MUST READ!!! Washington Monthly: Creative Class War

[LostInAmerica]

<snip>

But having talked to hundreds of talented professionals in a half dozen countries over the past year, I'm convinced that the biggest reason has to do with the changed political and policy landscape in Washington. In the 1990s, the federal government focused on expanding America's human capital and interconnectedness to the world--crafting international trade agreements, investing in cutting edge R&D, subsidizing higher education and public access to the Internet, and encouraging immigration. But in the last three years, the government's attention and resources have shifted to older sectors of the economy, with tariff protection and subsidies to extractive industries. Meanwhile, Washington has stunned scientists across the world with its disregard for consensus scientific views when those views conflict with the interests of favored sectors (as has been the case with the issue of global climate change). Most of all, in the wake of 9/11, Washington has inspired the fury of the world, especially of its educated classes, with its my-way-or-the-highway foreign policy. In effect, for the first time in our history, we're saying to highly mobile and very finicky global talent, "You don't belong here."

</snip>

Incredible, thought-provoking article. You'll do yourself a great service by taking the time to read it.

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2004/0401.florida.html

My apologies if this has been posted before. This is just too good to be missed. Read it. Bookmark it. Pass it along.

[kalian]

1. Wow....

quite sobbering.
Thx for posting this. Now I REALLY want to leave the US for
New Zealand. Sigh...

[AVID]

2. Pushing the limits of "Don't like? Leave!!"

Save me a seat to Aukland!

Better yet, commence a revolution against King George.

Hmmm . . .sounds familiar

[kalian]

3. Its starting to sound that way, isn't it?

This country is headed down a VERY dark path to a very dark abyss...
If I could, I WOULD leave believe me... I just don't have the capital.
I'm ridding myself of debt and then maybe, just maybe, I might be
able to be more independent.

[LostInAmerica]

5. Leaving

The wife and I talk about leaving all the time. We'll have to see what happens in November. If the junta is elected (not re-elected), then we'll definitely have to consider our options.

Sometimes I fear the America we knew and loved has been replaced by some sad, awful place. I call it Murka.

[kalian]

6. I call it Mordor....

soon, the sheeple will all be employed by the "Homeland Security"
apparatus...all spying on each other...all dying for their leader...
Sorry...just isn't my cup of java...

[Nay]

10. Same for us. We are hanging in until the election, to see if regular folks

are going to throw this bum out. If not, we are most likely gone. If most Americans like the way things are going, then I am in the wrong place.

[StClone]

7. Oil, mining, anti-environmental, anti-intellectualism=

New Dark Ages of America.

[fortyfeetunder]

11. Closer to what happened in China

Cultural Revolution II...

[StClone]

4. Distillation of the wrong headedness of Publicans

"The challenge for the GOP, if it wants to avoid running the economy into the ground, is to stop sneering at the elites, the better to win votes in their base..."

If they did this they would not be Publicans. Being anti-intellectual and having a selectivity of what 'Science' says protects them from the truths about themselves.

[kalian]

8. In my opinion...once shrub gets "re-selected"...

there will be an internal "putsch" within the GOP ranks. As we slide
into totalitarian rule, they will need to get their "elites"
in rank...
Just wait and see....

[leftchick]

9. Excellent read LIA!

Thank you for posting it.