The Beltway Boys… don’t ya just love ‘em? The flurry of unread bills laden with pork, the installation of unvetted and unregulated czars, the atmosphere of entitlement where companies are “too big” to fail, the belief that spending money you don’t have will somehow magically turn things around – it’s a money and power grab of majestic proportions.
Too bad it won’t work.
I believe that barring any major international or national incidents, the US economy will someday recover with or without (or despite) intervention from the government. I may be misguided, but I have to believe that the American people are hard-wired to succeed and will not be content to allow a socialist state morph from the initial premise of “Land of the Free” and “Home of the Brave.” However, it’s hard not to discount that Bermuda Triangle-esque cloud over the junction of southern Maryland and northern Virginia. Add into the mix the alarming lack of common sense and a complete ignorance of fiscal responsibility in Washington and the result is the prime reason why any economic recovery will be a long time in the making.
Let’s face it. Our government is made up of individuals, fallible human beings although most are attorneys (do attorneys have hearts much less souls? Just kidding to my attorney friends.), who while brain smart in the ways of politics and bureaucracy have had little or no practical experience in running a business. Business people know that in order to stay in business they must be personable, accommodating. They have to deliver the goods in a timely manner and with a smile, or the customer will go elsewhere.
Therein lies the chasm between people who maintain a solid bottom line as a livelihood and those who are in the position of raising taxes when they find themselves overextended. Unlike changing grocers or gas stations when unhappy with the service, we’re stuck with our elected representatives for four to six years.
Even then it’s a matter of choosing “the lesser of two evils” (“He’s not Bush!”) or sticking with a familiar name that’s been on the ballot for decades. One need only look to Michigan where we have continually elected Levins, Dingell and Conyers over and over and over. Elected officials of that ilk are the comfort food of the masses, delivering the same warm fuzzies year after year. The electorate are numb to anything else and brainwashed into thinking that longevity is a good thing.
Article comments
1 - Ruvy
You actually expect your government to represent you, Joanne? You must have grown up in the Midwestern United States. The rest of the world knows better and has no such expectations.
2 - Joanne Huspek
Thanks, Ruvy. What can I say? I'm an idealistic dreamer...
3 - Glenn Contrarian
Joanne - IMO, as long as nothing really bad happens, I suspect the economy will recover quite nicely. The unemployment rate won't improve until next year at the earliest - which is always, always the case for at least a year or two after the end of a recession - but it is improving even now.
Relax, have a bit of faith. Life's getting better - it should, now that the adults are in charge.
4 - Silas Kain
The economic recovery wouldn't be such a long row to hoe if those in the financial world and Congress weren't such hoes to begin with.
Our economic crisis was greed driven, pure and simple. Those who were the most greedy tapped into those who have the least to give. Capitalism wasn't meant to propagate greed, it is meant to foster economic independence for all the classes. Greed, monetary gluttony, is the root of our society's problems. And that is something we need to focus upon.
5 - Joanne Huspek
Glen and Silas... I see no end of the economic train wreck yet. Although our state's unemployment is "officially" at 15.5% this month, most people place the real figure in the 20% area.
That's a lot of people to get back to work in order to make things "normal."
6 - Bliffle
This train wreck has been developing for 30 years, partly due to our reluctance to change capital ownership and income distribution models. We have an monopolistic capital system and an old income system based on premises that are no longer valid, like single-earner households, industrial producers selling into unlimited markets, ever-increasing productivity, disorganized citizenry, etc.
We can't compete in future world markets because we are too unhealthy (at the same time as health costs increase 6% a year), and too poor to finance new businesses (capital is more and more centrally controlled), etc.,
We should have started to reduce the work-week years ago, but instead we made the Adverse Selection and increased work weeks! We can't sell increased output to world markets. So all we can do is cut de facto wages. More work, less pay.
Just as capital ownership becomes more concentrated in the ruing class, so the wage jobs become concentrated in the diminishing middle-class, and more people slide into the lower class.
Gee, sounds like a classic recipe for violent revolution. Good thing I'm old and will be dead by then.
So I can just sit and laugh at what fools these mortals be.
7 - Baronius
Joanne, I'm usually a fan, but the salaries of elected officials and their staff are trivial compared to the salaries and expenses of government. Congress could hire a million minimum-wage staffers to read legislation for about 2% of the cost of the stimulus package.
