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More joy from our very own ‘transformational’ administration
- By Richard Burger
- Published 06/2/2009
- Commentary
- Unrated
Ever heard of Ray LaHood? I had not until I read about his comments to the National Press Club recently. He’s the Transportation secretary in the new president’s cabinet, and he has an interesting perspective on what his department should be doing with our tax money.
First off, let me say I wasn’t at the Press Club to hear Ray speak, so I’m taking the word of the reporters who were there, regarding what the secretary had to say. The word they say he used was “coerce,” as in he wants to “coerce people out of their cars.”
He used to be a school teacher before he got into politics in 1994, so I’m going to assume he knows what coerce means. But then again, Patty Murray used to be a school teacher, too, and I have my doubts about what she might or might not understand.
In either case, according to the dictionary, coerce means “to compel by force, intimidation, or authority, especially without regard to individual desire or volition.” It also means “to dominate or control, especially by exploiting fear, anxiety, etc.” And I love the example of the word in use that follows that dictionary definition: “The state is based on successfully coercing the individual.”
I’ll give Ray credit for at least being plain spoken. I won’t, however, give him any credit for his misbegotten beliefs about the role of government in this society.
He said he doesn’t like how long it takes to commute to work or to make a trip to the grocery store in the DC area. There are just too many cars on the road. Gosh, that sure sounds to me like a cause for coercion if ever there was one. According to the Press Club reporters, Ray also claimed that a syndicated columnist who had spoken out in his column against coercing people out of their cars was the only person who didn’t like the idea. I’m sure it won’t make one iota of difference to LaHood, because his view is that he knows better than any of us what’s good for us, but I can introduce him to a whole bunch of people other than the syndicated columnist who don’t like his notions about how to get people out of their cars.
LaHood may be able to get away with that kind of talk at the Press Club in DC, but I’d suggest he come up with a different speech if he ever decides to drag himself out of the federal cesspool and mix in with a bunch of the folks out here in the real world. He may find out they don’t take kindly to some sanctimonious bureaucrat running off at the mouth about how he wants to coerce people, the very people, by the way, who make it possible for him to keep his job by being coerced out of their hard-earned money by some other bureaucrat.
Newsflash for you, Ray: between the IRS and the EPA and the FBI and the CIA and the DEA and the HSA and PETA and the ACLU and the rest of the odious alphabet soup of acronyms that make up our world, we’ve got about all the coercion we can use for the time being. If we want help with our commute or the lack of parking at the mall, we’ll let you know.
LaHood has reportedly said he believes he has joined a “transformational administration.” I’ve heard that term used by other people in this administration, and I’m getting a little concerned about what they mean by it. I hope Ray won’t take it unkindly when I say I’d like to see him experience some coercion himself. Maybe like being coerced out of his job.
Meanwhile, next time he feels like transforming something, my message to him would be, “Hey Ray, why don’t you go transform yourself.” -RB
First off, let me say I wasn’t at the Press Club to hear Ray speak, so I’m taking the word of the reporters who were there, regarding what the secretary had to say. The word they say he used was “coerce,” as in he wants to “coerce people out of their cars.”
He used to be a school teacher before he got into politics in 1994, so I’m going to assume he knows what coerce means. But then again, Patty Murray used to be a school teacher, too, and I have my doubts about what she might or might not understand.
In either case, according to the dictionary, coerce means “to compel by force, intimidation, or authority, especially without regard to individual desire or volition.” It also means “to dominate or control, especially by exploiting fear, anxiety, etc.” And I love the example of the word in use that follows that dictionary definition: “The state is based on successfully coercing the individual.”
I’ll give Ray credit for at least being plain spoken. I won’t, however, give him any credit for his misbegotten beliefs about the role of government in this society.
He said he doesn’t like how long it takes to commute to work or to make a trip to the grocery store in the DC area. There are just too many cars on the road. Gosh, that sure sounds to me like a cause for coercion if ever there was one. According to the Press Club reporters, Ray also claimed that a syndicated columnist who had spoken out in his column against coercing people out of their cars was the only person who didn’t like the idea. I’m sure it won’t make one iota of difference to LaHood, because his view is that he knows better than any of us what’s good for us, but I can introduce him to a whole bunch of people other than the syndicated columnist who don’t like his notions about how to get people out of their cars.
LaHood may be able to get away with that kind of talk at the Press Club in DC, but I’d suggest he come up with a different speech if he ever decides to drag himself out of the federal cesspool and mix in with a bunch of the folks out here in the real world. He may find out they don’t take kindly to some sanctimonious bureaucrat running off at the mouth about how he wants to coerce people, the very people, by the way, who make it possible for him to keep his job by being coerced out of their hard-earned money by some other bureaucrat.
Newsflash for you, Ray: between the IRS and the EPA and the FBI and the CIA and the DEA and the HSA and PETA and the ACLU and the rest of the odious alphabet soup of acronyms that make up our world, we’ve got about all the coercion we can use for the time being. If we want help with our commute or the lack of parking at the mall, we’ll let you know.
LaHood has reportedly said he believes he has joined a “transformational administration.” I’ve heard that term used by other people in this administration, and I’m getting a little concerned about what they mean by it. I hope Ray won’t take it unkindly when I say I’d like to see him experience some coercion himself. Maybe like being coerced out of his job.
Meanwhile, next time he feels like transforming something, my message to him would be, “Hey Ray, why don’t you go transform yourself.” -RB