Hide It Under a Bushel NO, Let It SHINE: Dr. Wolfram’s Tiny Point of Light

It is surprising what a tiny shard of light can do in a darkened environment like the mind of Gary Wolfram. Now Professor Gary wants to talk about "community."

This is a Response to Gary Wolfram in "A Return to Community" posted in the Detroit/Mackinac News on August 25, 2011.

The dear doctor professor spends all his time as an apologist for the "market" and a being a relentless critic of public matters as they stray from his economic bible. He is majorly bent upon "a need to point out something that is going wrong and offer a solution to the problem" to use Wolfram's own words.

Dr. Wolfram is a market fundamentalist. Like Dr. Ron Paul, he is also a fringe dweller with a devoted audience, including what Hugh Hewitt has labeled "whack jobs". That being said, a moment of revelation has come to the good doctor: Community is central, critical.

So much of what this greenpea, self-serving, Chamber of Commerce servicing TeaPublican Super Majority in the Michigan Legislature has been devoted to is the destroying community in the name of business protection and promotion.

Community has been the preferred target for the attacks. The community and public service are being attacked and trampled with every session of this ill-fated, depression promoting, jobless jihad used by the American Legislative Exchange Council and the Chamber of Commerce to get its own agenda passed.

Bringing down a proud and productive state is a nasty, hard job, however these Karl Rovian, Koch Bros. servants are becoming infamous for their tenacity and cold-hearted, heartless behaviors. Reason and collaboration toward lasting solutions is out.

Wolfram is part of the Jindal crowd of public policy:

"Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, an ALEC alum and the 2011 recipient of ALEC's highest honor, the 'Thomas Jefferson Freedom Award,' repeatedly praised the power of obstinance, proclaiming to ALEC members that when legislating, 'it pays to be stubborn.' 'He added, 'I don't care what china we break in the process.'"

If McLellan/Mackinac Center, the Club for Growth, Grover Norquist crowd get their way, the Michigan march to the establishment of Michissippi as s dirt poor, impotent state is sure to succeed.

While watching a performance of the Hillsdale College Players Wolfram, the professorial curmudgeon and political critic, had an epiphany. Sometime in the evening, amid the tasseled fields of ear corn, smothered in the sweltering Hillsdale summer miasma, Prof. Gary thought about what he was experiencing: community. Looking about the theater and scanning the program our professor discovered that this wonderful, electrifying performance he was experiencing was truly revelatory of how people in one location can and do work together for a common purpose. Hitherto, with so much of Wolfram's efforts directed toward slicing and dicing the public sector and attacking the way people thrive on art and performance-the culture of a community-this was a truly insightful moment in the doctor's maturing experience.

Dr. Wolfram turned quickly to his favorite Rolodex of philosophers and pundits for personal insight and meaning during this his one moment of revelation. Quoth the good professor, "I was reminded of De Tocqueville's observation that voluntary associations were the characteristic institutions of American life." 

In an instant the darkness of "market fundamentalism" gobbled up Dr. Gary's enlightenment. What if we, as a state and nation, could accomplish "good things" via voluntarism, take the "burden" of taxes off the businesses and achieve idealistic "community" where things are done at the expense of personal time and effort, gratis; freed from the necessity of raising taxes.

As the tarry night-of-the-soul oozes over Prof. Gary's tiny moment of light, we are reminded of what has been brought on by his ardent work to make the Market King of America. From the New York Times:

"At least 23 states have made huge cuts to public education spending this year, and school districts are scrambling to find ways to cope. School foundations, parent-teacher organizations and local education funds supported by business groups and residents contribute at least $4 billion per year to help public schools throughout the country."

This kind of reliance on the good will of community to take up the slack (on a purely volunteer basis) is becoming the unrelenting new Michigan reality: the product of Wolfram's unflappable work to make profits more important than people, commerce more vital to everyday life than human community, brotherly love.

Prof. Wolfram has us pointed along the sad, sure path to a failed state called Michissippi.


Original.