Issue triage – what would you compromise on? by danfan

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Issue triage – what would you compromise on?

POSTED BY: DANFAN
UPDATED: Friday, November 5, 2004 18:34
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Friday, November 5, 2004 10:02 AM

The medical community has long known that during crisis, with finite time and medical resources, they have to make decisions… decisions that enable some people to live while increasing the risk that others die. It’s called triage. In the normal course of events, we all make compromises to let go of one thing we want in order to achieve another thing. This occurs at the national level as well. Lately, however, the willingness to engage in such compromise on important issues seems to be in short supply. Yet, ironically, there seems to be a strong sense in this forum that we are in a time of crisis. So, wouldn’t now the BEST time to apply triage to the issues?

Let’s practice the skill. List two issues that are VERY important to you. Identify the issue that you would be willing to yield on in order to accomplish what you want with the other and state why. Would you give ground on abortion rights to get out of Iraq? Would you give up opposition to gay marriage/union to avoid federally-funded national healthcare? Would you sacrifice gun control to increase environmental protection?

Be honest. If you offer to give up your preference of colors on stop signs in order to fund jobs programs or reduce corporate taxes, then we make no progress at re-sharpening our skill at compromise.

Any takers?

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Friday, November 5, 2004 10:56 AM

CONNORFLYNN

The two most important National issues in my mind are:

National Security/ Terrorism and Tax Cuts.

Personally, in my opinion National Security and defense far outweighs my need to be taxed less. I would rather pay twice the number of taxes I currently am paying (NY has horrific taxation), if it meant that my country was secure from extremist threat and our borders were secure.

Frankly everything else pales in comparison.

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Friday, November 5, 2004 12:32 PM

ARAWAEN

I would rather compromise on a single issue than sacrifice one to get another. I mean if you have two children and are told to give up one to save the life of another, which would you pick?

Somethings cannot be compromised. If a person wants to have a child and his/her spouse doesn't want to have a child you can't compromise and have half a child.

Triage occurs because of limited resources, environmental regulation is resisted because it would cost money, money that people don't want to spend, not because of their stance to gay marriage or gun control.

Knowledge is sorrow; they who know the most
Must mourn the deepest o'er the fatal truth,
The Tree of Knowledge is not that of Life.
-- Byron

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Friday, November 5, 2004 6:34 PM

DANFAN

Quote:
Originally posted by Arawaen:
Triage occurs because of limited resources, environmental regulation is resisted because it would cost money, money that people don't want to spend, not because of their stance to gay marriage or gun control.n

You are right. Triage is a method for managing limited resources to maximize their effectiveness. It wasn't my intent to imply that the trades I was asking you to propose (or the examples I gave) were competitors for the same physical resources. Thus my use of the word "triage" was misleading.

What I meant was that to move forward on some issues is likely going to take some hard, unpleasant horsetrading. As a nation we are split down the middle. If both sides dig in for total victory... a "winner take all" attitude... nothing will be accomplished by either side. Folks might have to give on something REALLY important to them to get something REALLY important to them.

OK, forget the triage word. You are sitting across the table from someone who wants opposite things from you. He or she is gonna want you to sacrifice something important to get something else that's important to you (and giving you that thing will be a sacrifice to him). Negotiate. What will it be? What would you give him/her to get the thing you want more?

If the answer is "nothing is negotiable," then we are paralyzing our nation.

I don't think that you mean that nothing is negotiable... I just think I used a misleading word when I said "triage."

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