"As they passed the rows of houses they saw through the open doors that men were sweeping and dusting and washing dishes, while the women sat around in groups, gossiping and laughing.
"What has happened?" the Scarecrow asked a sad-looking man with a bushy beard, who wore an apron and was wheeling a baby-carriage along the sidewalk.
"Why, we've had a revolution, your Majesty -- as you ought to know very well," replied the man; "and since you went away the women have been running things to suit themselves. I'm glad you have decided to come back and restore order, for doing housework and minding the children is wearing out the strength of every man in the Emerald City."
"Hm!" said the Scarecrow, thoughtfully. "If it is such hard work as you say, how did the women manage it so easily?"
"I really do not know," replied the man, with a deep sigh. "Perhaps the women are made of cast-iron.""
- L. Frank Baum, "The Land of Oz"
Friday, March 26, 2010
This pretty much sums up my entire political philosophy (regardless of political parties and specific issues. Less hubris and more truth in Governance, please):
"We did not fully envision the challenges that we would encounter" says Herbert Allison, assistant treasury secretary, explaining to Congress why the Obama administration's lavishly-funded mortgage-modification program has gone nowhere. I salute him for his honesty and propose that "We Did Not Fully Envision the Challenges That We Would Encounter" should be engraved on every marble ediface in Washington, D.C. Translate it into Latin and put it on our depreciating greenbacks.
Firstly, notice the mention of the Daily Texan in there? Just thought I'd throw that out . . .
Secondly - I agree wholeheartedly. The government is not set up to do what we've been trying to force it to do over the past decade(s) when it comes to domestic issues.
Part of me thinks that there are a bunch of passionate, excited people who are just trying to think of things to do, so we get new programs, new ideas, new commissions, regulations, etc.
The greatest challenge for pols and their staffers would be to discover how we can undo the excessive stuff we've done in a way that won't mess everything up. How can we dismantle certain parts of the government and do away with certain government programs, regulations or entitlements without adversely effecting people, the economy or our standing in the world?
I'm sure there's an analogy to cleaning up bad code here, or something.