Falling Into bin Laden's Trap

About a month ago, we posted a brief introduction and link to an article written by Pat Buchanan that cogently focused attention of the combined problem of too many government workers and too much federal assistance to keep them employed while bypassing the federalism concept of making the states fiscally responsible for their own financial affairs. It was an excellent article. Well written. And we linked to it because TheFundamentals sees no point in reinventing the wheel. If someone else can say and communicate and get the message transmitted, we will bring attention to their work.

Today, we repeat this process but on a very different topic. The article is written by a former newsperson and TV personality – Ted Koppel. It was published last Sunday in the editorial section of the Washington Post. We present it today in lieu of an essay we were going to post today based on General and President Eisenhower’s speech about the military/industrial complex. We will print our own essay later this week.

Now, to Koppel’s article, entitled, “Nine years after 9/11, let’s stop playing into bin Laden’s hands.” This article is worth reading by anyone who wishes to enter the discussion about measured and appropriate response to threats and attacks. We all know, have lived through, the significance of the US response to 9/11. We know only too well the impact on our deficits and debt of this response. We know only too well the fear based reactions that we can see every time we go to the airport, or try to find a parking place in a downtown area, or enter a government building. We also know the wide reaching impact when we renew our driver’s license or open a bank account. Some families know it with great pain and loss because their military family members did not come home from Iraq or Afghanistan. We at TheFundamentals do not wish to tarnish their loss or their sacrifice with these comments but we do think it is time to reconsider just how much loss of life and freedom and how much cost and militaristic bureaucratic activities we as a nation wish to endure as a consequence of suicidal terrorists, past and present.

Mr. Koppel's article is available at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/09/AR2010090904735.html

We would like to make one very important point about the process and beneficiaries of government reactions and involvements. Koppel alludes to them in his article. Businesses and bureaucracies, including the US military branches, benefit monetarily from these reactions and deployments. They get and make a lot of money as a consequence of these decisions. There are former government officials who have made money on these reactions.  As Koppel points out, defense contracting is one of our few growth industries as, TheFundamentals would add, is the security business. Later this week we will present President Eisenhower’s exact same observations, made 50 years ago. 

A fundamental of our government is that Americans must control their bureaucracies. Our politicians are not up to the job. It is a true failing of our form of representative democracy. The bureaucracies are now running the government and the taxpayers. This situation must be reversed. Koppel says it well. Five Star General Eisenhower said it well 50 years ago. We cannot afford another 50 years of bureaucracy control of the US government.  The United States is not about presidents and congress people and bureaucrats.  It is about "We The People" and we must make sensible strategic and tactical decisions that serve the long term interest of the many; not the short term interest of the few.  Bureaucrats and politicians will fill any void left by the people.  They will stand down quickly when the people speak and are involved.  America, we have become complacent with our responsibility to speak out and stand up.  It is up to us to find capable and experienced leaders.  In a few weeks, we can dismiss these failed politicians.  We can insist that our new representatives dismiss the failed bureaucrats.  It is time to do our job.  November 2, 2010.