Failing Liberals and a Bit of Baseball

David Brooks makes a great case against liberalism. Not that liberals need to be discredited any more, but piling on is fun.

David Brooks: Europe and the liberal illusion

'Forgive me for making a blunt and obvious point, but events in Western Europe are slowly discrediting large swaths of American liberalism.

Most of the policy ideas advocated by American liberals have already been enacted in Europe: generous welfare measures, ample labor protections, highly progressive tax rates, single-payer health care systems, zoning restrictions to limit big retailers, and cradle-to-grave middle-class subsidies supporting everything from child care to pension security. And yet far from thriving, continental Europe has endured a lost decade of relative decline.'

And yet the libs continue to advocate these failing ideals.

'Right now, Europeans seem to look to the future with more fear than hope.'

As most left wingers do in America.

'The West European standard of living is about a third lower than the American standard of living, and it's sliding. European output per capita is less than that of 46 of the 50 American states and about on par with Arkansas.’

Let’s repeat that: “The West European standard of living is about a third lower than the American standard of living, and it's sliding.”

‘Over the last few decades, American liberals have lauded the German model or the Swedish model or the European model. But these models are not flexible enough for the modern world. They encourage people to cling fiercely to entitlements their nation cannot afford. And far from breeding a confident, progressive outlook, they breed a reactionary fear of the future that comes in left- and right-wing varieties - a defensiveness, a tendency to lash out ferociously at anybody who proposes fundamental reform or at any group, like immigrants, that alters the fabric of life.’

Well, that pretty much nailed the Democrats.

'This is the chief problem with the welfare state, which has nothing to do with the success or efficiency of any individual program. The liberal project of the postwar era has bred a stultifying conservatism, a fear of dynamic flexibility, a greater concern for guarding what exists than for creating what doesn't.'

Sounds much like the Dem’s Social Security argument. This is a great read. I encourage everyone to take it in.

In Sports:

And I was just getting attached to this team.

Soros joins bid for Washington Nationals

'Billionaire George Soros has joined one of the groups bidding for the Washington Nationals.'

Imagine giving your hard earned cash to Soros so that he can pump it back into every left wing organization in the country.

'Big Train Holdco, a group led by Washington entrepreneur Jon Ledecky, said late on Wednesday that Soros agreed to join them on the bid. Big Train Holdco is one of seven groups that submitted offers on Tuesday for the Nationals, a new Major League Baseball team that is owned by the 29 other teams.'

I never thought I would prefer Peter Angelos. If Soros gets the team, I hope Angelos gets 90% of the TV rights forever. I imagine attendance will drop back to Montreal levels.

'Last week, former Secretary of State Colin Powell joined another group of investors seeking to buy the ball club.'

Please save us Colin! I don’t care if your partners are tied in with AOL, so are the Braves.

This site has backed the Nats since the beginning. If Soros takes over, the love affair will indeed be short lived. The thought of going downtown for a ballgame and having to look up and see the Yammering Hungarian in the owner’s box is too much. I will continue to support the Nats until such time as a decision is made. After that, it could very well be back to Turner Field.

Unless they like failing teams, MLB had better think very carefully about this move.

Update: Speak of the Devil
Nats 3, Marlins 2
Nats take it in 11 innings. George Soros was not available for comment.