NYT’s David Brooks pens a column that begs to be mocked. Brooks says Obama’s infrastructure plan lacks “social vision”:
… the Obama stimulus plan could help localities create suburban town squares. Many communities are trying to build focal points. The stimulus plan could build charter schools, pre-K centers, national service centers and other such programs around new civic hubs.
This kind of stimulus would help maintain the social capital that’s about to be decimated by the economic downturn.
So government’s responsible for building social capital, too? Stuff like this makes me wonder what goes through the minds of guys like Brooks. By the way, this is the type of thinking that helped propel Obama into the White House; in case you haven’t been keeping up with the news, reality is hitting hard.
Bonus observation OK, I realize that was a somewhat angry post, so I went back and read Brooks’ column again and I guess I understand a little better. But I can’t help it, ‘social capital’ is one of those buzzwords that bother me. That the federal government can reach all the way down and create the personal contact that we’ll craving during this times is a fantasy, man. That guy a smart guy like Brooks is selling that fantasy is pretty weird, if you ask me.
But, in order to better understand, I Googled what the hell is social capitalism?
