How Memes Explain GOP Dysfunction

I'm amending my post based on results from the 2012 Presidential Election. Comments by GOP pundits speak directly to my comments below. Both Karl Rove and Charles Krauthammer exemplify the anti-rational memes I identify and discuss below. Krauthammer, in fact, argues the GOP platform needs no changes; the GOP simply couldn't motivate the proper personalities to communicate the Republican message. If the message is so complicated 9 candidates cannot communicate the "message," the problem might be the message.
My previous post, a book review of D. Deutsch's The Beginning of Infinity, left a cliffhanger, of sort. D. Deutsch spoke of static versus dynamic societies, specifically, static societies fail; dynamic societies endure, unless compromised or infected with non-rational memes. Then, demise of a society is a guaranteed surety. I dropped a parenthetical comment within my review indicating I would speak more on this topic later. This is later.
David Deutsch introduces a stunning array of ideas in a few short pages. He essentially breaks down culture and the transmission of cultural ideas and describes the bifurcation of a society’s choices into two paths. One path takes society down a static path, and essentially the end of that society. The other path takes society down a dynamic path, and persistence. Sounds a lot like Robert Frost, “the path not taken.”
My chosen theme for my writing is geography, the entire milieu of geography. When a quantum physicist wanders into the realm of culture and nation-building, my “geography-sense” begins to tingle. I have nigh-incomplete knowledge of quantum physics but I have a lesser amount of incomplete knowledge about geography. However, tying a few ideas from The Beginning of Infinity (TBOI) to geography should not be too difficult. What comes thereafter, might be.
The notion static societies and dynamic societies are part of the milieu of geography should not be too indulgent; this notion should be self-evident, actually. TBOI introduces a term which is not generally used in geography. The term is expressed more in sociology, or psychology, perhaps. However, TBOI introduces the term as a fundamental components of culture. The analysis of the term is used to examine the general success or failure of societies within a historical context. For instance, the failure of the Roman Empire, the failure of Nazism, the failure of the Soviet Union are all potentially explained by the function of a single term, and the terms components.

What is a meme?

Richard Dawkins, in his book The Selfish Gene (1976), posited the idea of a “meme.” A meme is a self-replicating idea (369). But not this simple, as a meme is a self-replicating idea within a culture much like a gene is a self-replicating set of biological instructions which communicates to cell how to develop. Memes carry cultural instructions which communicate and define individual’s behavior within a culture.

A meme is a self-replicating idea which carries the cultural instructions which communicate and define an individual’s behavior within a culture. Memes can mutate due to societal pressures, therefore memes evolve over time.

Thousands of memes can exist. Memes can arise and disappear within a person’s lifetime, or they can persist over generations. Memes can self-replicate with varying degrees of success. Some memes persist over time with considerable fidelity; they do not lose their message. Some memes adapt over time and evolve. The information content will change; did a new meme arise and replace the old meme? Or, is the meme simply a mutation?
Memes can be categorized as one of two types. “Rational” memes are based upon rational and critical thought (388). Being based upon rational and critical thought, rational memes are able to be accurately replicated. Rational memes evolve in the direction of real understanding and knowledge (389).
“Anti-rational” memes are founded upon non-rational thought or non-critical thought (388). Non-rational thought or non-critical thought is a means of saying the idea is not likely to be replicated with any degree of accuracy. An example of non-critical thought is the response to a question, “because I said so.” Another example includes memes which are based on religious ideologies, faith-based ideologies, or political-based ideologies. An example of such anti-rational memes would include the belief women are inferior or too delicate to vote or to become involved in politics, or the notion Blacks or people of color are inferior, or the notion the only true faith is Judaism. Anti-rational memes mutate away from developing better understanding and increased knowledge, and in doing so hinder or eliminate adaptations which encourage greater critical thinking.

Rational memes arise from critical thinking and encourage greater understanding through promoting more rational thought.
Anti-rational memes arise to hinder or prevent critical thinking and impair understanding and restrain knowledge.

Rational memes persist and are enjoyed throughout society and across time. Rational memes succeed in spite of debates and criticism because the memes themselves inspire debate and criticism, becoming better and accepted throughout society. The example set forth in TBOI are the Laws of Motion described by Isaac Newton. Newtonian physics not only is useful for construction, such as cathedrals and bridges, and useful for artillery (388). In other words, rational memes are useful across a broad spectrum of people and disciplines, are well-suited for being re-purposed, and foster more criticism and debate.

