Self-proclaimed conservative op-ed journalists David Brooks has gained my admiration. His ability to use respect and reason to explain his point of view is a rarity in the vindictive political media.

I have a theory. The best argument of an average individual is better than the average argument of the best op-ed journalist. I'm challenging David Brooks on this. The rules of the challenge is that three random op-ed editorials from David's collection will be pitted against a single essay developed by a citizen lacking acclaim.  On a five point scale, the public will rate each article.

The opinion of the nation is shaped by a minuscule few. As much as I respect David Brooks, I believe he nor anyone else has the right to speak for those who have the desire, but lack the forum to speak for themselves.

The Public Domain

This original challenge was somewhat tongue in cheek, though the hypothesis is sincere.   An attempt was made to contact David Brooks. The one in a thousand chance failed to receive a response.   To make this page look professional, I wanted to add David's picture.  Permission must be obtained to post copyrighted material on another website.    The New York Times was contacted with a request for permission, but rejected the idea.    The  next attempt was to contact Getty Images who had several images online.   Getty Images wanted an exorbitant fee for the rights and required permission from either David Brooks and/or the New York Time.    I was informed from Getty, that the New York Times again refused the use of an image for the purpose of this web page.

So you may ask, what is up with the image on this page?    The answer is Wikipedia.    Many judge Wikipedia on the merit for providing reference material.   Some are satisfied with the quaility, others question the trustworthiness of the source.    A facet of Wikipedia many do not examine is the public domain ownership of the material.  Public domain material is free for public use with few to any restrictions.    This reduces the burden of paraphrasing and hastle of obtaining permission.   To view the license agreement for this image click here.

It is very difficult to analyze political discourse when copyright issues limit what we acquire and use from an op-ed editorial. Paraphrasing is allowable, but this tactic introduces a secondary level of subjectivity. The Do Good Gauge is an attempt to bring political debate and problem solving into the public domain.