Wednesday, May 26, 2021

When it Comes to Large or Small Government, Learn from Basketball

    Instead of fighting over whether government should be small or large, whether it should have social programs or not, whether it should turn everything it can over to private businesses or not . . .

   Just use government when it is wise to do so, and don't use it when its not. When the situation calls for government programs, go with them. When private enterprise is the best answer, choose it. 

   To suppose that there will not be sometimes when government programs are best is blindness. It can be like forcing a square into a round hole. Sometimes, it doesn't fit. And, to suppose government is always the solution is also a fallacy.

    There are times I wonder someone isn't influencing us, turning us against one another, seeking divisions. They encourage us to be on one side or the other. They egg the Republicans on, then they push the Democrats. 

   Do you know much about fallacies of logic? One is called the False Dilemma Fallacy, or False Dichotomy. One definition I read online says it is, "a manipulative tool designed to polarize the audience, heroicizing one side and demonizing the other. It's common in political discourse as a way of strong-arming the public into supporting controversial legislation or policies."

   Another online definition notes it bases its logic on the false premise that there are only two choices to select from, no middle ground. 

    Knowing it is a false form of logic, let us be practical. There will be times when large government is best, and there will be times small government is best. It isn't an either/or matter, everything belonging in one basket or the other. 

    When a basketball player drives in for a layup, he doesn't always lay it up on the right side, and he doesn't always lay it up on the left, he picks the side he feels give him the best chance of making the basket.  

   We should do the same. 

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