Anti-rational memes can persist and spread among people in the very same as rational memes. However, their effect is different. Anti-rational memes harm society (378). Anti-rational memes discourage criticism, debate, the pursuit of knowledge and deeper meaning. These effects may see mundane, yet the effects of those effects tend not to be mundane. Discouraging criticism and debate leads to the rise of police states, censorship of the media, detainment, loss of freedoms, imprisonment, or death. Russia has created a set of Internet censorship laws which greatly restricts access to the media, makes libel a criminal offense, and forces foreign news reporters to register as foreign agents (Atlantic, 3 Nov 2012). Fascism is another example of an anti-rational meme. Fascism is the unquestioning devotion to an ideology, typically a political ideology. Fascism is not limited to politics; the adherence to religious indoctrination in the face of contrary evidence is also a form of fascism. The United States is not immune to anti-rational memes. The Salem Witch trials springs to mind, the Red Scare & McCarthyism of the 1950s, and the "You Are Either With Us Or Against Us" domestic and foreign policy during the 2001-2008 Bush Administration are all forms of fascism, and anti-rational memes. The persecution of Julian Assange and WikiLeaks is an interesting circumstance. Yet, despite the controversy, I would argue this persecution is also an anti-rational meme because deeper truths are being hidden or concealed. This is precisely the nature of anti-rational memes.

The precise nature of anti-rational memes is to work against the revelation of knowledge, to blur or conceal the truth.

At this point I'm departing from my synopsis of memes, and discuss of rational and anti-rational memes. Rational memes are consistent with dynamic societies. Dynamic societies are not immune to the dangers of anti-rational memes. Within dynamic societies, both types of memes exist and are both exposed to the same sets of criticism. Anti-rational memes do not stand up to criticism, however, falter, fade away, and are replaced by rational memes. Even rational memes are under constant scrutiny and may be replaced by new memes or evolve into a new meme. Because of the continual improvement of rational memes in dynamic societies, the memes themselves become increasingly easier to replicate without loss of fidelity (388).

All meme forms and variants can exist within a dynamic society. Dynamic societies allow scrutiny and criticism of memes. Anti-rational memes will be identified as false, shallow, or useless. Rational memes will persist under critical observation and will be replicated accurately.

Static societies may have rational memes. However, due to the persistence of anti-rational memes, rational memes are disposed. Anti-rational memes can be as faithfully replicated as rational memes. For example, slavery in the United States was a persistent anti-rational meme based on several specious arguments. Generation after generation of people in the U.S. South were indoctrinated into the Slavery System. Most any attempt to argue against slavery, i.e. to criticize the meme, was immediately squelched. Static societies encourage the Status Quo, suppress criticism, and enforce invariant compliance of anti-rational memes (381). Laws are passed which encode the meme into the social fabric, such as the "Sundown Laws" which persisted in the United States well after Black Emancipation. Society may even foster and encourage the use of taboos to control behavior. Even within the allegedly "free and open" United States, some mixed race couples continue to find bias and discrimination.

Static societies are doomed to fail. Static societies impose rules, regulations, and restrictions which have the effect of ultimately shutting down human creativity. Human creativity is essential for meme evolution and transmission.

The society of the United States is generally associated with being a "dynamic" society. Many societies today are dynamic societies. All of Europe, India, the United States, Chile, Argentina, Canada, are all examples of "dynamic" societies. If you don't see your country mentioned, its probably still dynamic, I merely did not want to develop a comprehensive list. As long as a society is able to evolve to more rational ideas, i.e. rational memes, the society has a good chance of being a "dynamic" society.

Some societies I tend to think of as being dangerously close to becoming static societies. Russia comes to mind. The more restrictive the government becomes, the more speech and political expression is curtailed, the more likely Russia will become static. China falls into the same category for essentially the same reason. North Korea is a static society. Venezuela under the rule of Hugo Chavez, becomes more of a static society under his strict leadership. Any of the Middle Eastern countries, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the Maghreb countries, and many countries of sub-Saharan Africa have the potential of becoming static societies. Rules, laws, or taboos which restrictive the free movement of ideas, or limit certain populations are anti-rational memes. Limiting the role of women in business, industry, sports, or government are anti-rational memes. Discriminating against a population based on skin color or other physical traits is an anti-rational meme. The killing of albinos in Tanzania because they are seen as "ghost" people is an anti-rational meme. The notion in Malawi of having sex with a virgin girl as a cure for AIDS/HIV is an anti-rational meme.
In the United States, our political parties are susceptible to becoming victimized by the spread of anti-rational memes. The Democratic Party support of unions is an anti-rational meme which hinders business, disallows the movement of ineffective workers and their inherent inefficiencies, and prevents the replacement of outmoded business models with modern adaptations.
The Tea Party movement itself is based almost exclusively on a host of anti-rational memes, racism, Creationism, pro-Christian, pro-faith, and a return to the Gold Standard are simply a few anti-rational memes prevalent among the Tea Party.

