« House Passes Bill Banning Gasoline Price Gouging | Main | Price Gouging at The Pumps ( 3 ) »
May 24, 2007
Racing To Win with Fun & Games
by Tina Grazier
Ok, it’s kind of corny but it’s absolutely true. The road to problem solving is often lined with fun and games. But before we look at what I mean lets take a peek at how the left lines its problem solving roads. When liberals approach a problem they come at it all pent up and pitching for a calculated wreck.
They organize protests, walk outs, sit-ins and boycotts. They march and scream slogans; they start organizations and coalitions for “change.” Inevitably it becomes a matter of extreme crisis as the "enemy" is exposed. The one to blame, whoever or whatever it may be, is then marked for destruction. With pinched faces and balled up fists they excoriate this vile beast in the press, they write papers and file lawsuits. Legislation designed to hamper, control or choke it out completely is written and star power comes forward; big names acting as expert witnesses at both hearings and political events. Its a dark circus totally void of lightness and fun.
The conservative approach is to first ponder and then play. Like kids digging in a huge tool box full of possibilities they keep turning ideas over in their heads until that magic light bulb flashes.
If the problem is a big one there’s a good chance that several ideas will be perking along at any given time and for several different people. When the ideas become more than a vague possibility the real fun and games begin. Take for instance the
“Indy 500’s Corn Fed Cars:”
When drivers round the curves on Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, they will be propelled by fuel produced not in the Middle East, but Middle America. *** The Indianapolis 500 will for the first time feature cars running entirely on ethanol, a clean-burning fuel derived from corn and other crops. For Indy Racing League officials, the adoption of ethanol marks a move to be more environmentally responsible at a time of growing concern about climate change. Ethanol is the only biodegradable fuel available commercially, and it is widely produced in Midwestern states including Indiana, Illinois and Iowa. *** "We thought this was such a tremendous opportunity," said IRL Commercial President Terry Angstadt. "It was so well-aligned with our attributes of innovation and technology." *** "Honda made that transition to ethanol so seamless that from a driving standpoint, you don't notice a difference," said 2005 Indy 500 winner Dan Wheldon. *** "It's obviously great for the environment and obviously great for the series. That's an accomplishment in and of itself, and it shows the series is definitely working on things that are good for the future."
Problems get solved and innovation turns to production and use when ordinary people go about their business in ordinary ways. People enjoy solving problems. In our free and open society almost anything is possible because the space is open to invent and to invest time, money, skills behind the innovation. We conservatives are a happy lot having learned long ago to put down the angst...and just go for it.
The article cited is by Tim Lemke and appeared in the Washington Times online edition.
Posted by Post Scripts at May 24, 2007 10:23 PM