One of the best examples of irrationality today may be the media. No one would argue to get rid of the First Amendment. But look at the news media today, where a media polling company shows that over 90% of the network news on President Trump is negative. The fact is that a majority of Americans when asked, believe things have gotten better since President Trump’s election. Yet network news organizations rarely devotes time to cover the good news. Why?

Whether you are pro-Trump or anti-Trump is not the question. Look at the amount of news that is not covered; that is omitted in favor of outright propaganda and opinion today. Look at the number of errors that are permitted to be published or stated, and the number of stories that are unconfirmed or come from anonymous sources – a rarity in the past but commonplace today. Look at the number of news stories that have had to be retracted over the recent years. We are all for freedom of speech, but just as in free markets, irrational actions undermine that freedom.

A rational society is a precondition to a free society. The requirements are 1) to identify the facts of reality; 2) to know how to obtain and verify them; 3) To establish a code of morality to operate within; and then 4) to establish a political system to protect individuals from those that would disagree and use force against them to accomplish goals. The last, a system to protect individuals, is worthless without the first three. In fact, the last will be lost without them. An irrational society is doomed to destruction.

Freedom and free markets is not the first goal -- rationality is. What good is free speech if it is irrational? What good is democracy if politicians are irrational? What good are free markets if markets are irrational?

The greatest threat to our country and our economy is irrationality, which has grown over the years, and is now in vogue. Today's greatest enemy is the irrationality spreading in colleges, politics, the arts, and the media. The foundation of a civilized society is rationality. Without it, freedom is irrelevant.

There used to be a code in journalism that was fact-based and provided a standard for all who published news. It was the five W's. Reporters were taught to include What, Where, Who, When, and Why in all news reports -- and they did. This was the basis of objectivity in reporting.

Now subjectivity rules. The five W's are ignored in favor of whatever one thinks is the "truth". Verification is passe. Proof is old fashioned. And justice is whatever someone claims it is. And someone’s so-called "justice" must be achieved at any expense, including the violation of truth, individual rights, the ignoring of facts, and even the use of force against any individual who thinks differently than they do. Today the rule of law has given way to "a higher morality" -- undefined and cloaked in political propaganda. It’s called winning at all costs.

The immigration laws we have today are irrational. Sanctuary cities and states are irrational. Since when did it become more important to protect illegal immigrants, than American citizens? Why have "catch and release" laws? Why spend time and taxpayer dollars to catch a criminal if you are going to release him? Again irrational.

The bullying and banning of speakers on campus today, which is defended in the name of education, is irrational. Since when did the freedom of speech become subject to student vetoes? The inability to fire incompetent employees is irrational but allowed in schools and government agencies everywhere.

Irrationality is running rampant.

We are in an age of irrationality. It's past time to speak out against those in the media, our educators, and even movie stars, singing stars, and sport stars that show irrational behavior and flaunt it. These are roll models and should exhibit the best of mankind, not the worst.

And as for the irrational politicians...their time is up. I would not be surprised if most politicians today are not in office in the years ahead. The patience of the voting American public is headed away from them -- all of them -- and looking for a more rational alternative. I believe we are seeing a subtle but historic shift beginning to surface.

Blue collar workers, Blacks, and Hispanics, are beginning to turn away from the Democrat Party toward the Republican Party or becoming Independents. Even voters between 18 and 31 have increased 10% for Republicans in the latest poles. Many Democrats are moving toward more moderate centrist positions. (The press rarely reports that in the last election, 31 new Democrats voted in, were moderates.) A lot of the reason is the improving economy and the tax cuts people are seeing. The question, "is America heading the right way or wrong way?" is being answered "the right way".

Do people really want to return to the "good old days" of Barack Obama? There are new cracks in the conformity of Blacks and Hispanics in the confidence in their leaders. They are beginning to speak out against the effectiveness of Democrat policies that have done nothing for them for a decade. They are feeling used by their political leadership and are seeing their lives improve for the first time in recent memory.

After all, Black and Hispanic unemployment is at the lowest level in history. Last week a poll came out that showed 57% of Americans think the economy is either "very much better, or doing fairly good", up substantially from just two months ago. 

But the point I'm trying to make is, I'm detecting a new movement within the Democrat Party itself. I'm seeing a trend developing to get rid of the old and bring in the new. And I mean not only the Democrats that have lived their entire adult lives in congress, but the ideas that have polarized the nation. Many new Democrats are entering the primaries, challenging the establishment. A few are radicals, but many of them are moderates. The question is, "is their enough rationality left to allow moderation?"

The first thing that needs to happen in a return to freedom in this country is a swing from irrationality back to rationality.

I've said before, that politics is the last link in the chain.  It was a few years ago, that I saw the beginning of an anti-intellectual movement, especially in the areas of education, the arts, the media, and politics. Things have deteriorated since.

We are a long way away from a rational society. The way back to unification of our nation is through rational colleges, and a return to States Rights. Let states that differ politically, practice what they want to practice, and cities within states practice what they want to practice, and people will see what works and what doesn't. We need a bottom up government, not a top down one. 

And if rationality prevails the best system will be adopted by all. But most important we will return to a civilized society -- something for the time being, we have in many ways lost.

I close with an excerpt from an article I wrote in August of 2015: We had the "Age Of Reason". We had the "Age Of Enlightenment". We may now be entering an "Age" of Anti-Intellectualism -- we are certainly flirting with it. If and when it ends depends on the present-day intellectuals and those with good common sense to defend against the assault on reason that’s taking place. If those with good common sense and their intellectual leaders can't defeat the present attack, then the ignorant, the bigots, and finally the barbarians of the world will take over."

Since that article was posted in 2015, things are deteriorating at an alarming pace.

Paul Nathan
Paulnathan.biz