Lately I was pleased to hear two really common sense guys who managed to have concrete ideas or experience to go with their criticisms. Or better yet, they can explain what they think the problem s are and how to fix them without bashing the other party. It was refreshing to listen to Chris Christie in an interview on CNN with Piers Morgan; he told us who he was, what he stood for and only mentioned the word “liberal” a few times and not derogatorily at that. He seems to realize it takes both stallions and mares to make a horse. Conversely, it takes two or more ways of thinking to make a democracy. I liked the guy personally because he said what he thought about things without hesitation and without the patriot games that have become so familiar to us. He got through the whole interview without making things up as he went.
On the contrary, watching the first Republican “debate” I noticed some of those folks were still campaigning for the same thing they have always campaigned for; division. They seem to not be for America succeeding; rather they are for Obama’s failure and apparently the failure of the Democratic Party which happens to be the other half of the horse. This is not a one-sided affair by any means, but it has been, the last several years, taken to heights we should all be ashamed of. It is nonsense when folks are not speaking to all Americans when they ask for a vote; rather they are pandering to only one party and offering nothing in particular for solutions for the country. My Daddy taught me that when folks continue to bad mouth everyone else without offering a solution, they are likely covering for their own inadequacies.
All concentration on the problems facing this country has been cast aside to embrace “my way or the highway” both in congress and in main stream America and it is ridiculous. There is no black and white when it comes to fixing this mess the BANKS got us into although there are some on both sides who would like to make you think so. Sure, sure, the banks were not regulated like they were before Reagan loosened control on them, but nothing we say to go with our hindsight is fixing the problem and we need to drop it. At the same time folks need to stop listening to those who keep preaching spending reform before job creation…that will NOT fix the problem of a recessed economy from what I can ascertain. Any casual observer can see that the Bush tax cuts did nothing to create jobs or stop them from falling of the street both before he was out of office and after.
Much of the mess we are in has nothing to do with the budget; rather it has to do with two unfunded wars, the first in the history of this country without raising taxes. Without Americans keeping our GDP afloat or producing instead of being supported with unemployment, there will be no need for a balanced budget. By the way, do you realize it was only ten years ago that this country was sporting a budget surplus and nearly in the black across the entire economic board?
Getting people back to work has to be the number one priority for this country and we are not going to do it without investment in those people. If we let this country go in default all hell will break loose, according to the other really wise man I was fortunate enough to catch, Mr. Alan Simpson former Republican senator from Wyoming on “In the Arena” also on CNN. He was saying that folks who are pooh-poohing this debt ceiling deal have no idea what will happen if we let it go, like the federal bond market perhaps liquidating which would be devastating. The investments the bonds bring to this country are tremendous and if the holders decide to cash them in it could be really bad. Not only will we have to pay them, we would not have their investment. He was also saying that Bernanke is in no way lying about the seriousness of this and congress needs to get together on ideas and stop the partisan crap.
I have said before, the “Tea Party” had the right idea in the beginning and a few of their branches still do, and many of them do not agree with where parts of the party have drifted. The folks throwing the tea into Boston Harbor were all shapes and sizes and certainly all single minded but they came together to oppose the English government not each other. Michelle Bachman said during the first Republican debate that the current Tea Party is made up of people from every walk and then went on to mention several times that “liberals” are to blame for thus and so. My question is: which is it… All for one, or one for all, or neither? I happen to be a “one” and part of the “All” but they are not attempting to get my vote it seems nor are they telling me what it is they intend to do to “fix” things. I am tired of hearing how bad the other side is and what a great business hand Reagan was, let’s fix the problems now!
Speaking of Reagan…I liked him fine. He over all did an OK job but he was no God as he is being portrayed today by some who are lamenting the fact they can’t find anyone worthy to step up to the plate in his place. He had charisma alright, but he sat on 10% unemployment for about two years; higher than what we have right now. He also raised mostly middle class taxes 11 times to stave off a full blown depression in easier times than now. By far the biggest thing he had going for him was a congress who could work together to solve problems and that helped to save his bacon. Back then legislators were not all about annihilating the other party. If that had been the case back 200 years ago, we would not be a country today.
There are those who know full well that Obama fails if they sit this one out. I ask: What about us? What about this country if they cut education as a stab at looking fiscally responsible? The manufacturing jobs are gone folks…they are not coming back because cheap labor is key to multi-billion dollar success stories. We need education to be as affordable as it can possibly be because the jobs we hope to create to keep up require that. Big companies here at this time have learned how to get by with less employees and some are even hiring temporary white collar workers because they do not have to provide them with a single bennie. Point is, we will have to re-educate the folks who are sitting on the sidelines and we just aren't doing that without an investment and a serious one. We have to invest in industry that will carry us through in a changing world. We might actually see people buying up government bonds if we were to announce to the world that we were on a collective course to pull ourselves up by the boot straps.
The rich are still rich, we must enlist them to make investment into great new ideas; the mamby pamby chicken shit blame game has to stop. What of challenging America invention to come up with bio-plastics to replace oil based materials; investing in solar and wind in a very real sense, not the half hearted display we see now? Efficient batteries to store electricity from solar and wind generation, home solar charging stations for electric cars, landfill power generation; I could go on and on. I guess I sound like “a liberal” but the ideas are out there and they are being sat on because no one is investing. No one is investing because existing industry like oil and gas are the squeaky wheels and they are getting, pardon my pun, the oil. Legislators on the opposing side are gambling that Obama will fail before the country goes under so they are sitting idly on a powder keg in doing so.
I have a friend who was pointing out how electric cars just would not do for many applications like pulling our horse trailers or cross-country trips. I was compelled to argue that modern trains are pulled by electric motors. Yes, they are diesel charged, but refined solar might just change that if great minds are supported. Ski lifts are pulled 100% by electric motors and mountain top solar would be easy enough to do to supply power in the future for that industry. Gas stations already exist and can become electric power hookups almost overnight since transmission lines are already in place to them. My point is it just isn’t that difficult.
It is high time we write legislators and prod them to give up at least some of their special interest money and time to fix this country. We have to start with investment and the money is out there without further draining our country, we just have to tap it and we aren’t going to do that without sound support from congress. We indeed have a President who is more than willing to help with innovation, but he cannot do it alone nor will he get legislative help until we demand it. The legislators, at least in part are paid by big oil to keep oil production going and until we break that cycle by squawking louder regarding innovation we will be in food and gas lines and I mean soon. We cannot lock ourselves away from the rest of the world either, which is another of the Tea Party pushes; we have to play in the giant sandbox now and it can be hugely productive if we just pick up the shovel. Burying our heads in the sand is not an option.
The only thing that has kept us going so far were the investments that George W and Obama made and they did not go far enough so we are seeing the effects of it dwindle. I am all for getting the spending under control but at this time that is toe scuffing and folks shoes are wearing thin.
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