Month: September 2024

It Gets Worse

Dave Davis Commentary, Policy, Uncategorized , , , ,

It’s hard to believe, but both presidential campaigns keep getting worse. Have we learned anything? As I’ve pointed out in my series, “The Long Journey to More,” settled societies were run by the ruling elites for their benefit, while the masses were left to subsistence. Kings and emperors picked winners and losers. It was better to align with the ruling powers than rock the boat with innovation.

From the Pharaohs in ancient Egypt to Louis the Fourteenth in France, rulers dictated who got what. However, the fifteenth century ushered in changes undermining elite arbitrary authority, resulting in markets, not masters dictating actions. More people participated in making, trading, and benefitting from new goods used in innovative ways. A new system replaced the old great for the few but bare sustenance for most with “More” for those allowed to partake.

Moral philosophers began to take notice. The author of “The Theory of Moral Sentiments” proposed that markets, rather than potentates, making decisions on prices and what to produce and sell would bring widespread benefits. The “invisible Hand” of markets was the moral way to “The Wealth of Nations.” At the time, no one thought of this Scotsman as an “economist” because, in retrospect, he was the father of this “science.” He and his contemporaries thought of Adam Smith only as a philosopher.

Continue reading →

The Forgotten Issue

Dave Davis Commentary, Policy , , , ,

Nothing is more determinative about how well your life will go economically than acquiring valuable skills. Our ability to learn starts with the schooling we get early in life. Basic competence in reading and math allows us to follow our natural curiosity. We measure the success of our educational efforts by how well we impart the tools our children need to achieve their life goals. Understanding that education is the key to economic success and empowering individuals and communities is crucial. We must strive to realize this potential.

Education, a cornerstone of economic success, should be a top priority in any election. Yet, it receives less attention than other issues such as inflation, the economy, the border, or abortion. This disparity is a cause for concern and a call to action. Education is not just a local issue but also carries national implications, as evidenced by the existence of the Department of Education. Our ability to compete globally hinges on the expertise of our people, making it all the more crucial to urgently prioritize education in political agendas.

We hear about this group or that some others fail to do as well economically. Rather than putting down differences in outcomes to things such as discrimination or class, we need to ascribe it more to differences in educational opportunities. The two most identified lagging groups are blacks and Hispanics. Both heavily populate our inner cities, and even though high per capita educational funds are expended, the results are abysmal. Whether it’s Chicago, New York, D.C., Philadelphia, or California cities, all have something in common. They’re ruled by Democrats. On the other hand, Red State, Florida, provides uniformly good schools with solid results even in its big cities.

Continue reading →

 The Mouse Doesn’t Like You

Dave Davis Commentary, Uncategorized , , , ,

Two takeaways from the debate: Trump is still Trump, and we have irrefutable confirmation the bulk media has crossed over to the dark side. Somewhere along the line, it became part of MAGA dogma that Trump is a great debater. The facts never supported this contention. He lost debates with Hillary Clinton in 2016 and failed to win against Joe Biden in 2020. Trump scored a solid victory in a presidential debate only against a feeble Biden in the recent one. You must return to the Republican primary debates in his first run, where Trump appeared to dominate. However, then he could belittle his opponents on a very crowded stage.

Trump, unprepared and drawn into rehashing his 2020 loss, failed to effectively present his case in a debate ripe with opportunities. On the other hand, Kamala Harris delivered many carefully vague, rehearsed answers, mainly unrelated to the questions asked. Her first question was, “Are you better today than four years ago?”‘ It was left unanswered in favor of a planned opening statement, setting the tone for the night’s rest. The ABC moderators’ failure to follow up and press her for an answer was consistent throughout the debate.

In judging the debate, it’s helpful to note what issues Americans care about most:

Before the event, Trump said Disney’s ABC was biased against him, so why agree to a debate where it might be three against one? Possibly, CNN’s recent Biden-Trump debate gave him a false hope of even-handedness. but that time, Biden’s removal was the target.,not him. It might’ve been hubris; maybe he didn’t comprehend how far Disney would go to ensure a Harris victory. Even though we’ve seen moderator bias in Presidential debates before, such as Candy Crowley erroneously intervening to back Barrack Obama over Benghazi Terrorism, severely damaging Mitt Romney when he was about to win his second straight debate.

Continue reading →

The Other Debate

Dave Davis Commentary, Uncategorized

Examining the issues and how the candidates relate to them is crucial as we enter the home stretch of one of the strangest presidential elections ever. The last post exposed abortion as an emotional issue, lacking honest discussion. It’s important to approach such emotional problems with a balanced, rational perspective, considering the future demographics if abortion lacks any guardrails. Neither side offers depth to the debate, leaving us open to easily foreseen errors.

Unlike abortion, both candidates have four-year governing records so that we can compare their governing principles and results. Both faced domestic and foreign challenges, and the public had the basis to judge the results.

Domestically, the Trump administration turned over a growing, non-inflationary economy. The pandemic recovery might have been even more robust if Blue States had opened up at the same pace as Red.

Initially relying on his bureaucratic medical advisors, Trump made a hasty decision to shut down most of the nation and provide compensation to offset the resulting losses. However, he soon reversed his stance and favored reopening schools and businesses. Unfortunately, most Blue states were slow to follow, and we are still grappling with the prolonged effects of the lockdown, particularly in education. The impact of the pandemic on our economy and education system cannot be overstated.

Even with Trump’s lockdown and compensation overspending, by the time Biden took over, the nation was on its way to returning to the favorable economic conditions evident before the pandemic. By Biden’s inauguration, a million people got COVID-19 vaccine shots daily. No matter what the Kamala says, Bided-Harris came in on a favorable wave.

Continue reading →