In the classic movie “Braveheart”, there is a scene where William Wallace, the protagonist played famously by Mel Gibson tells Robert the Bruce, the soon to be head of the Scottish nobility, to unite the clans. What he is passionately imploring him to do is to use his leadership and popularity with the nobles to bring them to the same table, to put aside their petty differences and to work together towards a common cause, which in this case is Scottish independence in the early 14th century from the British and their tyrannical king Edward I.
We do not face tyranny from a foreign ruler the way the Scots did back in the day, but we do face a disunited group of clans who threaten our common cause nonetheless, in our case I am referring to our 111th Congress. Of course this scenario is not unique to the current legislature, it is a feature of our two party system of government that has been around as long as we have had such a system.
Lest anyone think that partisan wrangling as they call it is a new phenomenom, I would refer you to the heated and highly partisan election of 1800, where Thomas Jefferson and his Democratic-Republican party defeated John Adams and his Federalist party in a campaign full of vitriol and vicious attacks that would fit in quite nicely in the modern era. Partisan politics is as old as the hills, and it won’t disappear simply because of some nice campaign rhetoric and wishful thinking. So we have to work within the system that we have to effect change, to paraphrase former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, you go to war with the army you have. We go to political battle with the system we have, for better or worse.
Congress is a system of fiefdoms, small kingdoms led by the nobility of the modern era, Representatives who would be the vassals in this scenario, and the higher ranking nobles who we know as Senators. Each is vaguely considered with the good of the nation as a whole, but their main concern is with protecting their lands, pleasing their constituents, and keeping their jobs. I don’t blame them, it is human nature and I don’t know that many of us would be any different in their shoes, when you have a good paying position of power and prestige, it takes a pretty unique character and strong will to act in ways that may go against your own interest.
The point is that if we are waiting for Congress to drink the elixir of bipartisanship we are in for a hefty wait. And that is where our Robert the Bruce comes in, the man that the majority of those of us who voted elected as president. We need Barack Obama to step up to the plate, now more than ever, and unite the clans. Hosting dinners for Republicans is fine, and there is nothing wrong with attempting to reach across the aisle, but at the end of the day Obama is the man in charge, the one with whom the buck stops, and he needs to use the considerable power and political capital at his disposal to carry out his agenda.
The biggest mistake with the so-called stimulus bill is that it originated in Congress, it bore the stamp of Nancy Pelosi the House Speaker, and Harry Reid the Senate Majority Leader, well before Obama got to put his imprint on it. As a result, it became laden with, if not pork then pet Democratic party projects that are effectively the same thing. Beef may be what’s for dinner (although not during this Lenten season for all you good Catholics out there), but pork is the special on the menu all year long in Washington, D.C. While there is some real stimulus in the bill, and needed aid to the states, there is too much spending that is non-essential or non-simulative and should not have been included in such a bill. Obama failed to control the process from the start, and that was his biggest mistake. I suspect that he has learned from it and will act accordingly in the future.
He already seems to be using the lesson of the stimulus debacle, as he has personally introduced housing legislation, and promises to do the same with banking. His budget is bold and expensive, but it promotes his agenda, the agenda on which he was elected to lead. The only way that Congress will go along for the ride on the economy and taxes, on energy policy, on education reform, and on health care is if Obama strongly and boldly shows the way. He needs to present the package in such a way that they can’t say no, not out of any sense of doing what is in the best interests of the people at large, but because Obama is a highly popular president who can use his bully pulpit to convince, cajole, and if needed twist a few arms to get members to go along with his ideas.
The people demand it and expect it, and if it doesn’t happen, many of these same members of Congress will be working with a new president in four years, because as any first year Political Science student learns, it is very difficult to unseat a sitting member of Congress, especially a member of the House, where the reelection rate is historically around 90%. By contrast, presidents serve two terms at the most, and the odds of reelection are probably closer to 50%.
Obama has made his share of mistakes so far, as would be expected of any new president trying to figure out what the heck he has gotten himself into. I have criticized him where I felt it warranted, and as an Independent will continue to do so when I belive it to be deserved, but I still have a great deal of confidence in our commander and hope that he will become the great leader many of us believe he can be.
