Wednesday.....Culture.....Appearance Of Excellence

This past April, former President Bill Clinton came out strongly against the Arizona initiatives in protecting its own borders. "I don't think there is any alternative but for us to increase immigration" he said and, more immigrants were "essential" and would help all Americans. First of all he turned this argument. Immigration to America is indeed good and necessary to this nation of immigrant heritage. Latino immigration is a blessing in many ways but illegal immigration can be likened to a dock where people are walking, tickets in hand, through the turnstiles to board a ferry only to have many more jump the fences and rush on board, nearly capsizing the ship. Bill Clinton volunteered his expertise on immigration again today, only he's against it now. Russian aliyah, Russian immigration to Israel, is vital to Israel as immigration is to us but Bill Clinton sees a problem here and the immigrants in question are not even entering illegally. They're a little bit too patriotic for his liking, a little bit too independent minded. There are too many of them and their children serve in the army. Democrats believe that illegal immigrants here will support the party who wants to give them amnesty. Bill Clinton believes that legal Russian immigrants to Israel might jeopardize Hillary's attempts to secure a peace treaty between Israel and the Palestinians. Its always been my contention that to these folks immigration is not the issue, politics is as it is with health care reform, gender, racial  and children's issues. Stimulus monies are not about the economy, cap and trade is not about the environment, Education is about consumer satisfaction (as Professor Lewis puts it) but not about learning. Four years ago, Harvard Professor Harry R. Lewis wrote this of Lawrence Summers in his book recommended below: "He is an economist who sees the actions and decisions of men and women as governed by rational choice and power, not by belief and commitment," and  "In the Harvard of President Summers, students and Faculty were, like the electorate as seen from Washington D. C., interest groups, not collections of individuals." He adds "Interest groups are given what their spokespersons say the groups want, in proportion to their size and influence." His book is on the appearance of excellence at Harvard and other universities today. Larry Summers fit in well with the Obama administration until the appearances became that of failure. We have a culture where the appearance of excellence is the goal, for excellence like truth is subjective, subject to the interpreter who is in turn subject to his own desires of the moment. So illegal immigration can be good, and legal immigration bad, declaring the recession over gives an appearance of progress, withdrawing combat forces from Iraq implies a promise kept, a Harvard dean named to the Supreme Court implies an astute legal mind. There is a lot written on why the American public is becoming so outraged and different groups may have differing reasons for their anger but as for independents and Democrats turning away from the Democratic leadership, it's because they have been turning to each other and whispering the emperor has no clothes!