Palin, common sense and elitism

"Palin is not qualified to be President."

Stated with such conviction by those on the left AND RIGHT. Do tell dear proponent of such a statement, what qualifications you think she lacks? Balls? Got them more than our helmet wearing, PEE WEE bike riding current occupant of the White House. Common sense? Apparently she has more than all of Washington combined - left AND right.

The quitter meme is so pathetic that it's use is more an indication of the mental deficiencies of the speaker than Palin.

All that said, it is in fact common sense that appears to be the most significant deficiency by those that would lead - or claim a forefront position in picking those that would lead.

There are at least THREE reasons for Palin to have left the Governorship of Alaska that make sense to any ordinary person....which despite my uniqueness and weirdness, I claim to be - an ordinary person. If you can't state them for yourself, don't ask me to bestow some common sense upon you - it is obviously a waste of time and energy.

I came up with a statement while wandering around doing chores yesterday and I am waiting for the right time to use it:

"You must be educated. That level of stupidity can't happen naturally."

I read somewhere in the last couple of days that something like 1/3 of people have a favorable view of socialism. I am willing to believe that 75% or more of those people have college educations. Now, I have a BA degree in Economics but I spent most of my college time refuting the stupidity I was hearing on campus - both by students in the Cafeteria and by instructors in the classroom. Yes, more often than not, the Professor was saying things that objectively were either outright false, or so detached from reality as to be the same as discussing the color of the Easter Bunny's pelt.

"If you change the value of this variable, and all others remain the same, then the outcome is the change in the system based on that variable's change."

Want an example? "If we reduce the population of the Earth 40% and all other variables remain the same, the standard of living of the remainder will be above the poverty line for all others." Yep. Kill off 2.5 BILLION people and everyone else's standard of living goes up.

That is what passes for educated in this country. Socialism is great because it 'helps the less fortunate'....at the expense of everyone else!?! To these types of people, one additional human is a linear change in humanity. Unless of course you are talking about their choices for leaders in the work of improving humanity. Up to their level. Then an Obama is worth two, or ten Sarah Palins, or worth 10 or a hundred 'tea baggers'.

I am sorry for the people that think education bestows some greater worth on some people over others. They are wrong. Like Tiger Woods acknowledging that the rules apply to him just like everyone else, reality is indifferent to education but accessible to common sense.

My Father grew up in Ireland in the 30s and 40s. He did not attend school after what we would consider junior high - he was an apprentice for years in a trade. My Father is a smart man, rich in common sense and over the decades, educated in reality. He 'quit' his country to come to the United States for opportunities for himself and his children. My Father has met Rev Wright of Trinity Church in Chicago. Obama sat for 20 years in the pews. Want to guess who understood the nature of Rev Wright better?

"We hold these Truths to be self-evident...."

But they weren't. Many people did not see the obvious. Is there any other explanation for the need for Thomas Paine to write a pamphlet entitled "Common Sense" other than there was a conspicuous absence of it in the 'ruling' classes?

Ok, enough for what was supposed to be a 280 word post. And before anyone thinks that I believe Conservatives have some extraordinary claim on common sense, Ron Paul won the straw poll at CPAC yesterday. The damage is severe - common sense is in short supply and I am afraid that people will be agnostic about it's shortage...