Ex-Cons Help To Rehab Baltimore Blight (NPR news story)
Premise :
The United States is going through a time of de-construction - not so much a tearing down of things as a re-assessment. That is why this NPR story caught my attention. It's an example of proper deconstruction, in that it makes the most of available options.
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One of the biggest deconstruction issues, at the moment, in this country is the inability to face up to the fact that we have "white men in suits" failure. This is not meant as a racist jab, but rather simply to say that this generation's established class has made some serious mistakes in judgement.
In order to aid this delusion of infallibility we keep re-enforcing, through mass media, popular fables about methodology that are no longer viable:
- Militarized foreign policy makes the U.S. safer
In the long run influencing a foreign nation's political decisions by use of military force has never worked. it always just opens a can of political worms.
- Prohibition is necessary
We can't eliminate vices from our society through the use of zero tolerance policies.
- Corporations are individuals
It no longer makes economic sense to treat corporations as individuals.
- Oil is the only viable energy source
Oil is currently viable only due to the vast subsidies given, directly or indirectly to oil companies.
- Markets are self-correcting
Non-producing markets just die, and those who thrive are the ones to take advantage of this fact.
Only when we can agree to stop these fables can the U.S. will begin to deconstruct failed policies to adapt them into the 21st century.
Major editing: 30DEC11
