Big Beautiful Condos

Rejecting policy ideas out of hand

This past Tuesday President Trump floated a really unexpected policy idea regarding the situation in Gaza.

My understanding of it goes something like this:

Move everyone out of Gaza. Turn the whole place into the world’s greatest planned community/resort. Let the people who used to live there move back in. (If they can afford to do so, I presume.) All this because as of today, Gaza is of course unlivable rubble.

Photo by GERARDO MR on Unsplash

Within minutes commentators were busy denouncing this idea as everything from illegal under international law to outright genocide.

But is it so surprising that a Real Estate developer would look to his real estate experience while searching for answers? And isn’t that exactly what our political system was designed to promote? Citizen statesmen who leave their regular vocations for a time in order to serve the nation before returning again to private life?

And is it really so far outside the the norm? After the United States crushed German cities into rubble during World War Two, we returned to rebuild them under the Marshall Plan. There is no denying that the Marshall Plan was a tremendous success. It transformed a nation that had been at the center of two World Wars in less than fifty years into a peaceful democracy.

Am I arguing that the President’s idea is a good one? That the United States should adopt it as policy and begin the process of implementing it?

No.

We can’t and shouldn’t make knee jerk reactions to ideas. Ideas are meant to be considered.

I am arguing that instead of rejecting the President’s idea out of hand, it should be discussed and debated. Rationally, calmly, and honestly.

Perhaps following debate the American people will decide that it is good, and policy that a majority support. Perhaps they will reject it entirely. Or, as often happens, more and better ideas will grow out of the discussion.

That is how our society should function. Not through the outright and immediate rejection of every idea floated by someone we might not support.

Since 1948 the world has expended vast amounts of energy, effort, and money trying to bring peace between Israel and its neighbors. Those efforts have largely failed. Gleefully murdering the neighbors remains a far too common standby in that part of the world.

Bringing forth, discussing, and debating out of the box ideas for solving this generational conflict seems like the most basic, and important, thing we can do. Discussing ideas calmly, rationally, and honestly results in the death of no one. Sticking to failed ideas of the past simply leads to further suffering and death.