My good buddy Rob replied to a post I did the other day, making the following comment:
1.“all you’d ever hear from the Left is how shameless Republicans are on morality issues. When there’s a Democrat in the White House? Not a peep, of course…â€
No, but you hear it from the right. That’s how it works. The left complains about the right, the right complains about the left, and the seasons, they go round and round, and the painted ponies go up and down.
I was going to reply to him in comment, but it started getting so long I figured I’d turn it into a separate post. So here it is:
“You’re right about that, Rob, but I will you this: the Democrats have been in charge for over a year now and I don’t know about you, but I’ve been around a long time and I’ve never seen this country in such a mess.
Does anyone – anyone – think anyone at the top knows what the hell they’re doing? Think about it. We’ve got unemployment stuck at or around 10%, and that doesn’t even begin to take into account people who have given up looking for work. Include that, the unemployment rate is more like 23%. Teenage unemployment has never been higher since they’ve started keeping track of those kinds of things. The country is so awash in record debt – at both the state and federal levels – that we will saddle not just our grandchildren, but their children with footing the bill, and all Washington can think of doing is dickering around with healthcare legislation that will not only bankrupt the country, but more importantly, throw yet another sector of the country’s economy into chaos.
And after this bill passes, what are the Democrats planning? Why, an amnesty bill for those in this country illegally – legislation that will not only increase unemployment further (now there’s an idea!), but the payout of government services on an even larger scale than is already being done. And don’t even get me started on the “cap-and-trade” bill that would penalize industries that supposedly contribute to global warming. Wonder where those industries would pass on the cost of that legislation? Hmmm…
This has nothing to do with political parties. I, for one, wish it did. This has everything to do with a President who was elected primarily on his message that he was going to “change the tone in Washington”, “change the way Washington works”, and have “the most transparent administration in history”. Those aren’t my words, those are his. So how’s all that “hopenchange” workin’ out for y’all? You better off today than you were a year ago? Need three more years of what’s been going on in Washington in order to figure that out?
Here’s how I’m better off today than last year at this time. I just got my first paycheck of the year Friday and it’s $5.50 less than it the last check. When I get my next two-week check, it’ll be $11 less. Now you might say, “Great White Shank, you can afford the loss of $11, can’t you?”. Yes I can, but that’s not the idea. That’s money being taken out of my pocket, money I’ve worked harder for this past year than I ever have in my life. That money ought to be MINE, not anyone else’s. It’s money I could spend at the Petsmart, or the supermarket, or the pizza joint, or the convenience store, or help my sister-in-law, or contribute to my church or charity that’s gone FOR GOOD. And to whom? And for what? And that’s just my $11. Multiply that by all the other people who will also see their paychecks reduced and all of a sudden you’re starting to talk real money. How’s that going to help the business down the street hire someone new or increase their profits so someone else can?
But I digress.
I’ll tell you this, when the present administration is still blaming George W. Bush for everything that’s going on, I would hardly call that a change in tone and the way Washington works. I call that an abdication of responsibility.
When the administration resists allowing C-SPAN to broadcast conference committee meetings needed to reconcile a heathcare bill that could still only BARELY pass both houses of Congress after bribes were tossed around faster than favors in a Nevada whorehouse, that’s not transparency. I call that corruption.
When the Director of Homeland Security, the day after an attempt to blow up an airliner over Detroit was prevented only when his detonator failed to detonate and he was subdued by passengers on board, says “the system worked”, only to be corrected days later by the President characterizing the event as “a catastrophic failure on all levels”, that’s not just incompetence. I call that frighteningly incompetent.
Look, I understand how Washington works. And if all this were all happening with some stupid public works bill or the usual spend-and-tax crap that both political parties in Washington are so good at, I’d agree with you. But these idiots are screwing around with people’s healthcare coverage, our nation’s economic future, our basic standard of living, and the security of our nation’s air system. When previously-loyal-Democrat seniors find out that their Medicare and access to health care is being cut back, their taxes are going up yet again, no one will be hiring due to all the economic uncertainty, and that their asses are more likely to be blown up in the air because of some fear we may offend or inconvenience someone by profiling them at an airport checkpoint, I’m sorry, that’s not the usual way Washington and the political parties work.
This is insanity, incompetence, political pettiness, and graft and corruption on display at an unprecendented level. We’re talking trillions upon trillions of dollars, impacting the way millions upon millions of people live. Maybe at one time it was about the political parties and the size of government and the way government spends our hard-earned money. But that’s no longer the case. Now it’s Washington deliberately turning its collective backs on the welfare of the American people solely for personal gain and petty political one-upsmanship. And no one in the White House showing any interest in displaying any kind of leadership or living up to their high-falutin’ campaign rhetoric and promises.”