Uniting the clans will not be an easy task, it won’t be pretty, and it will be far from perfect. It must be done though if we are to move forward with a progressive plan of political and social reforms that our great nation needs and clamors for, and it can be done. This may be our last best chance to turn around the ship that Bush and the Republicans have taken well off course over the last eight years, and we need now more than ever the strong guidance of a captain who is swift in action, bold in thought, firm in his decisions, with a strong and steady pair of hands on the wheel, guiding the ship of state.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
Stuck in the Middle With You
I am not bitter at all, ok maybe just a little bit, but mostly I’m not bitter about being in the middle class, I take a certain amount of pride in my middle class status. Don’t get me wrong, if I happen to have the winning power ball ticket in my wallet right now I wouldn’t turn it down, like Arthur in the classic movie, I’m no dummy and I’ll take the money. But the point here is that I don’t aspire to be rich, and I’m thankful that I’m not poor, I also realize from my reading and learning about other cultures and civilizations how fortunate I am to be in the middle class in a modern, industrial, western society.
I don’t begrudge the wealthy and I don’t look down on the poor, but my values and ways of viewing the world comes from the perspective of being in the middle class, and I rather like that. In my world view, the middle class are the people that get up every morning and put in an honest day’s work, we pay our taxes, we generally follow the rules and live up to what is expected of us. We raise our families and are loyal to our spouses and friends, in short we pretty much do things the right way. The middle class is the heart and soul of our economy and of our culture. We spend money, sometimes more than we should be spending, but we are the ones going to the malls and restaurants and movie theatres and buying the stuff that helps to sustain economic growth.
We don’t generally complain too much, although that is certainly starting to change, and that is a good thing to my way of thinking because for too long we have been the silent class, sort of the societal equivalent of the middle child. All we really ask is that we get the chance to pursue and live our mostly humble version of the American dream, that we have the opportunity to do work that has some meaning, and that the work we do can allow us to raise our families in a secure and comfortable neighborhood, send our kids to quality schools, and have access to shopping and restaurants and outdoor activities. In short we’re not looking to live the life of luxury but we don’t want to be touched by poverty either.
We have always been inspired and motivated by the chance to pursue this dream and by the opportunity of upward mobility. It has been the story of the American middle class for well over a century now, and up until recently was something that we could count on in the same way that you could count on rising home values and stock values, or the ability to get a loan from the bank to buy a new car every few years or to buy a bigger house in a better neighborhood. Of course, all of this upward mobility has come to a screeching halt, and it is anybody’s guess as to whether or not this is a temporary blip on the chart or a more permanent and fundamental shift in the way our society and economy are structured.
One thing is for sure however, the middle class has stopped moving forward in most ways that can be measured, we seem to be perpetually stuck in the middle, between the poor, whose situation is never enviable and the rich, who despite taking a hit recently still enjoy the benefits and privileges of society at a disproportionate rate. The workers who have been both subsidizing the poor with the taxes we pay and enabling the fruits of the wealthy with the labor we produce have been getting squeezed for a few decades now. No doubt this economic recession has many causes, but I am convinced that one of the most fundamental causes is that the big squeeze has finally caught up with our economy as a whole.
Look, let’s be honest and admit that the middle class has also played an active role in its own demise. We have bought into the whole notion of consumerism, believing that we had to have more of everything and we had to have it as soon as possible. We’ve consciously rejected the philosophy of our parents and grandparents generations of saving first and buying later for a buy now and pay later mentality, and we are now literally and figuratively paying the price for many of those decisions. But we are also the victims of stagnant wages and increasing costs for basic necessities like food, gas, and utilities. Somebody has been getting rich over the last few decades, but it sure hasn’t been the common man and woman, we have been treading water and when you factor in the aforementioned inflation and rising health care costs we’ve actually fallen behind.
We propped ourselves up artificially thanks to inflated stock portfolios and home values, and with easy access to credit. We convinced ourselves that we could handle the additional debt because we could always cash in on our stock holdings or on our homes, but now that those fall backs are no longer there and the tap on easy credit has been shut off. As a consequence we’re out of options to keep up with the demand for an ever increasing standard of living. But it’s not just us that is up the proverbial creek without a paddle. The businesses that rely on our spending, and the poor that rely on our taxes to subsidize their rents and food and child care, and the rest of the world that relies on us to buy all their imported goods is also in the same boat.
As the middle class goes, so goes the nation, and as the wealthiest nation in the world with the most vibrant middle class, to a large degree so goes the world at large. The problem is, most of the policy makers and economic elites failed to realize this or just didn’t care so long as they were getting their big bonuses and generous stock option packages and getting reelected to office. The joke is that there is a political party that truly represents the middle class, that the Republicans are for the rich and the Democrats are for the common folk.
