1/09/2013

The "Best And Brightest" Setting Us Up For Failure And Disappointment

One of the best comments I've ever read on the WSJ opinion pages aptly describes the problem with the beliefs most progressives carry in regards to the Nanny State.

If there's one thing you can say about politicians, it's that they don't let reality intrude on their pandering ways.

--snip--

Statists of all stripes, but especially modern liberals, tell us we should trust the "best and brightest" to run things for us, protect us and look after us. Lovely little sentiment - very "mommy and daddy will make everything all right."

Of course, the first problem is that abdication of personal responsibility inevitably leads to disappointment and failure. But, another big problem is the implied message that the "best and brightest" are in government.

Time and again, we see that politicians are the "best" at getting elected, and little else. They ignore facts, dismiss history, and eschew rational analysis and empirical lessons in favor of whatever gets them the most attention. With this track record, suggesting that they are the "best and brightest" that we should put our trust and lives in is laughable.

The problem is that many of those “best and brightest” suffer from the same problem most of those running the show in Washington: Beltway Blindness. They haven't a clue about how things work in the real world. And many of those best and brightest have the morals of an alley cat and the depth of a teaspoon. Do we really want such “betters” running our lives? I know I don't.