E Pluribus Unum

Recently, in a different place, someone expressed surprise that I held a rather (ahem) low opinion of the United Nations. I mentioned that my opinion of that world body has been low ever since they allowed Arafat to deliver a speech there while wearing a pistol on his hip. I also don't take kindly to the Secretary General being a former Nazi Army Officer. It goes downhill from there.

Well, that got me thinking.

I hold lots of seemingly-contradictory opinions. In a sense, I play both sides of the street, while trying to stay out of the middle. That's where all the dead armadillos are. IJS.

Some things about me that probably annoy my liberal friends:

• I believe that the 2nd Amendment says what it says. Period. (P.S. There's a reason it is placed near the top.)

  I suppose I hold this belief because I know how bad other people have had it (some of whom were related to me) in other lands in other times. Trouble usually started with a confiscation of firearms. It went downhill from there.

• Regarding Israel, I am somewhat to the right of Menachim Begin, or I used to be, before Ariel Sharon convinced me to move over with him. No country on earth has to argue so continuously over so long a time simply to convince the world that they have a right to exist. Not even the Palestinians, who really already have a home, in Jordan. They just don't want to go back there. Can't say as I blame them, but that isn't Israel's problem. I told you it would annoy my liberal friends.

• I believe in capital punishment. But the bar should be set extremely high (much higher than it is now). And it should be extremely rare.

• I believe that Republicans want to take from the poor and give to the rich with the middle class paying the bill. The Democrats are somewhat better, taking from the rich (because they can afford it) and giving to the poor and the middle class. I'm glossing over some important details, but not much.

• Paraphrasing Toby Ziegler, I believe that that government (no matter what its failures in the past, and in times to come) government can be a place where people come together. And where no one gets left behind. No one. I believe that government is an instrument of good.

• And while we're quoting characters from The West Wing, I believe what Sam Seaborn believes: "Education is the silver bullet. Education is everything. We don't need little changes. We need gigantic revolutionary changes. Schools should be palaces. Competition for the best teachers should be fierce. They should be getting six-figure salaries. Schools should be incredibly expensive for government and absolutely free of charge for its citizens, just like national defense."

• I believe in universal (no one gets left behind) health care and...

• Ditto, universal old-age insurance.

• I also believe that the government should NOT be run like a business. For example, what lunatic would create a business where the Chief Executive did not have complete authority and responsibility over spending decisions? No way.

  Instead, I subscribe to the model of modern government where government has a crucial role in keeping an eye on business and making sure that the interests of non-business owners are protected. (P.S. Owning stock does not make you a business owner.)

  Generally speaking I think it is a bad, bad, very bad idea for the interests of government and business to coincide. Why? Because in the world of business, one share equals one vote. In the world of governance, one person equals one vote. What this means is that the natural power of money cannot be allowed to outweigh the natural power of the people.

• Who keeps an eye on government? A free and independent press. As you might imagine, this is why I don't like it when fewer and fewer corporations own more and more of the traditional media. (Thank God for the Internet.)