If you missed George Will on Thursday night, Mitch Kokai has a rundown here on Will’s speech to more than 200 people at JLF’s 18th anniversary celebration. One bit:
Republican presidential candidates are avoiding some important topics that will have major impacts on the nation’s future, Will said. “It is directly pertinent to the mission of the John Locke Foundation, that is strengthening the idea of an entrepreneurial society, with light government, valuing freedom and energy and individual responsibility.”
Among the issues candidates are ignoring is the growing burden of federal entitlement programs, Will said. The federal government spends an additional $193 million on entitlements every hour, and Jan. 1 marked the beginning of a “demographic deluge” tied to the pending retirements of 77 million baby boomers, he said.
Will also exactly pegged a dangerous nostalgia that infuses America’s current outlook. Republicans want to live in the 1950s and Democrats want to work in the 1950s, Will observed. I think that is exactly right — and those fantasies manifest themselves in a fear of change, both social and economic.