Republicans, especially Conservative Republicans, have become significantly enamored by anti-rational memes. The "Patriot Act" provided unparalleled access to law enforcement for domestic surveillance. During the Bush Administration, citizens throughout the country found their "patriotism" challenged by simply criticizing White House policies. Members of the Senate Science and Technology Committee side with Creationists and other anti-science advocates against current research extending from the study of Cosmology, evolution, stem cell research, to climate change. Conservative Republicans, such as Donald Trump persist in perpetuating the Birther meme concerning President Obama's place of birth and his academic record. Other Conservative Republicans persist in associating environmental catastrophes like Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Sally with God's wrath against the moral turpitude of homosexuality and abortion. The current political clarion among Republicans, "Take Back America" exemplifies yet another anti-rational meme. The United States has not been lost, has not been over-run or taken over. The government is not besieged. A coup d'etat has not supplanted any of our three government divisions.
Dynamic societies succeed by critical investigation of memes, by moot, and by using human creativity to expose, evaluate, and adapt memes. As memes are replicated, and evolve, individual memes may become static (383). Static memes are not necessarily bad. The idea of one-person, one-vote is a static meme which is important for governance which cannot really get more any more simple. Remember, the previous memes prevented women from voting, black males could cast a vote which counted as 1/2 the vote of a white male, and only white landowners could vote. Individual memes may become static. Danger arises when static memes become encoded with the law, or imposed by taboo, and society in its entirety is restricted from exercising creativity in advancing knowledge and gaining deeper understanding.

The two major parties, the Democrats and the Republicans, are catalysts for memes. Democrats, often referred to as "Liberals," are criticized for simply being that, liberal. Liberal carries many connotation; open, explorative, educated, flexible, wavering, and progressive are a few terms which come to mind. Republicans are often characterized as "Conservative," meaning resistant to change, parochial, narrow-minded, and traditional are a few terms which come to mind.

Both political parties are far from perfect. However, Republicans are dangerously close to becoming the bastion of anti-rational memes. Advocating increased levels of religious expression in schools disaffect members of a society which purports to be accepting is an anti-rational meme. Anti-science faith-based messages which articulate evolution and cosmological sciences as being straight from Hell is an anti-rational meme. Deprecating education at levels beyond high school is an anti-rational meme. Denouncing climate and atmospheric sciences is an anti-rational meme. Advocating the status quo upon reliance on fossil fuels and against alternative energies is an anti-rational meme. Denouncing the rights of gay and lesbian citizens based on religious intolerance is an anti-rational meme. Stripping rights away from individuals to exercise control over her own reproductive rights in an anti-rational meme. Restricting the use of embryonic stem cells on religious grounds is an anti-rational meme.

For Democracy to succeed, at least two parties of equal rational and critical thinking acumen are necessary. My criticism of the Republican party is levied mostly to vent frustration over the entire political process. In reading TBOI, particularly the portion regarding memes and culture, I was struck by the relevance of Deutsch's comments and their applicability to current societal and governmental concerns. Much of the vitriol of our current political climate arises from anti-rational memes, examples of which I have already mentioned. These anti-rational memes are associated with members of one political party, are encoded within that party's platform, in fact. That the GOP cannot mount a substantive and unified front to the Democrat Party can be tied directly to the anti-rational memes harbored by many Republicans. To provide a better leadership at local, state, and national level, GOP leaders need to scrutinized their platform, their ideals, eliminate those notions which are parochial, limiting, predicated on ignorance and non-critical thinking, and purge their party of members who support anti-rational, non-critical memes. Otherwise, the Republicans are dooming themselves to irrelevance, being diluted by more non-critical thinkers, and radicalists, eventually being replaced by a number of factions.

Source: Deutsch, David; The Beginning of Infinity; Penguin; 2011.

