Al Duncan”s columns can cause one to do much rumination and research. And some might roll their eyes. Many agree with his suggestion that our government should adopt more theocratic, faith-based measures, although Thomas Jefferson and most First Amendment purists would disagree.
Many of Mr. Duncan”s musings are what some people call “conspiracy theories.” But, that”s what”s beautiful about the First Amendment:
1. For the most part, the government cannot suppress views shared by a select few, however unpopular or inane they might be;
2. The true value of any thought can be judged by how it is perceived in the marketplace of ideas;
3. Perhaps the 11 percent who agree might grow ? or shrink due to their sheer idiocy.
However, Mr. Duncan recently cited two statistics with which, no one should agree because they are, well ? wrong.
He said that “payment on our debt takes 80 percent of everything sold in a given year.” Surely, he meant to say that the total debt is about 80 percent of GDP. Debt service (interest) is about 10 percent of the federal budget and a fraction of total output. A significant mistake.
Also, Mr. Duncan stated that 40 percent of the jobs in the USA are related to federal, state and local government. This is true. But, then he claims that only 10 percent of our people are employed in the private sector. The math (and the truth) is obviously wrong.
The remaining 60 percent work in private sector jobs. Government employment certainly does not outnumber private jobs by 4-1.
Mr. Duncan seems like a sincere and intelligent man, so he quite likely regrets these egregious errors. But, they seriously compromise his conclusions.
Also, a former Record-Bee columnist, Lowell Grant, correctly recognized these same mistakes and noted such on the Record-Bee”s Topix page. However, Mr. Grant directed derogatory and inappropriate comments at his former Record-Bee colleagues. His words would meet anyone”s definition of childish, churlish, and another “fowl” sounding, three syllable adverb beginning with ch -. Mr. Grant”s bitter comments also violated established and written protocol. Quite often, one”s true self is revealed in times of adversity and rejection.
Pat Nunes
Soda Bay
