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I have previously written that faith is the belief in the reality of that which can not be verified. It, like belief, is often used to mean belief in that which is clearly unreal, like Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny. But there is an obvious difference between belief and confidence in that which can not be proven and belief in that which has already been proven false. The latter is self-delusion or even folly.

I listened to the State of the Union speech last night. It was excellent rhetoric. He is a brilliant speaker. He made points that absolutely everyone can agree on. Most people want reform of our health care system. Most people are angry at banks going broke while paying bonuses of 20 million dollars. Many are anxious about employment and bills. Almost all of us are repulsed by partisan bickering and 'gotcha' politics. 

The devil, of course, is in the details, in the execution. It is quite desirable to say 'I am going to have a hand cut steak, fresh bread made in my home and string beans raised in my garden'. It is quite another to do it, to plant the garden, to grow the string beans, bake the bread, etc.

Here we move from reality into not faith, but self-delusion and folly. While everyone wants health care reform, we don't want a bill with buy-offs for individual senators and deals with pharma behind closed doors. People are smart enough to know a pig-in-a-poke- why won't you let us SEE the bill before passing it? Everyone wants to fight terrorism, but most of us don't want to give terrorists rights in US courts. We all want a cleaner environment, but talking about jobs created for a market that doesn't exist is great theater, while conveniently omitting the cost of buying, installing and operating expensive alternatives to gas and oil.

It is quite right to call for an end to partisan 'gotcha' politics. It is unseemly for BOTH parties. But to pretend that the agenda outlined by Obama is popular just because the goals are good is not faith- it is folly and self-delusion. Large swaths of Americans don't like the solutions, while readily agreeing on the problems.

This political situation is a good example of the mis-application of faith and belief. This is certainly NOT 'change we can believe in'. My school motto is 'esse quam videre'- to be rather than to seem to be. That is my problem with the speech last night. It seemed great, but upon examination offers little new, and little of substance, and much that is already a non-starter among voters. Show me what you want to do, and I'll tell you if I support it, but spare me the broad strokes and the cheerleader rhetoric. I'm smart enough to look past all that; indeed, I am experienced enough to have less trust the harder something is sold.

Ted  

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