Attn Jerome

[gran guerrero]

Can you link me that url about realism we talked about not too long ago, plus anything related to it.

I like to use that article as an argument I'm going to write about for english class.

[gran guerrero]

damnit I see you posting in other threads. Don't ignore me!

[Jerome Scuggs]

any specifics? like, how do you plan on arguing it - political? social? literary? economic?

[Jerome Scuggs]

here's the article

tell me your thesis and i can probably find you better source material, that article is obviously in the context of austrian economics

[gran guerrero]

politically

haven't worked on a complete thesis yet, but it goes something like this:

Limited, or over controlling governments can not effect change in our political structure with an idealist view, but rather in a more realist look.

[gran guerrero]

Long story short, the topic was changed so the paper was completely rewritten, but I already had a rough draft. I know it's tl;dr material, but maybe some feed back would be cool if you ever have the chance.

"The United States is unique because we are an empire of ideals (Ronald Reagan).” The problem with having a nation run on ideals is that progress is hard pressed to improve on ideals, when change occurs with realistic goals and logic is its weapon. Ideals left the United States what it is today; recession, war, and on the verge of collapsing. Like all great empires, they eventually fall, and USA is not far from it if there isn’t the right action used to save it. Citizens need to vote for new change utilizing the power of realism
that can help America bring peace, establish the dominance of the dollar and protect the nation from falling, where idealism could not.

“The idealist has a good heart, good intentions, but is naïve or simplistic about the real world (Rummel).” Like Martin Luther King, Jr. and other great motivators of our time, Idealism can only go so far in the world to establish change. It brings good points in arguments and elevates the population’s thought perception to a higher level. However, what really establishes improvement in laws, policies and ethics is the viewpoints of realism. This theory does have a downfall in the Machiavelli respect that the concept “Might is Right,” is where human nature is ultimately evil, and protection from one another is justified.

“An empire founded by war has to maintain itself by war (Charles de Montesquieu).” The United States of America is such an empire that was created by war. Since then there has been numerous battles and conflicts that followed. Currently we are in the midst of war with Iraq. 4,021 US Soldiers have been killed, and 29,628 have been seriously wounded. The money spent and approved for war-spending is about $600 billion of US taxpayers' funds. President Bush has requested another $200 billion for 2008, which would bring the cumulative total to close to $800 billion (Iraq War Results). To make matters worse, we are currently headed to another recession where the US Dollar has been dropping at a fast rate for the past two terms of President Bush’s Presidency. “For many years financial markets have worried about the growing size of the US trade deficit - the difference between the amount the US imports from the rest of the world, and the amount it can sell to the rest of the world. That deficit is now heading above $800bn for 2006, or 7% of the US economy, and shows no signs of diminishing. At the same time, tax cuts and the war in Iraq have led to a US budget deficit of several hundred billion dollars despite the booming economy (BBC).” There’s no end to this war as the government is reluctant to back out, even despite numbers show that the majority of the public no longer wants their nation in this war anymore; 57% of Americans want the troops out of Iraq, 72% of US troops say to end the war now (Iraq War Results). There would be even problems of handing the power back to Iraqi troops to fight instead of US soldiers because the same tactic was employed under former President Richard Nixon during the Vietnam War – which is highly similar to the current war – with the Vietnamization which was a part of the Nixon Doctrine. “Vietnamization took years and was messy, and “Iraqization”—a term one might imagine invoked by our verbally inventive president—will also be far from a quick and clean process (Gregory).”

In our nation, we the people need to make change for a better future. We cannot let the US Dollar drop to nonexistence, we cannot continue fighting an endless war that takes nothing but lives and money away from our lives, and we cannot allow our nation to crumble to foreign powers that continue to rise over us. “Perfection of planned layout is achieved only by institutions on the point of collapse (C. Northcote Parkinson).” This is where we need to shed off the plight of ideals that cannot be accomplished. We need to act in a realistic manner that allows “real” change. America needs to pull out of Iraq, and allow this country to form its own identity. Revert back to improving domestic policies and keeping pace with international nations who are gaining strength while we continue to get weaker and weaker. “Peace is best assured by a balancing of power between actual and potential adversaries, and good diplomacy. This is called realpolitik. Practitioners of this art—called realists—emphasize real assessments of other nation’s capabilities and intentions, and what can be done in practical terms to improve the balance of power, and maintain stable international relations (Rummel).”

Realism can be used negatively however with the ideals of those who know how to effectively influence the masses through media and power. An individual like President George W. Bush has a realistic ideal where he accomplished shaping America in his image to conform the weaker nations to fit US interests. “Rather than terrorism, Bush spoke of a much broader struggle against "tyranny." And with a single rhetorical stroke, he declared moot the long-standing tension between universal human rights and narrow national interests -- the balance of "idealism" versus "realism" -- that has been perceived by several generations of his White House predecessors. "America's vital interests and our deepest beliefs are now one," Bush declared (Harris).” This connection of realism and idealism can be both positive and dangerous. If used with the right heart, then change would be for the better. But unfortunately, the realism aspect of Machiavelli reiterates that human nature is ultimately evil, so such a force is not beneficial for the rest of us who live by one man’s desire to gain power. “America is a Nation with a mission - and that mission comes from our most basic beliefs. We have no desire to dominate, no ambitions of empire. Our aim is a democratic peace - a peace founded upon the dignity and rights of every man and woman (George W. Bush).” Every person has the right to decide for themselves and make change when it is necessary. When forcing your own rights upon others rights, then this democratic peace has become dictating and imperialistic.

“Realism, in sum, provides the United States with the basis for a consistent and sustained policy of engagement with the rest of the world based on the principle that Americans can pursue their national interests without having either to remake the rest of the world in their image or to retreat from the world completely (Hossino).” Americans need to vote in a realist way for the upcoming elections. We can’t sit on our ideals of making the world a better place. It’s hard to do, because not everyone is willing to change. Foreign powers can’t take over in the economic world as the US Dollar continues to plummet. The war needs to be over soon, and take up to defending ourselves rather than other nations. Because sooner or later, the American empire we’ve known to live for so long, will eventually collapse if we do not make the necessary change.

http://www.stopwar.org.uk/Statistics.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4772049.stm
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...2005Jan20.html
http://freedomspeace.blogspot.com/20...listic_24.html
http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig9/hossino1.html
http://www.independent.org/newsroom/article.asp?id=1290

[TagMor]

We can’t sit on our ideals of making the world a better place. It’s hard to do, because not everyone is willing to change.

Full of imperialist masturbation. ^ dat one was the funniest.

[Jeansi]

Long story short,

Lucky me for scrolling down before reading instead of just believing your first three words

What happened

[Da1andonly]

hi schansi!

[HeavenSent]

I liked it Gran.
I'd give it a 'B' ^-^

[Zerzera]

If people are bad from within, there is no need to control them. Our lives are futile if we have to fight every aspect of our being. A nation that would be perfectly controlled then should be as unhappy as possible. A realist model of governing would then be strict religious or idealist, serving a greater good over every individual thought or emotion.

[DoTheFandango]

i wonder how many threads there are with the title "ATTN: Jerome"

I know I made one.

[gran guerrero]

everyone but jerome is posting :death:

but thank you though heavensent

[Jerome Scuggs]

it's pretty good. i like the bit in the end about realism meeting idealism, it's a good argument to why the wars on poverty, drugs, terror, etc etc have failed.

[gran guerrero]

thank you my good sir, o/ heil