8 - handyguy
It's remarkably easy to write second-rate populist drivel. Especially if you don't bother to inform yourself [since you avoid watching that distorted news stuff the media dishes out].
Of course, there's no distortion on this and other opinion-driven political sites, where anyone and everyone can say and claim whatever they please, right?
And since the author of this piece and many [most? all?] the commenters on here get most [all?] of their information from other loudmouth know-nothings on other blog sites, the eloquence of their opinions reflects that of their sources.
Politicians and government officials and the news media richly deserve deep scrutiny and pungent criticism, but it should be based on something substantial. And I'm sorry to let you down, but that may require some watching and some listening...and some reading.
If you stand on the sidelines and give a Thumbs-Down and a "You stink!" to all politicians and all media, en masse, a lot of people will agree with you, sure. But have you really said anything?
9 - Glenn Contrarian
Um, Joanne - you're blaming Obama for Michigan's unemployment? After the Republicans were the ones who wanted to deny the bailouts for GM and Chrysler?
The Republicans wanted to allow GM and Chrysler to both go completely bankrupt - how would THAT have affected Michigan's unemployment, hm?
Ah, but I forget! Everything's OBAMA'a fault! If something bad is happening, it must be because of him!
BTW - are you a birther too?
10 - Joanne Huspek
LOL... If you read my comment on the birther article, you know how I feel about that, but NO, it doesn't consume me.
As for government salaries, yes, when you look at the "salary" (base wage) of a congressman or president, it's not so much. But then add in the perks, free franking privileges, free transportation, free haircuts, free underground shuttle (I know I am missing much) THEN add in all the payments from lobbyists, book deals and under the table stuff and it's no wonder the people "elected to serve" are serving themselves.
I'm an equal opportunity cynic. The Republicans AND the Democrats had their hands in the pie. I was sure of it when I saw McCain's reaction to the initial bailout. But Glenn, I'm not going to be one to say it's Obama's fault like others said it was Bush's fault. We have too many foxes in the hen house to dispense blame to one person alone.
11 - Dave Nalle
Glenn, if GM and Chrysler had been allowed to go bankrupt they would have been sold off and some of the factories would have been reopened and many jobs would have been saved.
As things stand now many jobs have still been lost, and more will continue to be lost, and the huge cost will transfer the harm to other industries which were not failing, but will now be crushed in order to bail out businesses which were uncompetitive.
Obama promised job creation from the stimulus. Where is any growth outside of the massive growth of government? Where are new jobs outside of makework and bureaucratic jobs?
Dave
12 - Baronius
Glenn, the article isn't about Obama. Once, in passing, it mentions his trip to Broadway.
13 - Silas Kain
The Republicans wanted to allow GM and Chrysler to both go completely bankrupt - how would THAT have affected Michigan's unemployment, hm?
Perhaps we should have let them go down completely. The auto companies (especially executives) and auto workers' union (especially Union officials) have been monetary whores for far too long. This marriage between corporate management and union management has been a complete failure. The UAW was used as a political voting block for too long and that sector of the special interest environment has been as greedy as Bernie Madoff at an initial public offering. It's time for change --REAL change.
That means special interests get taxed into oblivion and the common small business owner gets encouraged to take the next leap of faith in achieving the American dream. When "disgraced" Senator Larery Craig can leave politics and open a "special interest" office concerning environmental technology in Washington and Boise, I see a problem. So what that Larry Craig was disgraced? He made so many high power connections that he can go off into private life and suck off the nipple of government. Does anyone see a real problem here? Is anyone as pissed off as I? No change can be made until we shake Washington up. That's common sense.
14 - doug
You guys should have let the auto companies fail. They still might after all the money put into it and then you'll be even further behind
15 - Silas Kain
Yes we should have let the auto companies fail but that would have cost many a Democrat their seat in Congress not to mention that Obama is beholden to the unions. Funny how things have a way of backfiring.
Here in Massachusetts, Governor Deval Patrick, the Laborer's Messiah is now the Union Pariah. Isn't it amazing how quickly union people turn when they don't get their way and are asked to make the same sacrifices as the rest of us poor slobs?
And, here in Massachusetts, sales tax rates climb to 6.25% tomorrow. That means the working and unemployed poor are going to pay a hefty price for inept government and its' sweetheart deals. It's time for another Boston Tea Party or better yet a general strike.