What can red, white and blue do for you?
Citizens of the USA are quite lucky. We have a representative democracy. We have capitalism. We have freedom to live nearly anyway we want as long as we do not harm others. We have a net of welfare services to support those who have temporarily become unable to provide for their basic needs. We even have a system that supports those who are disabled. We have a strong military to protect us. We have courts and juries of our peers.
And yet, some people are unhappy. Even worse, some of them think that they can be made to be happier by acting within the political process. They think that new laws will make them happier. That is why some people express unbridled passion towards their candidate.
All government can do is slightly nudge wealth and opportunity. Happiness comes mainly from within. Authors such as Dr. Martin Seligman have clearly identified that unhappiness is a state of mind, not a state of being.
http://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/Default.aspx
DocBrain has no problems with Democrats who believe that some altering of priorities to change the distribution of wealth and opportunity are needed. Redistributed wealth can do good things if done properly. However, DocBrain has a big problem with Democrats who believe that government can produce happiness.
DocBrain's personal observation is that most Republicans he knows take responsibility for their own happiness, while most Democrats see happiness as being tied to the government. Unhappy people just have not gotten enough from the government to make them happy, seems to be their credo. You are poor and living in the inner city and part of a gang? Well, you probably are unhappy and hopeless. More money from Uncle Sam can fix that. Not true.
The external things that can fix unhappiness are actually quite cheap, but quite dear. Strong families. Belief in principles to live by. Respect for self and others. Picking a good partner to have a child with (criminal minds beget criminal minds). Having a large social network. Doing things that are win-win.
These externals do not hinge on government. The only thing government can do is make these things harder to acquire by removing safety, liberty and justice.
The dedication to government as a source of happiness is the one great weakness and fallacy of the Democrat party. Many of those attracted to that party are often unhappy and see government as the one "easy button" for happiness. This is particularly true in the rabid Obama rallies. "Change will make you happy" could be their motto. No one would scream hysterically when a politician blew his nose if the message was "Change will give you a few extra bucks in your pocket or an extra chicken in your pot".
Science, the God of the Democrats, has proven that government cannot produce happiness. And yet, they irrationally still worship their leaders. Paging Thomas Jefferson, STAT!
And yet, some people are unhappy. Even worse, some of them think that they can be made to be happier by acting within the political process. They think that new laws will make them happier. That is why some people express unbridled passion towards their candidate.
All government can do is slightly nudge wealth and opportunity. Happiness comes mainly from within. Authors such as Dr. Martin Seligman have clearly identified that unhappiness is a state of mind, not a state of being.
http://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/Default.aspx
DocBrain has no problems with Democrats who believe that some altering of priorities to change the distribution of wealth and opportunity are needed. Redistributed wealth can do good things if done properly. However, DocBrain has a big problem with Democrats who believe that government can produce happiness.
DocBrain's personal observation is that most Republicans he knows take responsibility for their own happiness, while most Democrats see happiness as being tied to the government. Unhappy people just have not gotten enough from the government to make them happy, seems to be their credo. You are poor and living in the inner city and part of a gang? Well, you probably are unhappy and hopeless. More money from Uncle Sam can fix that. Not true.
The external things that can fix unhappiness are actually quite cheap, but quite dear. Strong families. Belief in principles to live by. Respect for self and others. Picking a good partner to have a child with (criminal minds beget criminal minds). Having a large social network. Doing things that are win-win.
These externals do not hinge on government. The only thing government can do is make these things harder to acquire by removing safety, liberty and justice.
The dedication to government as a source of happiness is the one great weakness and fallacy of the Democrat party. Many of those attracted to that party are often unhappy and see government as the one "easy button" for happiness. This is particularly true in the rabid Obama rallies. "Change will make you happy" could be their motto. No one would scream hysterically when a politician blew his nose if the message was "Change will give you a few extra bucks in your pocket or an extra chicken in your pot".
Science, the God of the Democrats, has proven that government cannot produce happiness. And yet, they irrationally still worship their leaders. Paging Thomas Jefferson, STAT!
posted by DocBrain at
4:36 AM
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