Second Thoughts

Nothing turns an aggressive driver into a cautious one more than being a participant or immediate observer in a serious auto crash. The result is an instantaneous, if temporary, behavior modification.
A similar phenomenon exists in the political sphere. The public opinion pendulum swings between pessimism and optimism and we vote for candidates who reflect the current mood. None of them can change conditions enough in the short term and second thoughts, buyers remorse, takes over. We want to
throw out the rascals we just elected. So it is with the current congress. Under
the pressure of the tea party radicals a large group of freshmen, inexperiened and poorly informed, were elected. They immediately took control of the budgeting process, with complete stalemate as result. Now polls show the peeople who elected them have buyers remorse---a post accident behavior
change. We must hope the change is long lasting---enough to get our financial house in order; Get a managable budget passed, one that does not obliterate
the entire social program of the nation.

From treasure to trash!

The title aptly describes the journey of the American political process during the past several decades. When it began is itself a matter of
opinion; whether with the unregulated derivatives/real estate boom, the exodus of our industrial base to low wage venues, the invasion of Iraq. And for the bible thumping moralists, perhaps with the founding of Planned Parenthood?
It has been characterized by a climate of anti-intellectual sentiment, with contempt for science where it interferes with the biases of the uninformed.
The politicians have been quick to latch on to, and exploit, the public's fear and economic stress. Instead of addressing the underlying decay in our financial
system, and three senseless wars, the political prostitutes in Washington
have sold out to the giant banks and corporations and the know-nothings
of the Tea Party. They are determined to solve our financial problems on the backs of the remnants of our middle class, and eliminate the one program, Planned Parenthood, with the best opportunty to eliminate abortion, at no cost to tax payers.
Just as a medical evaluation is required of candidates to become officers in our armed forces, we should screen the intelligence of candidates for Congress.
And throw in a "Venality" evaluation if one can be devised!

Is Success an Option?

So many people, including those at S & P, the leading financial rating agency
have concluded the U.S. is on the brink of financial collapse that it has become conventional wisdom, thus coloring policy decisions, as well as campaign rhetoric. Whether collapse is likely may be subject for debate, but there should be no debate about the need to prepare the American public for the change in
our status to a second tier player on the international stage and financial
structure. Not that the change would be harmful to America. We need and could wisely use a respite from the role and burdens of being policeman to the world. And the European Union has reached the point where it can do that.
If we accept and exploit our new status it will offer resources which we can devote to our financial problems and avoid collapse entirely. That is a desirable option if we can muster the willpower to do it. CAN WE?

Hope Springs Eternal

For many days I have been searching the news out of Washington, the media news cycles, and on the internet, for a scrap of optimistic news---perhaps that rationality was once again on the national menu. Hallelujah, there is an omen! On both the left and right, the "moderates" have become aware of the critical dangers confronting us if the extremist elements (in both parties) were to control the budgeting process. The moderates are speaking out, at some political risk, to rein in the most rabid budget cutters, to retain some small semblance of the Social Contract which gave us the world's highest middle class standard of living. They are also tackling the cost of the world's mightiest military establishment at a time when our financial resources are exhausted. To solve our financial problems will require a combination of reduced spending, and an increase in government revenue. Spending reductions are the most feasible in the present political climate, but in the long run they also reduce economic activity which reduces government revenue. Increased taxes yield increased revenue but theory claims they dampen economic activity and job creation. Who to tax? The middle class is already financially stressed and added taxes on them is unlikely to produce added revenue. Tax the rich flies in the face of the "trickle down" theory. Ah, there's the rub! We have had more than a decade testing the theory, and it has not worked as intended.The wealthy have become even more wealthy while the middle class has become impoverished. If we increase taxes on the wealthy it would not affect their consumption but the revenue could be applied to the national debt, reducing the annual interest burden and moderating the fall of the middle class. Sparing the wealthy did not turn them into engines of job creation. A combination of government and private capital can do that. So tax the wealthy, but offer tax incentives for private capital, related to the jobs they create. Anyone will chose the carrot over the stick.