Why Conservatives Are Doomed To Fail

I am often characterized as being naive. Sometimes, "too straight" or "too conservative" are also added to labels applied to me during conversations. My appearance, the way I dress, walk, conduct myself, comes off as conservative. At least, historically I have appeared as conservative might. A few years ago, I decided my appearance should more accurately reflect the "character" of the person inside.

I shaved my head, grew a goatee, and got some ink. At some point, I'll probably get some piercings. I have more ink planned. The reason for my changes was to bring my inside and outside into congruence.

Congruence is one of my favorite words; I work "congruence" into conversations as often as I can. "Congruence" means "agreement" or "harmony." People often say and do things which are not congruent. Their words and deeds do not agree.

Being an educator, I find incongruities in my life and I work to resolve those. Students and their lives are rife with incongruities. Recently, I received an email from a student who had trouble taking an online exam. The student elected to take the exam late in the evening, near the maintenance window. After 30 minutes, the student was closed out of the exam. The email stated, "Can I get back in to finish my exam? I want to do the best I can."

Not paying attention to the test environment is not making the best effort, not creating a successful environment for learning or anything else.

In large part, being ignorant of creating and building a successful environment is why I cannot be nor will ever support Republican Party dogma nor any Conservative effort or platform.

I am a Pragmatist. Determine the problem, consider a solution, a solution which has a good chance of working, with the least negative downside, and which also is the most sustainable and reasonable or logical. To my way of thinking, new ways, new methods, new technology, receiving input from different perspectives, personal sacrifice, and delayed gratification are all potential influences into decision-making.

Furthermore, the immediate goal is not necessarily the best goal nor should be the focus. From an economic perspective, the question becomes, "what are the downstream costs and benefits?" The implementation of a policy or idea tomorrow may seem like a really good idea, and have an immediate payoff and be immediately gratifying. The problem with such short-sighted thinking involves the future cost of an action which seemed like a good idea at the time and a decade later we have yet to even figure out how to pay for our decision.

"what are the downstream costs and benefits?"

Now, you can read between the lines and say, "oh, he is talking about Afghanistan." No, not necessarily. Individually, we all make choices which seem incidental at the time, we use credit cards, we receive financial aid, we buy a car and a boat. We have great expectations about our degree we graduated with. But, as a person with a Master's Degree in European History, what the hell am I going to do with it? What was I thinking? You weren't.

In the United States, we have encouraged people to stick their heads' in their butts, and said,

"Honey, if you're happy with your head in your butt, then I'm happy for you. Here, have a cookie. Oh, wait. You're head is in your butt. You won't be able to eat your cookie."

The Grand Old Party (GOP) and Conservatives have no interest in changing anything and would be more than happy if all U.S. citizens would put their heads firmly into their butts. By definition, the GOP and Conservatives believe this. A Conservative is one

"disposed to preserve existing conditions, institutions, etc., or to restore traditional ones, and to limit change." (Dictionary.com)

To be Conservative then means to actively be engaged in the promotion of ignorance. Whether heads are in butts or buried in the sand the results are the same: the world changes while we do not change, adapt, modify, or evolve our behavior.

To be Conservative means to fear change, fear newness, fear difference, to be suspicious of different skin colors, of different languages, of different religions - nor no religion, to fear new ideas.

To be Conservative means to actively oppose change, to actively oppose even the notion of challenging old methods, techniques, and ideas.

Today, Conservatives are not simply advocates of the Status Quo, but the advocates of the Status Quo of yesterday, of last week, of last year, of the last 50 years.

Today, Conservatives argue against Same-sex marriage, advocate for Christian prayer in public schools, advocate for teaching the Bible in public schools, advocate Intelligent Design as theory (its not, its philosophy), advocate for the removal of the teaching of Evolution as science (it is science), advocate for the removal of foreign languages from public schools, advocate for the removal of arts and music from public schools, and perhaps worst of all, advocate for the abolishment of Department of Education.

Today, Conservatives will argue Democrats want "everyone to be the same." To be clear, I am not arguing for Democrats. The Conservative Argument is a logical fallacy. Democrats do not want everyone to be the same; they want everyone to have the same opportunity regardless of race, sex, gender, religion or creed. In fact, I contend Democrats want everyone to be different and want to encourage difference and acceptance of difference.

Conservatives are not congruent.

