How stupid are we Americans?
To the editor:
For all the diversity of opinion among the Founding Fathers in the 1770s, there was one thing that virtually everyone agreed upon: Political parties were a very bad idea.
In his farewell address as president, George Washington referred to political parties as “the worst enemy” of democratic governments, “potent engines by which cunning, ambitious, & unprincipled men will subvert the power of the people.” Alexander Hamilton equated political parties with “ambition, avarice, & personal animosity.” Furthermore Thomas Jefferson could hardly agree more: “If I could go to heaven but with a party,” he wrote, “I would not go there at all.” Wise advice, yes. Did we listen? No!!
In his nationally TV broadcasted farewell speech as President General Eisenhower warned the nation to beware of the Congressional-Military-Industrial-Complex, lest they take complete control of our economy. Guess what happened… they now control it or the U.S.A. would not have in excess of 1,000 overseas military bases, some in Europe since the end of WWII, in the 1940s. This lack of wisdom is bankrupting us. Once again we did not listen.
I am beginning to suspect the American citizens have been studying the concept of Meinong’s Jungle philosophy. Alexius Meinong was a 19th century Austrian philosopher who believed that since we have the ability to conceive things that do not exist – unicorns, islands in the sky, square circles, sound of one hand clapping, honest politicians, etc. – these things must exist in some sense. Meinong’s jungle is the place where all things that do not exist, do in fact, exist. In the event you subscribe to this bit of unique philosophy, you are a natural candidate for the philosophical concept of the Lullaby Effect, and I have a used car I want to sell to you.
How stupid are we Americans? By not reviewing and believing world history, unconventionally stupid. We need to awaken and soon. The national debt is still growing at the rate of $39,000 each and every second, 24/7/365 and it now exceeds $18,000,000,000,000 (trillion). We will crash and burn, just like Rome did and for pretty much the same reasons.
Robert E. Workman
Cape Coral