell you something I'm hearing, in different ways and different words. The coming rebellion in the voting booth is not only about the economic impact of spending, debt and deficits on America's future. It's also to some degree about the feared impact of all those things on the character of the American people. There is a real fear that government, with all its layers, its growth, its size, its imperviousness, is changing, or has changed, who we are. And that if we lose who we are, as Americans, we lose everything.
This is part of what's driving the sense of political urgency this year, especially within precincts of the Tea Party.
The most vivid illustration of the fear comes, actually, from another country, Greece, and is brilliantly limned by Michael Lewis in September's Vanity Fair. In "Beware Greeks Bearing Bonds," he outlines Greece's economic catastrophe. It is a bankrupt nation, its debt, or rather the amount of debt that has so far been unearthed and revealed, coming to "more than a quarter-million dollars for every working Greek." Over decades the Greeks turned their government "into a piñata stuffed with fantastic sums" and gave "as many citizens as possible a whack at it." The average government job pays almost three times as much as the average private-sector job. The retirement age for "arduous" jobs, including hairdressers, radio announcers and musicians, is 55 for men and 50 for women. After that, a generous pension. The tax system has disintegrated. It is a welfare state with a cash economy.
(Excerpt) Read more at ocregister.com ...
peggy who?
Noonan needs to be ignored. She lost all credibility by her support of Obama.
its easy to understand why. The elites claim to know all the answers but in truth they don’t know jack. The elites ran the country into the ground
The title is absolutely hilarious!!!! This coming from the one person that prides herself as being part of the DC elite.....Good one Peggy!
“us”? Isn’t she one of the self-selected “eleite”?
Aren’t you even going to read what she’s saying in this piece?
Why do I resent you Peggy? Well, it’s not so much that you are “elite” — I’m not at all convinced that you are. But the fact is that you are “elitest” — you think you know better than I do. You want to be in charge, and you expect me to sit back and do as I’m told. I’m tired of you elitest Washington insiders.
Hmmm ... “Why so many of us resent the elites.” I take it this would fall under the category of self-loathing.
Sorry, but as a grown man, I have a full time job, a mortgage, bills, a wife and 3 kids to take care of. I don’t have time to sit around resenting the elite or the wealthy.
Excuse me, is she serious?
No more callers please. We have a winner!!
“US”? Isn’t she one of the self-selected “elite”?
Does Peggy think she’s an “us”? Good grief.
Don’t bother with this drivel. Read Codevilla’s article in American Spectator about the Ruling Class. It contains all you need to know.
He also wrote a book in the 90’s called the Wealth of Nations, detailing how government distorts and corrupts culture.
Peggy Noonan is an elite snob.
Reminds me a little be of when George on Seinfield said “every group has someone the rest makes fun of, like how we make fun of Elaine”
LOL! She is one of those elites. Maybe she is worried that galklows will be set up soon.
Don’t worry all the TV networks including Fox?Saudia will bail you out. See the American public is easily manipulated with TV and the idiots who watch TV are sheep, saps and morons.
No need to worry you silly liberal, Notre Dame, baby killing, pro-abortion, union catholic, manhattan living, martini drinking head over this.
Our times are better expressed as a schism between canny futurists offering a short cut to utopia and archaists pulling in the opposite direction.
No - she is like Rove, McCain, and Newt - DIABLO scum.
An inside view of the insider elite from an insider elitist.
A little late Piggy Nooner.
We who knew what was in the offing will not tolerate you hypocrites jumping on the bandwagon. As in business he who gets there first gets the rewards. The last one in sucks hind teat.
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