That’s the big rouse that gets those who think they’ll become rich one day to vote for the GOP and those who see themselves as the little guy to vote for the Democrats, but the reality is that neither political party gives a damn and likely never will. Obama was elected in the hopes of being a different kind of politician, but so far his campaign rhetoric and promises have proved to be as empty as so many houses that have fallen into foreclosure. Looks nice from the outside, but inside is just a shell, and just like the markets, Obama’s stock is sinking fast. Just like the hard crash that comes when an economic bubble pops, watch for the disillusionment from the citizenry when they realize that Obama, the guy they fell for head over heels, is no different than every other politician in the history of politicians.
Speeches and cleverness don’t pay the bills or put food on the table, and while Americans are sometimes a little slow on the draw when it comes to figuring things out (see the Iraq War as an example) once they get it they get it, and they’re not generally too happy when they realize they’ve been had. Granted it’s still early in the game and I am still hoping that the person I voted for will show up to work, but it had better happen soon because my skepticism is increasing at a rather quick rate.
I don’t have any solutions on a grand scale, and I suppose it wouldn’t matter even if I did. I’m just a lowly paid public servant and last time I checked there aren’t any decision makers reading these columns I post on my blog. The reality is that we as citizens in a democracy really only have a say every two to four years, the rest of the time in between elections the governments that we elect are pretty much free to do whatever the heck they please. Likewise, as employees we don’t have any say in the policies that are carried out in our workplaces, we just keep showing up on time, doing our jobs as best as we can, and hope that the ax doesn’t fall on us.
The only thing that I can do personally is to become more responsible, and much more cautious about how I spend my money and how my wife and I manage our family finances, which we’ve done out of necessity. Getting on with less isn’t such a bad deal really, and I hope that myself and others like me can learn some valuable lessons out of all of this and that we take those lessons with us and don’t go off the deep end when the economy eventually rebounds, which at some point in the future it most likely will.
I’m not bitter, not really, and I like being in the middle class and living the life that I do. Which is a good thing, because like most of my fellow middle class Americans, we are where we are in life, and that’s not likely to change. So perhaps it’s time we learn to accept it and embrace our lives and what we stand for. At the same time we can call our government and our new president out for what they are, politicians who care more about the next election than whether or not their policies actually do anything to make our lives better. We can’t do much about it now, but I know that I for one won’t be taken in quite so easily when the next election comes around. Until then, I’ll keep living the good life as I see it, and enjoying every day with as much passion and enthusiasm as I can, which is something I can do even without a government stimulus package or bailout program.
I don’t begrudge the wealthy and I don’t look down on the poor, but my values and ways of viewing the world comes from the perspective of being in the middle class, and I rather like that. In my world view, the middle class are the people that get up every morning and put in an honest day’s work, we pay our taxes, we generally follow the rules and live up to what is expected of us. We raise our families and are loyal to our spouses and friends, in short we pretty much do things the right way. The middle class is the heart and soul of our economy and of our culture. We spend money, sometimes more than we should be spending, but we are the ones going to the malls and restaurants and movie theatres and buying the stuff that helps to sustain economic growth.
We don’t generally complain too much, although that is certainly starting to change, and that is a good thing to my way of thinking because for too long we have been the silent class, sort of the societal equivalent of the middle child. All we really ask is that we get the chance to pursue and live our mostly humble version of the American dream, that we have the opportunity to do work that has some meaning, and that the work we do can allow us to raise our families in a secure and comfortable neighborhood, send our kids to quality schools, and have access to shopping and restaurants and outdoor activities. In short we’re not looking to live the life of luxury but we don’t want to be touched by poverty either.
We have always been inspired and motivated by the chance to pursue this dream and by the opportunity of upward mobility. It has been the story of the American middle class for well over a century now, and up until recently was something that we could count on in the same way that you could count on rising home values and stock values, or the ability to get a loan from the bank to buy a new car every few years or to buy a bigger house in a better neighborhood. Of course, all of this upward mobility has come to a screeching halt, and it is anybody’s guess as to whether or not this is a temporary blip on the chart or a more permanent and fundamental shift in the way our society and economy are structured.
