PittsburghThoughts

George Will Sticks Up For Gramm: Americans Are ‘The Cry Babies Of The Western World’»

Last week, Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) economic adviser Phil Gramm sparked controversy by stating that the U.S. is in a “mental recession” created by a “nation of whiners.” In response, McCain quickly tried to distance himself from his long-time friend’s remarks.

Today on ABC’s This Week, conservative columnist George Will acknowledged that the economy had slowed tremendously but nevertheless staunchly defended Gramm’s comments. “Phil Gramm was right of course,” Will declared. “Absolutely”:

WILL: On two points. … We’re not in a recession as commonly defined. That is two consecutive quarters of negative growth.

STEPHANOPOULOS: We may be running there though. Even Bernanke says so.

WILL: We’re not however. Unemployment is just about the post-war average at 5.5 percent. His second point that we’re a nation of whiners: we are the crybabies of the western world. In fact, we have an extraordinarily low pain threshold.

The truth is, that without an outlet for complaints or redress of grievances, any dissension begins to resemble a whine to the ones that have stacked the deck against their workforce, their constituency and the great unwashed, in general. Will counts on a technicality to disqualify us from a recession and then decry's our low pain threshold while nodding in approval as his rich friends and functionaries tighten the vise one more turn on our balls.

I suppose Will would be happier and have more respect if we took up arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing them, end them? Well I would too, but we already did that. I ask the quintessential question; who would Will have sided with 200 plus years ago? The Colonists or the Loyalists? We have an entire government, starting at the very top, comprised of people sharing the same sentiments as the Loyalists.

To them, nothing is messier than having to deal with their nouveau colonies' complaints without resorting to strong arm tactics ... yet.  How do you presume to be a democratic society and quash dissent like a bug? Make it seem unmanly to complain ... ?

If Will can find a technicality to release his party from admitting to failed economic policy, shouldn't he be able to torture his intellect and vocabulary skills for a better term than "whiner" and "crybabies of the world?" How about "Patriot?"   Gene