Conservative investment in ideas pays off big

Should we be glad that the conservative Olin Foundation has closed its doors? Not really. They have accomplished what they set out to do... focus on the big ideas that shape policy, rather than dither away on the hundreds of separate public policy issues that drain progressive energy.

The out-going director of Olin, James Piereson, is now excited about starting an intiative to counter liberal influence in academia. In the NY Times article he says, "There are some people who are prepared to spend large sums of money to address this problem."

He says investment in ideas takes at least twenty years to pay off. We had better get on with it. Question: Can a whole lot of progressive individuals at the grass-roots level (the hundred monkeys typing) make up for all that time and money invested by the right? I sure hope so.