Ha! Me too. I’m trading the Prius for a new F-150 crew cab.

And soon I’ll be able to afford the McMansion in the Exurbs with those new 4.5% mortgages the government is going to offer.

Interesting times. So much for “Change”. “Change Back” is more like it.

Oil is more like $40 a barrel, BTW. We will have $1 a gallon gasoline before the end of February.

My original post was intended to be about the economic changes that have created the creative class, and the reactions to it.

Theology is beyond the purview of this forum, but I have a couple of comments relating to the absolute positions that define politics as opposed to the nuances and contradictions where people actually live their lives. I’m against teaching creationism in the schools because it doesn’t come from the scientific method and doesn’t help students understand science. On the other hand I have no problem with the idea of a supreme intelligence, probably beyond human understanding, involved in how the universe operates — call it whatever you like. I suspect that many people, Democrats included, would understand and agree with this distinction, which may be where Jim gets his numbers. There are many thousands of scientists who use evolution and the Big Bang as the basis of their work and are practicing and believing Christians, Hindus, Muslims, etc. and accept their religion’s creation stories in their spiritual lives.

And to Buzzcut – I thought you were from New York. What are you doing wandering around the Lake County Indiana Public Library System?

Peace out. Oil is less than $50 per barrel, so I’m driving my Hummer to lunch.

You seem truly interested in this, so if you haven’t already I’d suggest reading Richard’s “Rise of the Creative Class”. I think he’s identified and defined some historic changes in the world economy that are behind the questions you mention. Despite this discussion, it’s not about politics so much as social and technological change.

No doubt, in a properly structured education system, teachers would be creative. I just don’t think that the education system we have, regimented and unionized as it is, rewards creativity in any way, shape, or form. You don’t get what you don’t reward.

Ditto for government workers.

If you include all the people dependent on government funding, directly or indirectly (health care, non-profits, higher education, etc.) you have a majority. Becuase of cost disease, these areas are rapidly growing as a % of the economy.

So… I think I’m starting to understand why Democrats have control of the “creative class”. You’re lumping all these groups into the class, and they’re all dependent on government for their livelihood on some level.

Add to that the North Shore of Chicago, the ‘burbs of NYC, etc. etc.

No, you’re not wrong that there is a huge trend there, Mike. I’m trying to understand it. I’m sure your explanation of “divisive rhetoric” has a lot to do with it.

One of my ideas is that, because the economy has been so strong for the last 30 years, especially for the educated, these “New Democrats” can essentially support politicians who vote against their own economic interests. I wonder if we are moving into an economy that, because of systematic credit issues as well as lower population growth, will be growing as much as 1 to 2% less per year than in the recent past. People may need to pay more attention to economic issues in the future, especially issues of tax rates and their influence on how much we work and how much education we get.

Global warming denying? Don’t even get me started on this political hoax. We’ve pretty much negated all so-called temperature increases with recent “cooling”. I would suggest anyone who still buys into the myth that we have changed the climate by man-made activity do a long hard study of sunspots. Do I think we should pollute the earth? No. Do I like to see Americans importing fossil fuels and exporting our $$ to countries that don’t like us? No. I have the same goals as someone who cares about the environment, but not under some false religion of man-made climate change.

Anti-elite? Actually, you got me on that one. I (as well as other Rpublicans) are anti-elite, no argument there. I don’t pretend to care about people who are suffering from the comfort of my home, while living in a gated community. I don’t have some romantic notion of what the government’s role in my life should be, let alone what they can afford. No, I don’t hate the people who actually build businesses,create jobs, and save or invest their extra money. I don’t resent other people’s success, or focus on my short-comings.

Where you see divisive I see common sense. So maybe you’re right -we see what we look for.

Your Nassau community sounds like a traditional old style suburb where commuters go into the city to work. It probably doesn’t have a stand alone economy, but is part of the greater metro region.

Actually, if anyone depended on getting elected on purely teachers, government workers and lawyers votes they’d be lucky to achieve low teens numbers. With “cool” voters and maybe you get into the high 20’s. Add their total numbers and the three groups are a small part of the population.

Jim, we see what we look for, or maybe our perceptions are shaped by where we live. I’d say the large majority of doctors and technology people I know are Democrats. In Portland’s western suburbs known as Silicon Forest, where over half of Intel’s U.S. research and manufacturing are done, the more the economy has moved from farming to high tech the more Democratic it has trended. Once safely Republican, the district hasn’t had a Republican congressman since the 1970’s. I think you’ll find the same trends in Silicon Valley or Boston’s Route 128.

I’ve got a number of Republican friends and they’re not “anti-intellectual, anti-science, anti-elite”. I was talking about the national party and its divisive campaign rhetoric, the Bush administration with its global warming denying policies, the religious right pushing creationism in the schools. That’s the kind of thing that has driven much of the creative class away from the party. And I’m not especially happy at the idea of one-party rule, although I’d rather it were my party if it happens.