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Sunday, December 8, 2024 - 04:29 AM

INDEPENDENT CONSERVATIVE VOICE OF UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA

First Published in 1994

INDEPENDENT CONSERVATIVE VOICE OF
UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA

It's sort of shocking that a series of left-wing riots around the nation followed by a right-wing riot at our Capitol building haven't caused much self-reflection among the policymakers in Washington. It's convenient to think this is just some tiny group of crazies or this is all going to blow over. We have been thinking that way for years now. It's not true. Our once-great country is in a huge slide. Too many fellow citizens are hurting. Too many communities around the country are shells of their former vibrant selves. All this is a screaming wake-up call for change, yet we don't have any serious efforts underway to reform our system.

The most telling data point on the Jan. 6 Capitol riots was published this week by The Washington Post. Nearly 60% of the people charged with crimes in the riots had a history of serious financial troubles, including bad debts, bankruptcies, unpaid taxes, evictions and foreclosures. Many of these people were once responsible professionals, and few had violent criminal backgrounds. What happened? That seems like the question we should all be asking, but nobody is.

In the aftermath of the horrible events that day, the media has focused intently on the QAnon conspiracy theory and the role of groups such as the Proud Boys. Those are worthy pursuits, but they are not actually the central challenge we face as a country. We have always had extremists of various persuasions, and we always will. The real question is why so many normal Americans are buying in. That question likely comes down to economics. When people feel like they have lost out economically -- and especially when they feel like their future opportunities are limited -- they lose faith in our system. That's clearly what we are facing now. But it's a lot easier for the media and those in power to pin the whole thing on QAnon craziness, and that's what they are doing.

A New York Times investigation into court records found only 13 rioters with clear ties to QAnon. That means economic hardship was five times more prevalent than QAnon affiliation among those arrested at the Capitol. We are chasing for the easy answer because the real problem is too difficult to address.

What to do about the economic bifurcation of our country is a hard question. Our capitalist system has produced amazing growth and a standard of living that is still head and shoulders above most of the world. We have also enjoyed a multidecade period of relative peace and tranquility that is rare by historical standards. We should be really careful before making changes. Yet something is clearly off. Our system is no longer working for huge swaths of our country. Our corporate elite are thriving like never before, while a bunch of Americans are financially stagnant, or worse. It's just not sustainable.

Washington, contrary to many people's beliefs, is full of a lot of very decent and talented people who try to do the right thing (with some exceptions, of course). The problem is Washington has collectively and increasingly grown out of touch with much of America. On the Republican side, especially -- the side I know best -- the general presumption has been that policies that benefit business are policies that benefit America. These policies generally promote economic growth by creating jobs and wealth. It's a sound idea. But what happens when large businesses become less American and more global? What happens when business growth or profit is more dependent on a market like China's than on our own? Do the policies that help businesses thrive in China necessarily benefit everyday Americans? These are questions we have not adequately addressed.

These questions have become more urgent as Washington has become more defined by the needs of the financial and multinational companies that dominate it. With the majority of those leaving Congress, and the vast majority of highly influential senior congressional staff, now going into this booming influence industry, it's reasonable to ask whether public service is becoming, for many, just a tryout for a lucrative career in the influence business. We are well past the days when John Adams and George Washington returned home to their farms. Nobody leaves any more. It's a real problem.

Solving these problems is not easy. Hasty solutions may do more harm than good. We still have a lot to lose. But if anyone doesn't see these past few years, and especially these past few months, as an urgent wake-up call, then it's not clear they ever will -- certainly not before it's too late.

For starters, we need to face the reality that Washington policy is too tied to multinational corporate interests and too divorced from everyday American realities. The opioid crisis completely ravaged huge swaths of our country before anyone in power even took notice. That doesn't happen in a well-functioning political system. It's easy to make fun of the crazies -- and there were a lot of them at the Capitol on Jan. 6 -- but we should instead use this wake-up call to look inwardly at our government and how it can better serve the needs of regular Americans.

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Neil Patel co-founded The Daily Caller, one of America's fastest-growing online news outlets, which regularly breaks news and distributes it to over 15 million monthly readers. Patel also co-founded The Daily Caller News Foundation, a nonprofit news company that trains journalists, produces fact-checks and conducts longer-term investigative reporting. The Daily Caller News Foundation licenses its content free of charge to over 300 news outlets, reaching potentially hundreds of millions of people per month. To find out more about Neil Patel and read features by other Creators writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators website at www.creators.com

COPYRIGHT 2021 CREATORS.COM

 

Tucker Carlson and Neil Patel

Tucker Carlson currently hosts Fox News’ “Tucker Carlson Tonight” (weekdays 8 p.m. ET). He joined the network in 2009 as a contributor.

“Tucker Carlson Tonight” features powerful analysis and spirited debates, with guests from across the political and cultural spectrum. Carlson brings his signature style to tackle issues largely uncovered by the media in every corner of the United States, challenging political correctness with a "Campus Craziness" segment and tackling media bias and outrage during "Twitter Storm."

Carlson co-hosted “Fox & Friends Weekend” starting in 2012, until taking on his current role at “Tucker Carlson Tonight.”

While at Fox News, Carlson has provided analysis for “America's Election Headquarters” on primary and caucus nights, including in the 2016 and 2012 presidential elections, as well as the 2014 midterm election. He also produced a Fox News special, "Fighting for Our Children's Minds," in 2010.

Prior to working at Fox News, Carlson hosted “Tucker Carlson: Unfiltered” on PBS from 2004 to 2005 and “Tucker” on MSNBC from 2005 to 2008. He joined CNN in 2000 as its youngest anchor ever, co-hosting “The Spin Room” and later CNN's “Crossfire,” until its 2005 cancellation. In 2003, he wrote an autobiography about his cable news experience titled "Politicians, Partisans and Parasites: My Adventures in Cable News."

Carlson graduated with a B.A. in history from Trinity College in Connecticut.

Neil Patel

In addition to his role as publisher of The Daily Caller, Neil Patel is co-founder and managing director of Bluebird Asset Management, a hedge fund investing in mortgage-backed securities.

Before starting his two companies, Neil served in the White House from 2005 to 2009 as the chief policy adviser to Vice President Dick Cheney. From 2001 to 2004, Neil was staff secretary to Vice President Cheney. Prior to joining the Bush administration, Neil was assistant general counsel at UUNET Technologies. Earlier in his career, Neil practiced law with Dechert Price & Rhoads. He also served as Counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee on U.S. National Security and Military/Commercial Concerns with the People’s Republic of China. 

Neil received his B.A. from Trinity College in Connecticut and his J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center, where he served as associate editor of the Journal of Law and Policy in International Business.

Neil lives in Washington, D.C., and Jackson Hole, Wyoming, with his wife, Amy, their two daughters, Caroline and Bela, and their son, Charlie.

COPYRIGHT 2019 CREATORS.COM