August 09, 2009

I HEART DANIEL HANNAN

I could've listened to another hour...
Daniel Hannan speaks to The Heritage Foundation

Great bit comes at the end, in response to a question about why we'd pass cap and trade if it's failed in Europe:

The purpose of these things is not to do anything; it's to show that you're a nice man.  The worst aspect of modern politics is this belief that legislation should somehow be proportionate to public outrage, rather than proportionate to the need to get something done.  [...]  The global warming thing...is an elevation of the moralistic over the moral.  It means you place more emphasis on holding the right opinions about big corporations than on actually doing the right thing in your own life.  Little example of this: Do people in this room know who I mean by Irena Sendler, who was a Polish Catholic who smuggled babies out of the Warsaw ghetto during the war?  Incredibly heroic woman who died a few months ago.  She was captured and tortured and, then this is the amazing thing, changed her name and went back to doing it.  She was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, and do you know who the Nobel Peace Prize went to that year instead of her?  Al Gore!  Al Gore!  Just stop and ponder that for a moment, think about what that says about society's values: that it is more important to have made a film having the correct opinions than to have risked your life day after day rescuing children.

Posted by: Sarah at 02:51 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
Post contains 254 words, total size 2 kb.

1 Yeah, I was totally thinking about that today too: if the point is to actually get something done, there always seems to be something that is "sexier". I mean, according to statistics about 20,000 people die a year in America because they are uninsured and can't get proper health care. Obviously those statistics are a little fuzzy, because it is hard to know if they would have lived if they had the proper health care...which brings me to a scarier statistic. The number of people who die every year in America, because of malpractice: around 90,000 (although I have seen as low as 40,000). Obviously the same applies as with the first statistic, but the fact remains that more people die in America every year FROM medical treatment, than those who die because they don't get it. So it seems to me that there is a bigger problem out there. But every seems to overlook that one.

Posted by: CaliValleyGirl at August 09, 2009 07:43 PM (irIko)

2 CaliValleyGirl,

if the point is to actually get something done

That has never been the point. If one has power, one doesn't need "something done". One has servants to do everything for your personal needs, which are all that truly matter.

It is the Omegas who need "something done", but are foolish enough to fall for "something that is 'sexier'." These creatures even pay the government to deceive them with feel-good propaganda and fund their own 'free' handouts. They deserve what they get.

The question is, do you?

How can Great Leaders, willing dependents of the State, and free men coexist in the same nation? As Sesame Street would put it, one of these things is not like the others.

Posted by: kevin at August 10, 2009 12:47 AM (h9KHg)

3 Yeah, the proponents of the "healthcare" program show remarkably little interest in the actual *operation* of the healthcare system, and in issues such as medical errors. It's mostly about power and glory for politicians and also for the vast armies of academics and consultants who would benefit.

There *are* people worrying about the medical-error problem...one good source isMark Graban's blog. (www.leanblog.org) Mark is a guy with a lot of experience in manufacturing and with expertise in Lean methodologies, now focused on the improvement of processes in healthcare.

Posted by: david foster at August 10, 2009 09:18 AM (uWlpq)

4 David, Thanks for that link...I will definitely bookmark it.

Posted by: CaliValleyGirl at August 10, 2009 09:22 AM (irIko)

5 Love, Love, LOVE Daniel Hannan!!! Did you know you can buy "Dan Han's the Man" t-shirts? LOL... Can't find the link now, but here's another one you'll appreciate. ;-)

Posted by: Krista at August 10, 2009 10:27 AM (sUTgZ)

Hide Comments | Add Comment

Comments are disabled. Post is locked.
45kb generated in CPU 0.0129, elapsed 0.0768 seconds.
48 queries taking 0.069 seconds, 174 records returned.
Powered by Minx 1.1.6c-pink.