One thing is for sure however, the middle class has stopped moving forward in most ways that can be measured, we seem to be perpetually stuck in the middle, between the poor, whose situation is never enviable and the rich, who despite taking a hit recently still enjoy the benefits and privileges of society at a disproportionate rate. The workers who have been both subsidizing the poor with the taxes we pay and enabling the fruits of the wealthy with the labor we produce have been getting squeezed for a few decades now. No doubt this economic recession has many causes, but I am convinced that one of the most fundamental causes is that the big squeeze has finally caught up with our economy as a whole.
Look, let’s be honest and admit that the middle class has also played an active role in its own demise. We have bought into the whole notion of consumerism, believing that we had to have more of everything and we had to have it as soon as possible. We’ve consciously rejected the philosophy of our parents and grandparents generations of saving first and buying later for a buy now and pay later mentality, and we are now literally and figuratively paying the price for many of those decisions. But we are also the victims of stagnant wages and increasing costs for basic necessities like food, gas, and utilities. Somebody has been getting rich over the last few decades, but it sure hasn’t been the common man and woman, we have been treading water and when you factor in the aforementioned inflation and rising health care costs we’ve actually fallen behind.
We propped ourselves up artificially thanks to inflated stock portfolios and home values, and with easy access to credit. We convinced ourselves that we could handle the additional debt because we could always cash in on our stock holdings or on our homes, but now that those fall backs are no longer there and the tap on easy credit has been shut off. As a consequence we’re out of options to keep up with the demand for an ever increasing standard of living. But it’s not just us that is up the proverbial creek without a paddle. The businesses that rely on our spending, and the poor that rely on our taxes to subsidize their rents and food and child care, and the rest of the world that relies on us to buy all their imported goods is also in the same boat.
As the middle class goes, so goes the nation, and as the wealthiest nation in the world with the most vibrant middle class, to a large degree so goes the world at large. The problem is, most of the policy makers and economic elites failed to realize this or just didn’t care so long as they were getting their big bonuses and generous stock option packages and getting reelected to office. The joke is that there is a political party that truly represents the middle class, that the Republicans are for the rich and the Democrats are for the common folk.
That’s the big rouse that gets those who think they’ll become rich one day to vote for the GOP and those who see themselves as the little guy to vote for the Democrats, but the reality is that neither political party gives a damn and likely never will. Obama was elected in the hopes of being a different kind of politician, but so far his campaign rhetoric and promises have proved to be as empty as so many houses that have fallen into foreclosure. Looks nice from the outside, but inside is just a shell, and just like the markets, Obama’s stock is sinking fast. Just like the hard crash that comes when an economic bubble pops, watch for the disillusionment from the citizenry when they realize that Obama, the guy they fell for head over heels, is no different than every other politician in the history of politicians.
Speeches and cleverness don’t pay the bills or put food on the table, and while Americans are sometimes a little slow on the draw when it comes to figuring things out (see the Iraq War as an example) once they get it they get it, and they’re not generally too happy when they realize they’ve been had. Granted it’s still early in the game and I am still hoping that the person I voted for will show up to work, but it had better happen soon because my skepticism is increasing at a rather quick rate.
I don’t have any solutions on a grand scale, and I suppose it wouldn’t matter even if I did. I’m just a lowly paid public servant and last time I checked there aren’t any decision makers reading these columns I post on my blog. The reality is that we as citizens in a democracy really only have a say every two to four years, the rest of the time in between elections the governments that we elect are pretty much free to do whatever the heck they please. Likewise, as employees we don’t have any say in the policies that are carried out in our workplaces, we just keep showing up on time, doing our jobs as best as we can, and hope that the ax doesn’t fall on us.
The only thing that I can do personally is to become more responsible, and much more cautious about how I spend my money and how my wife and I manage our family finances, which we’ve done out of necessity. Getting on with less isn’t such a bad deal really, and I hope that myself and others like me can learn some valuable lessons out of all of this and that we take those lessons with us and don’t go off the deep end when the economy eventually rebounds, which at some point in the future it most likely will.
I’m not bitter, not really, and I like being in the middle class and living the life that I do. Which is a good thing, because like most of my fellow middle class Americans, we are where we are in life, and that’s not likely to change. So perhaps it’s time we learn to accept it and embrace our lives and what we stand for. At the same time we can call our government and our new president out for what they are, politicians who care more about the next election than whether or not their policies actually do anything to make our lives better. We can’t do much about it now, but I know that I for one won’t be taken in quite so easily when the next election comes around. Until then, I’ll keep living the good life as I see it, and enjoying every day with as much passion and enthusiasm as I can, which is something I can do even without a government stimulus package or bailout program.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
The Seagull
I have tickets to the symphony tonight, tickets I got at a great discount a few months ago for a performance of Beethoven. My first visit to the symphony awhile back was very enjoyable, I bought the tickets through my school, which is a performing arts school, and the discount was available because our strings teacher’s husband is a musician with the Phoenix symphony, and she is able to procure what are normally $50 seats for only $5 a pop. So the tickets have already been paid for and I didn’t have to pay that much at that.
