Rewriting Ronan's List

First, Ronan, you say that it "alludes" you, when in fact I mean that it "eludes" you. Just trying to help out here.

More substantively, the differences you cite in your policy list really do seem to be a divide that separates the Euros from the Americans and (it appears) the Aussies and even many Brits. Maybe it would be helpful for me to simply recast each of your imperatives through the lens of red-blooded red-staters:

- Not waiting (like Chamberlain) for insane tyrants (like Hitler) to bring war to you on their terms, recognizing that the unambiguous threat is often only recognized after the gun is smoking and the victim is prone.

- Creating an ownership society in which people are empowered to save and invest, rather than to grovel and seek handouts from politicians, recognizing that the welfare/30 hour week/10 week vaction mindset of the euros is damning them to lower standard of living as the US GDP continues to outstrip them.

- Recognize that health care is a commodity, and will be rationed either by price or by availability, and realize that there is much to be learned by the fact that the best Candadian doctors come South across the border, while the sickest Americans try to go North. Eventually, that paradox will bite.

- Recognize that bureaucrats with ideological agendas are the last people who should be educating children, and therefore empower local school boards to fire lousy teachers, eliminate useless bureacracy, and yes, even allow parents vouchers to choose which schools their children attend.

- Recognize that the world that brought you the oil for food scandal and the blind eye on Sudan is neither really your friend nor morally superior. Find friends where they are, and reward them for their loyalty, and let the rest of the spineless Quislings stamp their feet in futility.

- Increasing Third World Aid, with an eye to spreading democratic and capitalistic values that have the hope of long term success, rather than pooring money into cesspools of failure.

- Looking after the environment, recognizing that the richer a country is the more it can look after the environment. No one who is mainly concerned with infant dysentary can afford to worry about global warming. And no one without a growing economy can deal with either.

- Taking criminals off the street