One of the problems with political debate is that many people take a stance based on emotion rather than logic.
This is especially apparent when it comes to a "crisis" such as global warming, welfare, or illegal immigration.
For every political problem, there is usually a solution that will work, but quite often that solution is not implemented because it upsets someone.
Instead, attempts to solve the problem often just make it worse.
Surprisingly few people in this world take a logical approach to anything, especially politics.
It's always easier to blame a situation on someone than to look for a positive outcome.
What many don't realize is that people with an agenda will use emotion to gain popular support, and are frequently dishonest in doing so.
Any time you see a popular political fad gaining traction in the media, supported by actors and pop singers, you can be certain you're not being told the facts.
(After all, what gives Sean Penn, Alec Baldwin, and George Clooney credibility? What university degrees do they hold?) Let's take a look at some recent issues (circa 2008) that hold an emotional appeal: ·Global warming: (if we don't stop driving SUVs, the ice caps will melt and the world will flood by the end of the century) ·Illegal immigration: (insistence on enforcing immigration laws is purely racist, and discriminates against poor people) ·The war in Iraq: (Bush and Cheney started the war so they could give fat contracts to their friends at Haliburton; it's all about oil, and American soldiers are dying as a result) ·High gasoline prices: (it's BIG OIL again! Now they're jacking up prices to make a profit at the expense of American motorists.
It's all about obscene profits) ·Hurricane Katrina: (the Federal government delayed its emergency response because the New Orleans victims were black; the whole thing is Bush's fault) These are just a few examples, but you can find others every time you turn on the network news or read a newspaper.
Every one of the issues above has a logical answer, but you'll rarely see it in print or on the news networks.
Let's look at the logical side of these arguments: ·Global warming: Although the debate continues, ample evidence has surfaced on this subject that leaves little doubt that global warming is a natural phenomenon which has little or nothing to do with human activity.
Many scientists who have been listed as "supporting" the human cause of GW have contested this attribution, saying they were not consulted or their names were used without permission.
At least one who spoke out on the issue has received death threats as a result.
The simple truth is that global warming, though real enough, is caused by nature and not by man.
(And for the record, if the ice caps DO melt, sea levels will only rise about 12 to 20 inches, not 21 feet.
) ·Illegal immigration: Sad as it may seem, the law is the law.
Anyone who enters this (or any) country illegally is a criminal and should face the penalty of the law.
It doesn't matter if they came here 40 years ago and have 40 grandchildren who are citizens -- they broke the law.
No other country in the world is as reticent about enforcing immigration laws as the United States, yet we are painted by our own citizens as heartless and cruel.
·The war in Iraq: Whether you believe we should have invaded Iraq or not, the fact remains that Iraq is simply one theater in a much larger war against terrorism.
Afghanistan is another such theater, and Iran may yet become another.
No one accused FDR of "starting" a separate war when he invaded North Africa, Sicily, Italy, France, Holland, or Belgium.
We were fighting Germany at the time, not the countries just named, yet we were fighting Germans in each of those places.
Each was a theater, not a separate war.
It's true that Americans are dying in Iraq, but they are dying because America was attacked on September 11, 2001.
We are fighting the terrorists where we find them, and that's the only logical thing to do.
·High gasoline prices: I hate paying $4 for gasoline as much as the next guy, and for awhile I was also suspicious about it.
But a cursory study of basic economics provides the answer -- prices are dictated by supply and demand.
Demand is up in what used to be Third World countries (China and India), and supply is regulated by our friends in the Middle East.
When resources are scarce (short supply), prices go up.
Simple as that.
Big Oil is not making that much profit; if they were, Congress would have nailed them after the hearings of 2006.
(Keep in mind that Congress is generally not friendly to big business.
) ·Hurricane Katrina: New Orleans is largely responsible for its own misery.
Weather experts predicted for decades that NOLA was a hammer waiting to drop, but little was done to prepare for the disaster.
Levees were built to withstand only a Category 3 hurricane, not the Cat 5 that was predicted and finally arrived.
The (black) mayor and city council of NOLA did little to evacuate its poor (black) citizens; hundreds of school buses sat idle while people without transportation waited in the storm's path.
After the storm, survivors waited days for relief; FEMA was inexcusably slow to respond, but neither did the city respond.
Many police officers shirked their duty, and volunteers reported being turned away from the city as they tried to render aid.
It's true that FEMA should have done more, and more quickly, but charity begins at home; New Orleans did little to help itself.
It doesn't matter whether you agree with this assessment.
What you need to keep in mind is that, for every demonstrable problem, there is a logical solution.
The logical solution may seem cold and heartless, but if it solves the problem, it will prevent much suffering and death in the future.
Emotional solutions may make you feel good, and they might render short-term relief, but they rarely solve a problem permanently, and often exacerbate it.
There is no Utopia.
There is no perfect society.
It may be a cliché that you have to "break some eggs to make an omelet", but the cliché is based on truth.
No solution pleases everyone, and some solutions may even harm a few people, but for a permanent solution over the long term, logic is the only thing that works.