Conservatives refused to acknowledge Islam as a religion. They refuse to acknowledge the issues of inner city Blacks, Hispanics, and other people of color. They refuse to acknowledge China and the government in Beijing is a partner with Chinese, Korean, and Japanese companies and has already focused on Green Technology and is now the world leader in solar panel technology and wind turbine technology. They refuse to acknowledge the importance of a unified approach to a national educational system to address the needs of today and the future of the United States. They refuse to acknowledge undisciplined finances are detrimental to our national educational system. They refuse to acknowledge education and health care are fundamental rights to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

Conservatives see all change as a threat and something to be stopped. Wikileaks has proven this. All one must do to verify this is to examine SOPA and PIPA and the recent "Citizens United" decision.

Conservatives do not want people thinking for themselves and they certainly do not want to encourage free-thinkers to organize themselves via social media. While Conservatives might castigate Democrats for providing "welfare" to groups of people, and often rightly so, Conservatives want to control individual behavior, your bedroom behavior, your religious behavior, and what you have access to on the Internet.

Conservatives are working towards building a country of well-defended ignoramuses.

Conservatives won't spend money on Education but will be more than happy to spend more money on Defense, despite the fact the United States spends more money on defense than all other countries combined. And, while we will be able to shoot anyone, anywhere, anytime - because we will have smart Asians and a few U.S. citizens building military hardware for us; and, we will have some wealthy people who will have used family money to be able to attend Brown or Columbia and then segue their financial talents into Wall St, whereupon they will yet earn more money by taking advantage of the median U.S. citizen who have become dumbed-down by Conservative fears and ossified notions that decreased military spending translates into a Chinese takeover within a year.

Conservative ideologues and their bankrupt hypotheses not only hold back U.S. entrepreneurial energies but are fundamentally damaging to the social fabric of the United States. From the Birthers to politicians who refused to acknowledge Pres. Obama's presidency to the local Conservative who refuse to acknowledge Islam, Mormonism, Sikhism, or Atheism, the presence of these ideas undeniable contribute to the societal schisms in current U.S. life.

Conservatives are responsible for the lion's portion of the blame. The intolerance towards GLBT. The intolerance towards non-Christian faiths. The intolerance towards people of color. The intolerance towards education. The intolerance toward environmental protection and food safety.

I really think people ought to question why they believe the what they believe. Is it simply dogma, handed down from parents, or religious leaders? Is it simply a problem of thinking, in general? The historical inertia of false ideologies is too great to divert? Fear of being ostracized for being different?

If there is one thing I cannot tolerate, its intolerance.

And, I will never be a Conservative.

I hate the label, Liberal. But, over the last 3 years or so, of watching Conservatives denigrate in all things I find value, "Liberal" has become synonymous with "being educated."

By definition, Conservatives ride their horse into the future based on what they see behind them, and too afraid to turn around to see the path ahead.

I want to ride my horse into the future and plan for what I see ahead.

PAX

End of Census Heralds Beginning of Moronocracy

The United States government is on the verge of committing one of the gravest mistakes in the history of any modern government - eliminating the U.S. decennial census.

Every legitimate, and in the case of North Korea and Syria, illegitimate government conducts a census of all inhabitants at some regular interval. Even the Soviets collected data on every person in every region throughout its holdings in Asia. Yes, the Soviet Union was a police state, but don't confuse the issue. Every government needs good data on its inhabitants and practices, period.

The very first census was commissioned in 1790 after the Revolutionary War. Even before the United States was ratified into being, the Commonwealth of Virginia conducted a census of all residents.

Collecting data and information about our country is part of our blood, even as much so as collecting taxes!

Inarguably, the United States is one of the most vastly interesting, dynamic, robust, controversial, and diverse countries found on our planet. Collecting information about us helps us understand us. Yes, I understand I have nearly created a tautology in my description of need. However, without information we will eventually be adrift in an Ocean of Ignorance.

Look, our Decennial Census is super-important. The number of representatives in our local Houses and our National House of Representatives is determined by our population, first of all. Secondly, and perhaps most important of all, is the allocation of our tax dollars. Regardless of how you think our tax dollars are to be spent, the allocation of those dollars is based on population.

Allocation to state, regional, and local levels is often based upon "block grants." Block grants are sums of money allocated back to states, based on need, portioned by population, and typically go to schools, law enforcement, and community development. Block grants are determined by population. Larger populations get more money than smaller populations, which makes sense; providing fire, police, and public safety for 100,000 people costs more than for 10,000.

