Comment
Good griefOnce again, friend and reader Campbell, initial R., from up North Texas way whos been mentioned on this page before, has sent us a piece of fascinating reading that seems worth sharing. What it is is a quote from H. L. Mencken, a noted writer, editor, critic and curmudgeon during the first half of this century, who didnt suffer fools easily especially pecksniffian politicians and let them know about it. Menckens observation: "The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed hence, clamorous to be led to safety by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary." Now if you have heard a more accurate description of the present booboisie running most governments around the world but particularly ours here in the U.S. and other Socialist types in Europe kindly let us know. Indeed, some notable imaginary hobgoblins have oozed in recent years from the Clinton hippie horde, many inspired by envirowacko types in the EPA, other bureaucracies and even the congress. A few examples: Miz Hillarys abortive attempt to destroy the U.S. healthcare system and substitute socialized medicine as practiced in the UK, Europe and Canada. Billy Jeffs failed attempt (but not by much) to impose a $50-billion Btu tax on fossil fuels that would have mashed the oil and gas business.
Good grief. Mencken was absolutely right. But he should have added that "practical politics" is synonymous with lunacy. Lloyds of London, the insurance people whove made (and lost) bundles on the oil industry, is all a-twitter about the latest coming planetary catastrophe scheduled for year 2000. And it is not the millennium bug thing, either. It seems that on or about May 3 of that year, Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Venus, Mercury, the sun, our moon and the Earth will all line up in that order. That will subject the latter to a horrendous gravitational pull that could cause tidal waves, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, according to some worrywarts. It may also cause a temporary crude oil glut, since the reduced gravity should allow the oil to get from the bottom of a well to the top a lot easier (well, if its going to make it easier for lava to flow, why not oil?). One member of Lloyds has organized a study group to investigate to see if larger insurance premiums might be in order because of all this potential. Hopefully, Billy Jeff, Ozone, the U.S. Congress, the European Parliament plus bureaucracies everywhere wont hear about this, or well have to have a world tax increase to support all their studies. We cant wait for the movie to see Charleton Heston in the role of a pistol-toting, heroic insurance underwriter (well, he is the new president of the National Rifle Association) striving to keep rates reasonable or at least a scheming disaster lawyer. Stay tuned. Copyright © 1999 World
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