Comments on: Vote for political leaders in Elections 2009 who also understand the economy http://www.elections2009.co.za/2008/12/27/vote-for-political-leaders-in-elections-2009-who-understand-the-economy/ Political Discussions for the 2009 Elections Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:51:31 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: Gabriel Le Roux http://www.elections2009.co.za/2008/12/27/vote-for-political-leaders-in-elections-2009-who-understand-the-economy/#comment-740 Gabriel Le Roux Tue, 21 Apr 2009 14:06:54 +0000 http://www.elections2009.co.za/?p=106#comment-740 I have been meaning to comment on these blogs for such a long time. Thank you Barend for quality of blogs and the insight you provide. I enjoyed the blogs and comments very much. My wife and I had the privilege to cast our vote over seas last week. We are positive about the future of our country and believe we all should take more responsibility to play our part in the future of our beautiful country. For too long have we sat back and complained about things (government) not going the way we like and criticizing! It's time though to play an active roll in the development and future of our country, then you can argue and criticize in an constructive way. I believe Ralph Nader said that there can be no daily democracy without daily citizenship. Thank you for taking such an active roll in our country and it's politics! Lastly I believe it's George Jean Nathan who said: "Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote." I want to encourage every citizen of the Republic of South Africa to make sure their vote is counted tomorrow! May God bless our country and it's people! I have been meaning to comment on these blogs for such a long time. Thank you Barend for quality of blogs and the insight you provide. I enjoyed the blogs and comments very much. My wife and I had the privilege to cast our vote over seas last week. We are positive about the future of our country and believe we all should take more responsibility to play our part in the future of our beautiful country. For too long have we sat back and complained about things (government) not going the way we like and criticizing! It’s time though to play an active roll in the development and future of our country, then you can argue and criticize in an constructive way. I believe Ralph Nader said that there can be no daily democracy without daily citizenship. Thank you for taking such an active roll in our country and it’s politics!
Lastly I believe it’s George Jean Nathan who said: “Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote.” I want to encourage every citizen of the Republic of South Africa to make sure their vote is counted tomorrow!
May God bless our country and it’s people!

]]> By: Eric Savage http://www.elections2009.co.za/2008/12/27/vote-for-political-leaders-in-elections-2009-who-understand-the-economy/#comment-197 Eric Savage Thu, 19 Mar 2009 20:34:57 +0000 http://www.elections2009.co.za/?p=106#comment-197 Managing an economy is a juggle between purism and sentiment. From a purist point of view, the free market system is understandable - the cycle comes up, the cycle comes down, and then it comes up again. The low point is the tricky part. From a purist point of view, this is an important part of the cycle, where malignant companies like GM and Chrysler get culled and where entrepreneurs come out of the woodwork as they are forced to innovate to survive. Ultimately we lose out on progress by avoiding the downturns. Sentiment then is the worst enemy of this benefit. Just say "jobs are lost" and the tears begin flowing and politicians come under pressure to provide miracle remedies. The mistake is stop the flow of the conversation there ... which jobs were lost? Were they sustainable jobs? Did they find new work? Did they take on new studies to improve their skills to become employable again? Did they cut back on unnecessary family spending? Did they end up innovating instead of coasting along? What Obama did in America was vandalism. It was a big lie that pretended to provide a solution, but sustained poor companies and lurched America into more debt than ever. Maybe there's value in giving a sense that everything will be "fine" again, but the truth is that the net end result was worse than before. For America to become competitive again, they needed a health dose of reality, and they were denied that because of sentiment. With my involvement with the ACDP, one of the things I've enjoyed the most is exactly the sense of minimalist pragmatism that you suggested in your article. Government serves its country best by enhancing a competitive economy, not by being another "big business" (funny irony that socialism is a big capitalist, monopolist business). There is a time to be involved, and there is a time to step back. The ANC has failed on both accounts. Managing an economy is a juggle between purism and sentiment. From a purist point of view, the free market system is understandable - the cycle comes up, the cycle comes down, and then it comes up again. The low point is the tricky part. From a purist point of view, this is an important part of the cycle, where malignant companies like GM and Chrysler get culled and where entrepreneurs come out of the woodwork as they are forced to innovate to survive. Ultimately we lose out on progress by avoiding the downturns.

Sentiment then is the worst enemy of this benefit. Just say “jobs are lost” and the tears begin flowing and politicians come under pressure to provide miracle remedies. The mistake is stop the flow of the conversation there … which jobs were lost? Were they sustainable jobs? Did they find new work? Did they take on new studies to improve their skills to become employable again? Did they cut back on unnecessary family spending? Did they end up innovating instead of coasting along?

What Obama did in America was vandalism. It was a big lie that pretended to provide a solution, but sustained poor companies and lurched America into more debt than ever. Maybe there’s value in giving a sense that everything will be “fine” again, but the truth is that the net end result was worse than before. For America to become competitive again, they needed a health dose of reality, and they were denied that because of sentiment.

With my involvement with the ACDP, one of the things I’ve enjoyed the most is exactly the sense of minimalist pragmatism that you suggested in your article. Government serves its country best by enhancing a competitive economy, not by being another “big business” (funny irony that socialism is a big capitalist, monopolist business). There is a time to be involved, and there is a time to step back. The ANC has failed on both accounts.

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