Think Long

"Think Long" urged Secretary George Schulz in a recent WSJ column http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123327859990131639.html.

He's right. America needs to think long - and act long - on every serious challenge we're facing. That's a lot of challenges. If you count this author's checkbook. that's about a zillion (whoops, forgot to carry the one), a gazillion serious challenges.

The same is true of the Fairness Doctrine. We need to think long about what could happen if we stifle speech, or at least give it a bad sniffle. The last thing free speech needs right now is a hacking cough.

After all, thinking long demands speaking clearly. It demands that every idea for making it through this present crisis is spoken, cleanly and perhaps even loudly. It demands that solutions can be suggested, laughed at, improved and perhaps even used.

There’s no need to squelch the megaphones that are already out there (and good luck turning off that golden mike: http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2009/01/obama_vs_limbau.html) but it is essential that even whispers have the chance to be heard.

So by all means, let’s think long. Let’s speak clearly too, and let all the voices be heard. And with time, and a whole lot of luck, we’ll somehow find the way through our zillion – forgot to add the one again – gazillion challenges.

Submitted by ASO member: The Cappuccino Conservative