The quality of life

There is an old aphorism about two sons, one a perpetual optimist, the other a pessimist.To explain the different personalities which originated from within the same household, each parent attributed the influence of the other as the causative agent. The children in turn considered the parents as inconsequential in this matter--it was simply their personal preference. It takes a considerable period of maturation before parental wisdom is recognized.
When asked for examples of the personality differences they used a bottle of milk in the refrigerator that contained half the original contents.
The mother and one child described it as a half-empty bottle, the other two as
half full. This is an old story but a good predictor of how children will behave when they become adults--what kind of politics they will practice.
For some the government cannot do anything right that does not conform to their personal biases. And that means their self serving needs and desires. My way or the highway is their anthem. If other's needs differ so that compromise
is the correct modus vivendi, the compromise must always be made to accommodate their wishes. Voila, we have the tea party, which in one form or another has been around for a long time, and never produced a successful
administration. And the major Party which hitches its wagon to it eventually loses because of its unworkable extremism. But the music goes on, the dance continues and the nation suffers further decline. And the middle class, the bulwark of the Tea Party, pays the piper.

A Fable for our Time

In the year 2147 a tourist visiting the ruins of what in earlier times was known as the Pentagon, discovered a secret vault whose existence was not previously known. A special congressional commission was appointed to supervise the opening of the vault, with the solemnity it merited. When the vault was opened it was found to contain only three documents, master forms of affidavits to be signed by all Presidents, members of Congress and justices of the Supreme Court. The cover page binding the documents contained instructions that the signed affidavits were to be considered as having the status of an amendment to the constitution which the office holder was obliged to support and protect. The texts of the documents were made public at the 2148 Presidential swearing-in ceremony despite the fact that they had never been ratified, or approved by referendum. The texts are as follows: PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

I.( ) President of the United States, solemnly swear and affirm that I will faithfully perform the duties of that office. I will defend and protect the constitution of the United States and in all matters strive to provide for the greatest good for the greatest number of our citizens, without

favor to any station, ethniciy or political persuasion.

I will require of my staff that they treat the public with courtesy and efficiency and accept no outside form of compensation or recompense in performance of the duties required of them. If at anytime I fail to honor this pledge I will inform the people and strive to correct any misbehavior.

CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES

I ( ), (Representive) (Senator) from the State of ( ) do solemnly

swear and affirm that I will faithfully and honestly perform the duties of the office to which I have been elected. I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States and devote myself to promoting the welfare of all our citizens

without favor for status, ethnicity or political persuasion, with additional attention to the interests of the constituency which elected me.

If at any time I am tempted to promote the interest of a special group at the

expense of the welfare of the general citizenry, I will resign my office.

SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES

I ( ) Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States

do solemnly swear and and affirm that I will faithfully and honestly perform

the duties of the office in which I serve. In judicial matters which come before

me I will render judgement objectively, based on the evidence, arguments and existing laws and decisions, and without consideration of my personal biases,

preferences, and political persuasion. If in any matter I am unable to observe

these ethical guidelines, I will recuse myself.

Shame on us.

The bizarre and disgusting budget process in which congress and the president are engaged is a shame on the American voters who sent them to Washington. The nation's fiscal health is terminal. The collapse of the dollar as the international medium of exchange is imminent. Serious planning measures must be applied to come up with a budget to keep the government operating, and being a player on the international scene. Instead we have a series of take-it-or-leave it proposals to make totally irresponsible draconian cuts in all social programs, which comprise a very small fraction of the federal budget. The rabid tea party republicans know such proposals cannot pass, but they are more interested in maneuvering to place the blame for a government shut-down, and stalemate, on the Dems. Such gamesmanship at this critical juncture in our nation's history is shameful, criminal. And it will be the rank and file government employees, and the commerce associated with their pay checks who will pay the penalty for this congressional farce, not congressmen.