Gnats and Elephants

Some things are a big deal, and others aren't. Whether or not we have some small intervention in Syria is probably a big deal for Syria, not so much for the US. It's a tough problem, with downsides in every direction, but it's not likely to affect the future of this country much. NSA's surveillance seems like overreach, and should and probably will be dialed back, but unless you are a terrorist or criminal, it's not likely to affect the average citizen much - it's not a big deal. The TSA is a much bigger deal. The Affordable Care Act, insuring tens of millions of Americans, is a pretty big deal. Government shutdown, knocking hundreds of billions off our GDP, is a pretty big deal. US debt default, likely costing trillions worldwide, is an enormously big deal. Global warming is likely a big deal in the long run, but the long run is a ways away still. The Keystone pipeline, affecting only whether Canadian crude gets refined in Houston or China, is pretty much a complete nothingburger.

Just in case anyone was wondering what their priorities ought to be.

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