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Pool temp: 49 degrees
“This is insanity, incompetence, political pettiness, and graft and corruption on display at an unprecendented level.”
It is nowhere near that. All of the ills, if they are that, that you cited were never going to be fixed in one year or 4 years or 10 years for that matter. Health care may not be fixed but it is changing directions. I’m OK with that. The economy is the only real issue right now. Unfortunately, the President can provide leadership and encouragement but he is largely incidental to the economy. It is mostly up to consumers to set aside their fears and get back out into the world. Doom and gloom comes from the left when the right is in power, from the right when the left is in power. Politics as usual. We’d all be better off if we paid less attention to the minutiae of Washington.
Comment by Rob — January 10, 2010 @ 9:58 am
Have to disagree with you there, Rob. Uncertainty is what is preventing business both large and small from feeling confident enough about hiring. And the uncertainty out there is a direct result of President Obama’s unwillingness to take a lead on anything that can give a business owner confidence his costs will not go through the roof because of increased taxes and government regulation, which is all the Democrats are about right now.
And anyone who ignores what’s going on in Washington right now does so at their own peril. That’s exactly what the Democrats are hoping for and counting on. If the Republicans were in control and doing the same thing I’d be just as alarmed.
The key to growing this economy is not to grow government, it is to put more money in the hands of the people who earned it so they can spend it and invest it. But I’ve never known a Democrat since JFK who wanted to lower taxes and decrease the size of the federal government, that’s why with the clowns now in power you have to pay attention to what’s going on in Washington. Your wallet and your freedom depend on it.
Comment by The Great White Shank — January 10, 2010 @ 10:41 pm
The way I have always looked at things is like this: Except for obeying traffic signals and paying sales tax, how many things do I do in a normal day in deference to government? How many did I do last year, 10 years ago, 20 years ago? It hasn’t changed much for me in that time, regardless of who is in charge in Washington, Baton Rouge, or my local government. We are not on the road to ruin.
Comment by Rob — January 11, 2010 @ 11:02 am
You know what you do to government? Just check your paycheck every week or two. There’s a lot of money I have confidence in the good folks at CrabAppleLane to spend better and more effectively and directly to the community than Washington does.
At some point you just have to look around and ask just what your hard-earned money is going towrds. Just look at the story today about the congressional delegation that went to the global warming talks in Copenhagen. All this while people both you and I know are hard up for jobs. It’s criminal. Maybe for some people it’s OK; I respect their willingness to be sheep and let the government take an ever-increasing piece of their hard-earned pie. But not me. This kind of thing is not just shameless, it is criminal. And there is something you and I can do, you can vote these bastards out of office.
I get no more for my money than I did 10 or 20 years ago. There are way too many people sucking off the public trough, and at some point you just have to say enough is enough. I’m more than willing to pay my fair share in taxes and to help my family whenever it comes to that. But I despise giving my hard-earned scratch to fatcats and the well-connected; you have them in Louisiana, we have them in Arizona. They’re everywhere, and they’re increasing in number. Because that’s what government does at it’s most basic functionality. It grows.
At some point you have to say or do something; otherwise, someday all we’ll be doing is working for the government.
Comment by The Great White Shank — January 11, 2010 @ 11:23 pm
I’m not disagreeing with you that much but I do have an idea where most of my tax dollars are going. It’s all around me and it’s on the news. A hospital here, an interstate improvement there, a war or two, quite a few social programs, administration, etc. I pay a portion of my paycheck to that. It is considerably less than many countries but I’d still rather live here.
As for fatcats in government: If you’re talking about those in government employ, there may be a handful of them making a decent living but the vast, overwhelming majority of them are underpaid and overworked. If you’re talking about those receiving government contracts, that’s a whole other kettle of fish where I’d like to see reform.
Comment by Rob — January 12, 2010 @ 2:17 pm
Thanks for your comments, Rob. This has been a great dialog between us, and I’ve enjoyed it. I hope it shows y’all out there that on Goodboys Nation weblog, one can express a different viewpoint without being criticized or name-called. Rob comes from (at least I think he does!) a different political viewpoint than I do, but it’s great, I enjoy and respect his views and the discussion. Wish everyone in Washington (and this country) could share the same respectful discourse about one’s political views.
I hope y’all who have your own political views will feel encouraged in future posts (or this one, for that matter) to join in on the discussion. It’s what makes America America. We don’t often get into heavy issues here at the ‘Nation, but when we do, passionate and respectful discourse is the spice of life. C’mon in, the water’s fine!
Comment by The Great White Shank — January 12, 2010 @ 9:19 pm