So most likely I won’t be going tonight, although I would love to and would enjoy it a great deal no doubt. I love the music and the venue downtown, and I am always fascinated by watching live music performed, focusing on the various members of the orchestra as they practice their craft and perform something of beauty.
No, I won’t be going in all likelihood because as much as I would enjoy the evening, it would mean giving up what I enjoy even more on a Saturday night, which is my usual routine of picking up some takeout, relaxing in front of the TV in the family room with my wife and son, and sometimes but rarely my daughter who is usually off at a friend’s house on Saturday night. I’ll enjoy good food, I’m hoping for Jo-Jo’s tonight because I’m in the mood for their baked ziti, catching up on a few of our favorite shows, probably Friday Night Lights, which is one of the most intelligent and human shows on, and Criminal Minds, which is a fascinating look into the subject matter of the title.
I’ll sit out back with my wife after the shows are over, and enjoy my Saturday night special, vodka and lemonade, enjoy conversation about the problems of the world with my partner, perhaps read some, and then comfortably retire for the evening. It may not sound like the most exciting Saturday night, it may not be the most hip or urbane way to spend an evening, but it is my way, and at my age I’ve learned that doing things my way is always preferable to doing things to impress others or to fit into an idea of a lifestyle defined as desirable by society.
I am a seagull, returning time and time again to my favorite lake, enjoying the familiar surroundings and the beauty to which I have become accustomed. I love the rhythms and the tempo of my lake, the familiar landmarks and the way the sun shines on certain sections at a particular time of day, the way the trees on the shore appear at various times of the year, the steadiness and consistency of it all.
Some birds are more migratory I suppose, they prefer to be constantly on the move, in search of new adventures and novel experiences. Those birds would go to the symphony, then hit up a swank and trendy club or coffee house after, mix and mingle with the other beautiful and interesting birds. There is something to be said for that lifestyle. I do enjoy an evening out from time to time, and I tell myself often that I need to get out and about more often, to go the symphony, and the theater, to see more live music, eat out, catch a movie once in awhile. I’m not a fan of the clubs or bar scenes per se, if I’m with the right flock it’s a good time, but mostly I find it to be a bore, forced and contrived, and I have a problem paying so much more for drinks than I would if I was sitting at home enjoying the atmosphere of my lake, for a fraction of the price no less.
I’m not opposed to new experiences, to exploring new horizons, but to everything there is a tradeoff. Sure, there may be some other lake out there that is more beautiful or more interesting than mine, but I like what I know and love, what makes me comfortable and what I enjoy. It’s why I generally consider all the options on the menu when I go out to eat but inevitably come back to the same entrée that I always get. It’s why I faithfully put on my same pair of comfortable old jeans in the winter, and my same pair of comfortable cargo shorts all summer long. It’s why I love the idea of traveling to new places, and hope one day to be able to, but why ultimately the only trip that I truly care about making is my week or two up in the Sierras every summer, to the same town and lakes and backcountry hikes that I know and love. It’s why I prefer the usual Saturday night routine that I enjoy and look forward to all week.
I am a seagull, it is who I am, in my DNA I suppose. There are other more exotic birds and maybe their lives and experiences are better than mine, but I doubt it, because mine is pretty damn good. My lake may not be the most known or the hippest place to see and be seen, but it’s mine, I know it intimately and it makes me feel alive in a world that is worth living in. So every once in awhile I may venture up and away, beyond the horizon, over the snow covered peaks and pine groves and explore uncharted territory, that appeals as well to my sense of adventure and of gaining new knowledge about new places. But I’ll always return to my lake, at the same times and in the same motions, searching out the familiar spots, sounds, sights, smells and emotions that it provokes within me. I am a seagull, and while there are other ways to live and other types of birds to be, this life, this lake, this way of being suits me just fine, and there’s no other place or other way I’d want to be.