I can also see a problem developing. Say the Republicans are successful in abolishing the Census and the sister product, the America Community Survey, leaving all Americans in the dark as to the current and future social and economic changes coming our way. How are we to know precisely if our communities are receiving their correct appropriation of Federal block grant monies? Are we going to rely on self-reporting of population figures from local communities? Really? I can see where some communities would be more than happy to "augment" or "enhance" some figures, like schoolchildren, in order to receive more money. I can see cases where communities might want to "round down" when reporting such details as Median Family Income, making their areas appear more poverty-stricken than they really are. One only has to look at the fudging some school districts have done when reporting the results of standardized testing to see the possible ramifications of removing federally-sanctioned information gathering and relying on self-reporting.

“This is a program that intrudes on people’s lives, just like the Environmental Protection Agency or the bank regulators,” said Daniel Webster, a first-term Republican congressman from Florida who sponsored the relevant legislation."

Mr. Webster is not the genius his name might suggest. Floridians must have a choice between voting for Webster and an alligator, and opted for the worst of two evils. I don't know.

Yes, how dare the EPA reduce the amount of mercury in my air! I love Mercury! It's my 3rd favorite planet, after Mars and Hollywood, after all.

And, after the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac fiasco of 2008, AIG, the collapse of the housing, and the recent $2B loss by JPMorgan, we have plenty of examples of wonderful, careful, and prudent financial management. Why would we ever want to regulate any banking system? That financial institutions themselves are suggesting more oversight is in ordering is simply crazy-talk. What do they know? They only deal in money which doesn't exist, and derivatives of money which doesn't exist. Not real money like real people use to buy cars, pay rent, food, or maybe put away for retirement. Yeesh!

Seriously, according to the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale, methinks Sir Webster qualifies as either "dull," or "borderline deficient."

I'm not sure how he was able to beguile so many Floridians to vote for him. The incumbent, Harvard graduate Alan Grayson, is no moron, not even close. He holds a Degree in Economics, and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. He successfully prosecuted Iraq war-profiteering, winning a judgement against Custer Battles for $13 million dollars, the only successful fraud prosecution against Iraq War contractors. I'm guessing Mr. Grayson's "Bush Lied, People Died," bumper-sticker did in his political career.

This only proves my point that people get the government they deserve; morons voting to put morons in office results in a Moronocracy.

Oh - I like that word. In foreign policy, we talk about Russia as being a mafiacracy. Some people believe the United States is a plutocracy, a government run by the wealthy.

Sure, I can see this: the plutocrats, some of whom will run for office, will buy their way into the graces of the moronocrats, or will pave the way for the easy-to-manipulate moronocrats to attain office. Those of us who are too busy working for a living will be too consumed with the details of our lives to care or notice. And some Americans, the Mark Zuckerberg's, the American Creative & Entrepreneurial Class are too busying developing the next best tablet/smartphone/social network - people who are actually contributing to society - to really care about their impeding rule by Plutocrats and their Moronocrat minions.

“We’re spending $70 per person to fill this out. That’s just not cost effective,” he continued, “especially since in the end this is not a scientific survey. It’s a random survey.”

Is this a joke? With all due respect to Mr. Webster, he cannot be this stupid. Granted, $70 a survey seems high to me. But, I question is dollar amount, especially when taken into consideration with his other comment about the survey not being scientific because its "random." Seriously, that is an embarrassing comment, and all of our educated European cohorts must be trying hard to suppress giggles. On the other hand, our Chinese friends to the west nod sagely, watching our U.S. technological and societal lead fragment, guided by incompetent hands of moronocrats. The Government Accounting Office places the cost at $42 a person, by the way. The Economist magazine has a good article about census efforts by other countries.

But, those are my thoughts. What do important people have to say about Tea Party Republicans like Daniel Webster.

“Mr Webster is a stupid turd. Knowing what’s happening in our economy is so desperately important to keeping our economy functioning smoothly,” said Maurine Haver, the chief executive and founder of Haver Analytics, a data analysis company. “The reason the Great Recession did not become another Great Depression is because of the more current economic data we have today that we didn’t have in the 1930s.”

Ms. Haver did not say, "Mr. Webster is a stupid turd," but I have no doubt she was thinking something along the line. Many, many, many companies use Census data for their business. I know; I have worked with some.

Years ago, I did research for a government development agency. One of our business recruitment tools was Census data. Companies, business, industries desperately need to know where their consumers are located, and not simply consumers, but also their labor force.

