A majority of voters decided the outcome of Tuesday's election which is going to keep Barack Obama in the White House for another four years. And that outcome has left many of us scratching our heads trying to figure out why so many voters would possibly want more of what we got the past four years. The voters seem to a mix with some needing a personal government who will provide them with the material things they want. While others are simply uninformed. There's a need for education of both groups.
Here's a stater. George C. Leef at TheFreemanonline.org lists and describes Six Political Illusions: A Primer on Government for Idealists Fed Up with History Repeating Itself. Here's the simple list:
1. The Philanthropic Illusion: the idea that government has money of its own.
2. The Voluntary Illusion: the impulse to want to believe that government action is not based on force.
3. The Illusion of the Frictionless State: the idea that the State can transfer resources with negligible overhead cost.
4. The Materialistic Illusion: that money alone buys public-policy results.
5. The Watchful Eye Illusion: the idea that the government has greater knowledge and wisdom than the public.
6. The Illusion of Government Preeminence: the belief that the government is the only problem-solving institution in society.
Responsible voters shouldn't be acting under these illusions. But simply telling deluded people that they are wrong won't accomplish anything. This is something they will have to learn on their own, even as the Obama administration constantly reinforces these illusions. There is plenty of real world evidence to aid in this learning process, however. But it will be long and hard.
Query. Are the public schools part of the problem or the solution?
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