So most likely I won’t be going tonight, although I would love to and would enjoy it a great deal no doubt. I love the music and the venue downtown, and I am always fascinated by watching live music performed, focusing on the various members of the orchestra as they practice their craft and perform something of beauty.
No, I won’t be going in all likelihood because as much as I would enjoy the evening, it would mean giving up what I enjoy even more on a Saturday night, which is my usual routine of picking up some takeout, relaxing in front of the TV in the family room with my wife and son, and sometimes but rarely my daughter who is usually off at a friend’s house on Saturday night. I’ll enjoy good food, I’m hoping for Jo-Jo’s tonight because I’m in the mood for their baked ziti, catching up on a few of our favorite shows, probably Friday Night Lights, which is one of the most intelligent and human shows on, and Criminal Minds, which is a fascinating look into the subject matter of the title.
I’ll sit out back with my wife after the shows are over, and enjoy my Saturday night special, vodka and lemonade, enjoy conversation about the problems of the world with my partner, perhaps read some, and then comfortably retire for the evening. It may not sound like the most exciting Saturday night, it may not be the most hip or urbane way to spend an evening, but it is my way, and at my age I’ve learned that doing things my way is always preferable to doing things to impress others or to fit into an idea of a lifestyle defined as desirable by society.
I am a seagull, returning time and time again to my favorite lake, enjoying the familiar surroundings and the beauty to which I have become accustomed. I love the rhythms and the tempo of my lake, the familiar landmarks and the way the sun shines on certain sections at a particular time of day, the way the trees on the shore appear at various times of the year, the steadiness and consistency of it all.
Some birds are more migratory I suppose, they prefer to be constantly on the move, in search of new adventures and novel experiences. Those birds would go to the symphony, then hit up a swank and trendy club or coffee house after, mix and mingle with the other beautiful and interesting birds. There is something to be said for that lifestyle. I do enjoy an evening out from time to time, and I tell myself often that I need to get out and about more often, to go the symphony, and the theater, to see more live music, eat out, catch a movie once in awhile. I’m not a fan of the clubs or bar scenes per se, if I’m with the right flock it’s a good time, but mostly I find it to be a bore, forced and contrived, and I have a problem paying so much more for drinks than I would if I was sitting at home enjoying the atmosphere of my lake, for a fraction of the price no less.
I’m not opposed to new experiences, to exploring new horizons, but to everything there is a tradeoff. Sure, there may be some other lake out there that is more beautiful or more interesting than mine, but I like what I know and love, what makes me comfortable and what I enjoy. It’s why I generally consider all the options on the menu when I go out to eat but inevitably come back to the same entrée that I always get. It’s why I faithfully put on my same pair of comfortable old jeans in the winter, and my same pair of comfortable cargo shorts all summer long. It’s why I love the idea of traveling to new places, and hope one day to be able to, but why ultimately the only trip that I truly care about making is my week or two up in the Sierras every summer, to the same town and lakes and backcountry hikes that I know and love. It’s why I prefer the usual Saturday night routine that I enjoy and look forward to all week.
I am a seagull, it is who I am, in my DNA I suppose. There are other more exotic birds and maybe their lives and experiences are better than mine, but I doubt it, because mine is pretty damn good. My lake may not be the most known or the hippest place to see and be seen, but it’s mine, I know it intimately and it makes me feel alive in a world that is worth living in. So every once in awhile I may venture up and away, beyond the horizon, over the snow covered peaks and pine groves and explore uncharted territory, that appeals as well to my sense of adventure and of gaining new knowledge about new places. But I’ll always return to my lake, at the same times and in the same motions, searching out the familiar spots, sounds, sights, smells and emotions that it provokes within me. I am a seagull, and while there are other ways to live and other types of birds to be, this life, this lake, this way of being suits me just fine, and there’s no other place or other way I’d want to be.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Same as it Ever Was
I think I might apply for a job in Obama’s new cabinet. Here are my qualifications: I am educated, with a degree in political science. I am well-read on the political issues of the day. I am a pragmatist and a realist, not a partisan idealogue. And most importantly, I pay all of my taxes!
Come to think of it, I don’t want a job in Obama’s cabinet or in politics at all, because politics is a dirty business, and I like the fact that I sleep like a baby at night and I like what I see in the morning when I look in the mirror. Of course all this dirty political gamesmanship was going to stop with the new post-partisan administration right? I’m waiting, and so far it ain’t looking too good.