Site Location & Analysis is a field in geography devoted to the examination of characteristics which make some places attractive for business and other areas not so much. Knowing how educated a work force is can tell a company whether or not they will find an appropriate number of qualified people to work in each company division. Knowing something about wages and income will tell them about the labor markets wage structure and composition. Knowing something about household income will help them determine if and where stores or products might be most successful.

The Census is one of the most economically important efforts our government performs for the benefit of all U.S citizens.

I know the data I examined and the maps developed from said Census data helped bring industries into my region. I know use of the data back in the 1990s helped my area obtain a competitive advantage over other areas as I was told to my face by company personnel no one had included Census maps in their marketing packages. Those maps grabbed their attention, for good or bad, but the knowledge the data and maps imparted was invaluable to siting industry.

TARGET went so far as to make a video in support of the Census, citing data use to help locate new stores and find employees.

“What really promotes business in this country is liberty,” he said, “not demand for information.”

Eh, maybe I was being too gracious earlier in my reference to his intelligence. Yes, that is precisely what businesses want, maps that help them find "liberty." "Can you should me places with your computer-gizmo where there is a large amount of liberty? That's going to be a great place for my store. I'd like to see 5-, 10-, and 15- mile radii showing me Liberty Catchment Areas."

Has Mr. Webster ever picked up a copy of the Miami Business Journal? Or, the Orando Business Journal? Or, even the Wall Street Journal? Yeah, those business rags are always clamoring about the deficit in data on "liberty.

Mr. Webster and his moronocrat minions even suggest the Census is unconstitutional. Hmmm...

From the U.S. Constitution, Article 1, Section 2, Paragraph 3: "The actual Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct."

I think Mr. Webster (R-FL) read the word "power" in the first Article and the notion went right to his brain cell which lacked a partner to tell him to hush before he made a fool of himself.

The impending disaster is larger than Mr. Webster seemingly overtaxed neuron. Republicans and spineless Democrats are actually debating about making the Census "voluntary." Hey, if anything is "voluntary," that pretty much means I'm not going to do it. So that means we end up with a bunch homeless people, winos, bored people, or people who simply like filling out surveys filling out surveys upon which $400 BILLION DOLLARS IS DEVIED OUT TO STATES.

Yeah. Sounds about right.

Oh sure, there might be a few civic-minded people who will do an honest job, but, really, we can't even turn out to vote for the President of the United States. More people turn out to see Bruce Springsteen or Lady Antebellum or Justin Beiber than turn out to vote.

I find all the negativity directed at the Census by the Grand Obsolescence Party (GOP) and pandering Democrats as strikingly odd. In Education, we have been invested for decades in data collection in the forms of assessments and Standardized Testing with the idea of using the data to improve all educational efforts. To not report information results in punitive measures against states. Yet, our Congresspeople want to eliminate all data collection efforts which would help assess and evaluate our country, as a whole. Even more insidious, though, is the potential for mismanagement, misguidance, or even deliberate obfuscation of information by our political leaders to distribute tax payer dollars based on Good Old Boy Networks and encourage the expansion of Pork Barrel Politics. After all, if no one really knows where the real need is, who can really question how the money is spent?

What better way to avoid Transparency in Government than to simply not collect information?

With the Census, as with any data collection effort, garbage in=garbage out, and the time, money, and effort is simply a waste. Dr. Kenneth Prewitt summarizes best:

“If it’s voluntary, then we’ll just get bad data,” said Kenneth Prewitt, a former director of the census who is now at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. “That means businesses will make bad decisions, and government will make bad decisions, which means we won’t even know where we actually are wasting our tax dollars.”

Moving into the future, we need information - good information. For the U.S. to remain economically viable, perhaps even solvent, and be prepared to meet any economic challenge head-on, the U.S. needs good data. The errors of the past, i.e. Iraq, the Challenger Space Shuttle, Vietnam, Korea, Nixon's Price Fixing Scheme, the Great Depression, both tactical and strategic, do not need arise again simply because the lack of vision of a few misguided moronocrats who want to save a few bucks.

If you haven't been to the Bureau of the Census web site, well, you should visit. You help pay for it, after all; you should see what you get for your money. Honestly, the web site is not the easiest to navigate. If you are willing to spend the time, though, the Census site is a fascinating look into our country, and other countries, and is a product and service which has real and immediate benefits to nearly any user.