Friday, July 29, 2011


Getting back into this blogging game is coming harder than I thought it would. I have started several posts, but gave up on them for one reason or another. Too tired to finish, what I wrote didn't even interest me once I read them, or I just could not get comfortable stealing time away from all the other crap going on in my life at the moment.

Yet the urge to write still exists.

The Debt Ceiling

Just what the Hell is the problem? We have had no problem raising it at the drop of the hat in the past. Now all of a sudden there are those folks who would try to force this country into fiscal responsibility in one drastic measure. We cannot fix the damn economy overnight.

The argument that the solution is with spending cuts alone is patent bullshit. Of course we need to cutback our free spending ways, but we also need some kind of new income stream to stoke the fire. Closing loopholes and asking the income bracket we bailed out not 3 years ago to share some of the rewards they garnered on our dime seems appropriate.

Anyone who believes that taxing the rich more is flirting with disaster is either rich or clueless in my opinion. Yes, it took us 40 plus years to dig this hole we are in. The negative result we are experiencing now though seemed to pick up steam as soon as Bush the Lessor instituted his tax cuts. Trickle Down Economics did not work when Reagan pushed it, and it has not worked since. All it has down is pour money into pockets already flush with cash with no tangible rewards for the majority of the country.

I am so sick and tired of hearing how important and entitled the rich are I could spit. Instead of stepping up and making sacrifices the rest of us have been forced to make, the rich folk have dug in their heels and basically told us to pound sand. It seems Congress agrees.

Congress

About as useless a crew as I have ever seen take up space inside the Capitol Beltway. No matter what party we belong to, we should all be thoroughly disgusted with the lot of them. Ideology has completely taken over from pragmatism. What's good for the country not even on their radar. They are so wrapped up in butting heads over policy, nothing is getting done.

One of my Senators, Olympia Snowe, sends me a monthly(?) news letter entitled "The Snowe Report". In it she focuses on all of the issues she is concerned about. Her latest report gave the current gridlock in DC only a passing mention while she pushed the notion that a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution will solve all our fiscal problems. The majority of the report then became nothing more than a public relations effort to show her as an effective legislator. She stopped being effective years ago. All of them stopped being effective years ago. Bunch of jive talking losers in my opinion.

Obama

I voted for the man. And even though he has disappointed me some since he was elected, I will vote for him again. He seems to be the only voice coming out of DC that is pushing for some kind of solution that will move us along. Whether his ideas have any merit or not, at least he is focusing on solving problems, not just arguing over stupid shit and trying to shift blame. He acknowledges that mistakes have been made, but we need to move on. Republicans and Democrats in Congress however seem to only be interested in blaming each other or Obama for the mess the country got itself into.

We are all responsible to some degree for what we have now. That is the nature of a democratic culture. The prosperity of the population rises or falls based on the choices and attention we pay to the process. Demanding change is worthless unless all of us are willing to step up and be part of it. Ideology can set our course, but we should be ready to use common sense to help avoid the pitfalls and reefs that course may have in its path.

Later..............................

9 comments:

squatlo said...

Well, I don't know why you aren't interested in what you choose to write about, but for what it's worth, I damn sure am. Keep scribblin', man.
As disappointed as I am in Obama, I also realize he was dealt a shitty hand, has had to deal with one of the most unified and goose-stepping opposition parties in history, and is probably trying to serve from the middle a bit more than I would approve of if I were running things. All that said, I fully support his second term. Getting things done when you aren't worried about reelection makes a lot of presidents' true colors shine. I still think he'll make us proud one day.

Mauigirl said...

I think this post was right on the money, no pun intended. You are right on all counts. And yes, Obama is the only one who seems to really want to solve problems. Unfortunately the GOP just wants to stonewall everything. I'm sure it's part of their plan to make the economy crash so Obama would lose in 2012. Hope it backfires as it did in '94 when Gingrich closed down the government.

Mr. Charleston said...

Glad to see you back in the saddle Crum. I suppose now that the Tour de France rush is over you'll have some time to spin a little BS like the rest of us.

Ol'Buzzard said...

About thirty percent of the American public vote - the rest should have no complaints.

I have seen this country in turmoil before: 1950's integration and VietNam - But what the hell is this all about? We have let the inmates have controll of the asylum.
the Ol'Buzzard

Randal Graves said...

The only solution that will come out of DC is something bitter and, unlike, syrup of ipecac, will kill you dead.

Kodos 2012

Kulkuri said...

You're right on all counts. Sometimes (most of the time) I wonder where the hell this country is headed. Certainly not in a direction any sane person would want!!

My fondest hope is still that the FuckingRepublicans will become the Whigs of the 21st century. Then we can work on the Dems to get them to work for the people like they like to claim!!

PipeTobacco said...

Hello Mike:

You state... "Obama

I voted for the man. And even though he has disappointed me..."

Same here. I voted for him and I am disappointed in him as well. And I am frustrated that I will likely need to vote for him again as he will surely be the Democratic pick, and even though he is no knight in shinning armor, he is the closest candidate to share at least some of my views and thoughts.

Still... I am SORELY disappointed in his performance thus far on damn near everything.

PipeTobacco
http://frumpyprofessor.blogspot.com

BBC said...

Yet the urge to write still exists.

Well, the urge to fix things still exists. But our voices are so small and over powered by those that really run things, they don't give a damn if they take us down the tubes, it will give them better control over us.

BBC said...

Obama just became a member of the good old old boys club is all. There's things he won't do because it would be too costly to his personal fortune. He's just another form of carpetbagger.