Right now I’m feeling like my buddy Jorge in high school, who bought a VCR from a guy out in front of a 7-11, thought he got a smoking deal until he got it home and found out it was just a VCR box full of bricks. I’m trying to withhold judgment and give our new president the benefit of the doubt, but it’s getting harder to do as this boondoggle of pet projects and wasteful spending is making it’s way through the Congress.
It is being packaged of course as economic stimulus, needed spending to get the economy back on track and to create millions of jobs, to build infrastructure, to give needed aid to states and cities who have been hit hardest by the recession. On this I tend to agree, real stimulus is needed and will benefit our economy and society if it is targeted, timely, and temporary. This package is none of the above.
We were promised that this bill would not contain earmarks and other so-called pork-barrel spending, yet it is full of such measures. Apparently the criteria now for stimulus is if something creates jobs, which is about as vague of a claim as spreading democracy in the Middle East.
We are being sold this package as something that is needed to avoid dire and drastic consequences, if we don’t act then horrible things will happen to us. We need to just trust our government, and our president, that they know what is best and they will do the right thing. Exactly what we heard back in early 2003 when we were being sold on the Iraq War.
I don’t know which set of economists I agree with as far as how to best stimulate the economy. The liberals want more spending and they want it on building infrastructure and other types of direct spending. The conservatives want tax cuts that will put more money in people’s pockets. Both measures will get money into the economy again, which is the main point of a stimulus bill and what is needed, along with addressing serious concerns regarding the housing market and the credit markets. The best idea is probably a combination of direct government spending, aid to states and cities, and tax cuts for individuals and businesses.
So why don’t I have much faith that our new president and his sidekicks in the 111th Congress get it, and are interested in the common sense solution to this serious problem? Because I’ve seen it all before, and despite promises of change and a new era in politics, so far this is simply the same as it ever was. I’m still holding out hope, but my fear is that when I do finally open the box, I’ll be staring at my new purchase, a nice set of bricks. Maybe I’ll use them to build a monument to the inefficiency and incompetence of our government, and as a reminder to not get fooled again.
Come to think of it, I don’t want a job in Obama’s cabinet or in politics at all, because politics is a dirty business, and I like the fact that I sleep like a baby at night and I like what I see in the morning when I look in the mirror. Of course all this dirty political gamesmanship was going to stop with the new post-partisan administration right? I’m waiting, and so far it ain’t looking too good.
Right now I’m feeling like my buddy Jorge in high school, who bought a VCR from a guy out in front of a 7-11, thought he got a smoking deal until he got it home and found out it was just a VCR box full of bricks. I’m trying to withhold judgment and give our new president the benefit of the doubt, but it’s getting harder to do as this boondoggle of pet projects and wasteful spending is making it’s way through the Congress.
It is being packaged of course as economic stimulus, needed spending to get the economy back on track and to create millions of jobs, to build infrastructure, to give needed aid to states and cities who have been hit hardest by the recession. On this I tend to agree, real stimulus is needed and will benefit our economy and society if it is targeted, timely, and temporary. This package is none of the above.
We were promised that this bill would not contain earmarks and other so-called pork-barrel spending, yet it is full of such measures. Apparently the criteria now for stimulus is if something creates jobs, which is about as vague of a claim as spreading democracy in the Middle East.
We are being sold this package as something that is needed to avoid dire and drastic consequences, if we don’t act then horrible things will happen to us. We need to just trust our government, and our president, that they know what is best and they will do the right thing. Exactly what we heard back in early 2003 when we were being sold on the Iraq War.
I don’t know which set of economists I agree with as far as how to best stimulate the economy. The liberals want more spending and they want it on building infrastructure and other types of direct spending. The conservatives want tax cuts that will put more money in people’s pockets. Both measures will get money into the economy again, which is the main point of a stimulus bill and what is needed, along with addressing serious concerns regarding the housing market and the credit markets. The best idea is probably a combination of direct government spending, aid to states and cities, and tax cuts for individuals and businesses.
So why don’t I have much faith that our new president and his sidekicks in the 111th Congress get it, and are interested in the common sense solution to this serious problem? Because I’ve seen it all before, and despite promises of change and a new era in politics, so far this is simply the same as it ever was. I’m still holding out hope, but my fear is that when I do finally open the box, I’ll be staring at my new purchase, a nice set of bricks. Maybe I’ll use them to build a monument to the inefficiency and incompetence of our government, and as a reminder to not get fooled again.
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