Stimulate Me

Best that I can determine there are only two things wrong with our government.

Republicans and Democrats.

Other than that everything is going fine.

Imagine where America would be under the following scenario:
In each business enterprise for the last 100 years the employees of every single company were split into two unions. The two unions had vast ideological differences and basically fought tooth and nail over every business decision. How many companies would have prospered under that labor division?
Would America be the capitalist powerhouse it is today?
No.

So, in case you’re keeping score, here’s where we are today, February 22, 2009:
The Republicans, who had no problem ballooning the deficit with President Bush at the helm, have suddenly grown balls and are “going back to their fiscally conservative roots.” Whew, how convenient. Just when they pledged bi-partisan cooperation, there they go, voting unanimously against whatever’s on the agenda. Well, almost unanimously.
Meanwhile the Democrats have presented and passed an economic stimulus plan that just happens to feature every two-bit social program they could dredge up.

The parties have one thing in common. They love spending money they don’t have.

Here’s what we know so far:
President Bush’s tax rebate plan didn’t work. Remember it? Was it good for you?

The first half of the bail out – the one that we just had to do to loosen the credit markets?
Didn’t work. Was it good for you?

The second half of the bail out, the “TARP,” the one we’re about to role out, but with more “oversight” and limited executive compensation? Any evidence that it will work? None.

The stimulus package that just passed – any evidence it will do the trick?
None. Might. Might Not. Just like porn – might stimulate you, might not. Is it good for you?

I used to get very upset about how the government spent my money. I’m over that. They’re not spending my money anymore. They’re several generations ahead now. So, while the woman who had octuplets is being roundly criticized, may I commend her for doing her part to populate the U.S. with the taxpayers of the future. We’re going to need them.
Just gotta job ‘em someday.

So, the way I see it the stimulus bill is a cheesy attempt to slip a high hard one past us. President Obama made it easy on the Republicans who can say they voted against the largest spending bill in history.

The Pelosi’s should have broken the bill up into the debatable parts. Pass a massive infrastructure bill. Let them vote against it. Pass a massive energy bill. Let them vote against it. Pass Health Care reform. Let them vote against it. But they had to do it all at once, tossing in all that “stuff” in a bill that couldn’t have been read by Congress reading at the normal reading rate of a human. Good move in the short run. Bad move in the long run. They’ll pay.

Congressmen have long been re-elected on their ability to bring home the bacon to their home district. Now we just call it pork. One man’s pork is another man’s bacon. Just don’t call it an earmark.

Back to the two parties. Could it be that we’ve outgrown them - that they no longer serve us as well as they should? We have two parties who have strong ideological bases. And maybe that’s the problem. They can’t see past their ideologies. Are the problems of 2009 beyond their grasp? While the pols continue to spit blame, could it be more obvious that they all let us down – that they simply didn’t understand what was ahead? Do you get the feeling that they are on a fishing expedition for solutions and they’re overmatched? Maybe their indecision on our eventual social security shortfall and failure to solve it is just a preview of things to come. We should’ve known.

Could it be time for a third party? Maybe one that doesn’t have its own shill cable network. A party that doesn’t have an ideological base, but a factual, pragmatic one? One that can reason its way through the complex, tough decisions that confront us without being encumbered by the expectations of its donors. An inclusive one where all opinions are respected, valued, and utilized, and consensus decision making is the norm.

Or is it going to be octuplets all around?