Success Breeds Failure

The American Thinker ^ | 8/30/2019 | John Conlin

[BEJ]

Some typos but... Thank you!

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

natural resources . . . are relatively common around the globe.

It isn’t “in the blood.” . . . We are a nation of mutts, so that can’t be it either.

It isn’t that our benevolent governments have driven this. For most of the history of the country all government was relatively small. Throw in the fact these organizations don’t create wealth, but only consume it, and obviously the amazing engine of wealth creation has little to do with the powerful non-profit organizations we call government.

No, the amazing wealth-creating behemoth that is the United States of America is due to the simple fact that individual freedom and limited government is in agreement with reality. They work because they are true, no more, no less.

This really shouldn’t be shocking. Are we shocked when two free hydrogen atoms become water when joined with one oxygen atom? We factually accept this atomic dance because that’s what happens, every time! The same is true with creating wealth.

I like the statement that an America Secretary is better off than Queen Victoria was. Which I interpret as meaning that most blacks today are better off than the slaveowners of 1½ centuries ago were in their day.

Alexander Hamilton wrote that

>“The republican principle demands that the deliberate sense of the community should govern the conduct of those to whom they intrust the management of their affairs; but it does not require an unqualified complaisance to every sudden breeze of passion or to every transient impulse which the people may receive from the arts of men ^socialists , who flatter their prejudices to betray their interests.” ― Alexander Hamilton

IMHO that “men” can usefully be read “socialists” today . . .

Excellent Read! Bookmark and Ping.

[John Robinson]

I think he’s talking about the URL-based “must excerpt” list. I’m fine with strict adherence to that list, even if the OP owns, or believes he owns, the copyright, excerption is consistent and legally tidy.

Given developments in Internet copyright over the years, and particularly with an eye toward a favorable (to society) social media ruling (platform v. publisher), we may end up going strict excerpt and link across the board for legal reasons.

[null and void]

Fair enough, John.

Other John, I hereby withdraw my snark, with apologies.

Humble? please read John Robinson’s post #43.

[humblegunner]

Losers pimping blogs will still be losers pimping blogs.
It’s eternal, it’s axiomatic, it’s in the Bible.

[SamAdams76]

I don't mind clicking through to American Thinker to read the rest of the article. It's one of my bookmarked sites. A wonderful collection of news, opinions and essays and any conservative should not hesitate to give them the clicks. With all the complaining we do here about the media (and mostly well-deserved), we should support the sites and publications that try to do it right and are not mouthpieces for the Left.

So an author of one of American Thinker's pieces takes the time to come here to start a thread on a piece he just wrote. I think that's a good thing and a good thing for Free Republic in general. To harass him and chase him off because he didn't post the entire article seems foolish to me. How do we know that American Thinker doesn't have a policy where their contributors are not allowed to post the full content someplace else. Even if it wasn't AT policy, is it a cool thing to let somebody pay your for an article and then go around posting it elsewhere on the web? If I was the owner of a publication and one of my contributors was posting his articles in full someplace else after I PAID him to have it on my site, I would definitely feel ill used.

Now I could see if it was some lame blogger trying to drive clicks to his second rate homemade website someplace out of somebody's basement. But this is American Thinker, a very well-respected publication.

It is this kind of hostility to newcomers that keeps Free Republic relatively small.

[right way right]

I second your comment.

[PGalt]

Thanks for the ping. Very good article and posts. 1980s bumper sticker in D.C. “Reality is Negotiable”.

“...individual freedom and limited government...” BUMP

[rlmorel]

"...And that is success breeds failure. This is a common and accurate theme in management thinking. Success breeds complacency. Success can lead an organization from lean and mean, to fat and happy, to obese and stupid..."

I have always appreciated this (and thank you, conservatism_is_compassion..:)

Hard times create strong men.

Strong men create good times.

Good times create weak men.

And, weak men create hard times.”

We are a wealthy country because we value individual freedom.

[rlmorel]

Wow. Heh, I didn’t read the whole thread, and we think alike. I was even going to post the phase I thought we were at, too. Good post...:)

[rlmorel]

I feel much the same way. I really like content at American Thinker (though I admit I don’t admire the way the website is built...I find it distracting to the content!)

I thought that was a cordial apology by you, null and void. SamAdams76 is correct, we should be gratified when the author of a piece at a place like American Thinker posts here.

I appreciate people who work to try to minimize blog pimping on FR, but I agree...this didn’t appear to be one of them.

[deadrock]

Thanks.

[trebb]

Actual success breeds success - it’s the false meme that everyone can be deemed “successful” (all get a trophy so they ain’t suffering hurt feelings for losing) that breeds failure. Johnson’s “Great Society” is the perfect example as it devolves into it’s intended format.