The Right View

The End of American Exceptionalism?

Monday, 27 July 2009 14:07 |

In the early 1830s the French political thinker and historian, Alexis de Tocqueville, enjoyed a lengthy visit to the United States to satisfy his curiosity as to why these descendents of Western Europe had created a culture so different from their ancestors.

The famous result of Tocqueville’s travels in America was the landmark book named “Democracy in America.” In his book Tocqueville became one of the first political scientists to observe the unique, innovative nature of American society that has come to be known as American exceptionalism.
In contrast to the aristocratic ethic and class rigidity of European society,

Tocqueville discovered that America was a society where hard work, money making, and class mobility were the dominant ethics. Americans had a striking lack of class envy, were unusually optimistic, and had this strange assumption that they were in control of their own destinies. Individual entrepreneurship and vibrant small business were omnipresent, not the occasional occurrence. No other country had ever developed a culture so dynamic and full of opportunity.

“Obama Social Engineering 101”

Friday, 13 March 2009 10:10 |

The Right View

By Eric Hogan

March 13, 2009 – This economically gut wrenching winter of our discontent has apparently created the perfect mix of financial and political desperation to suit President Obama’s political purposes. He judges that conditions are ripe to attempt the most radical increase in government power and spending since World War II. Some reasonable people are puzzled as to why the President would give priority to politically debatable leftist social programs over the necessity of a clear economic recovery plan targeted to end the recession.

President Obama’s Chief of Staff, the hyper-partisan Rahm Emanuel, famously described the opportunity this way, “You can’t let a good crisis go to waste.” So now we know why, despite constantly making his vacuous, soaring speeches whining about the awful economic situation he inherited from George W. Bush, he refuses to propose proven pro-growth economic recovery policies that would directly address our current unpleasant state of affairs.

“Voodoo Economics”

Monday, 16 February 2009 11:26 |

The Right View

Eric Hogan Some of you may remember the moment in the 1980 presidential campaign when George H. W. Bush famously referred to Ronald Reagan’s daring plan to cut the top tax bracket in the U.S. Tax Code from 70 percent to 28 percent as “voodoo economics.” Of course, he had to eat his words and eventually became a convert when the U.S. economy roared back to life in 1983 after being relieved of the stifling, penalizing burden of 70 percent income tax rates.

Unfortunately, it seems to me that President Bush (the elder) was simply 29 years ahead of his time. That’s because the most appropriate description that comes to mind of President Obama’s massive, $800 billion-plus, so-called “stimulus” bill is “voodoo economics.”
During the presidential campaign, the Obama rhetoric was famously soaring and effective and occasionally vacuous. “We are the change we have been waiting for.” But since being elected, the divide between the Obama rhetoric and reality has become alarming. He preaches to us about the dire national economic emergency and the need for serious economic action and then intensely pushes a “stimulus” bill that does not address the crucial issue of economic growth in a straightforward manner, but manages to assure a few billion for ACORN because nothing stimulates the economy like a little voter registration fraud.

“A Conclusive Outcome”

Wednesday, 28 January 2009 22:28 |

The Right View

I recently had the pleasure of leading a group of Tybee Island retirees on a tour of the Mighty 8th Air Force Museum near Savannah. During the 40 minute bus ride from Tybee, to properly prep the group and have them ready to soak up the magnificent exhibits at the Mighty 8th Museum, I lectured on the subject of WWII and the major contribution the 8th Air Force, based in England, made in bringing the war in Europe to a victorious, conclusive outcome in May of 1945.

My final remarks noted that WWII was the last war the United States has actually fought to a decisive, conclusive outcome. Despite the fact that our British and Russian Allies would have considered otherwise, President Roosevelt made it clear that the war could only end one way3⁄4 by the “unconditional surrender” of our enemies. There would be no cease fires or negotiated settlements, only the complete capitulation of Germany and Japan.

Since WWII marked the second time in less than 25 years that American boys had to be deployed to war in Europe, FDR was determined that this time the problem of German militarism would be brought to a permanent and final resolution.

At the time of their “unconditional surrender” in 1945, a German or Japanese citizen could observe their industry, transportation, and cities reduced to rubble, and had no doubt that an atmosphere of complete and total defeat permeated the countryside. Historians can point to two important results that logically flowed from this conclusive, decisive outcome of the war.

First, with your country in ruins, there is not much motivation for an insurgency. Second, the problem of “nation building” becomes substantially less difficult. The aftermath of WWII saw two long time authoritarian and militaristic societies, Germany and Japan, transform themselves into peaceful, prosperous democracies.