[extropy-chat] Politics [was: Christopher Reeve Foundation: Request]

[Robert J. Bradbury]

There have been several quite educational and informative
comments on the list with respect to the U.S. political
season we are entering.

I am going to try and cut to heart of the situation.

The primary thing each and every individual should
be focused on is their own self-interest.  You don't
survive and your vote ranks right up there with
the opinions of the dominant T-rexes about 66 million
years ago (and we know what those opinions were worth...).

With respect to the powers in charge (Bush/Cheney/
Rumsfeld/Ashcroft) they are clueless.  You have
to get this -- they are completely clueless.
(I'm leaving Rice & Powell out of this discussion
since they may have a clue but be stuck in positions
where it is impossible to move forward with such
knowledge in an effective fashion.)

I could go on and on about everything from the Bioethics
situation (well documented by the Washington Post and
Blackburn) to the poor fiscal management (read huge
deficits), to the inability to inspire -- compare
Kennedy's speech to go to the moon with Bush's to
go to Mars.

Regarding claims for success -- Who would *not* have
been able rise to the opportunities presented
in a post-911 environment? Who would not have recognized
the need to remove leaders who represent potential
future threats?

Bottom line (IMO) -- Bush and the Bush agenda seem
to be poorly in line with extropic perspectives or
perhaps they are distinctly unextropic.  And even though I
tend to be aligned with the republicans from a fiscal standpoint
and I've voted independently (Anderson/Perot) in several
recent elections in November I will be down in the voting booth
checking off whomever seems likely to defeat Bush.

It seems very unlikely that it could get any worse.

Robert