The Cliff and Leadership
We as a country have put ourselves in a position where the issue of leadership is being confused with being able to assign blame, avoid responsibility, and continue to be able to raise money to continue in political office and avoid having to actually have to vote in a manner that relates governing.
President Obama has some leadership issues. John Boehner and Mitch McConnell have similar leadership issue on the Republican side of the aisle, as do Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. This does not excuse the 535 that are elected to represent the other 307,000,000 of us.
If the median family income ranges from about $40,000 in Mississippi to about $66,000 in Maryland and the poverty level for a family of four is $23,000 and 200% of poverty for a family of four is $46,000 nationwide there are lots of people that are struggling to meet their financial obligations.
I get it. I'm willing to say that there is too much money being spent on keeping this country on a war time footing when it comes to military spending. Too much money is spent on end of life medical care funded by medicare or medicaid. Given the fact that we are living longer there needs to be a better way of determining when people should be pensioned out of the workforce. There are examples of waste, duplication of services and outright fraud that give even good government programs a bad name and they need to be eliminated.
Democracy isn't easy, but we seem to have outsmarted ourselves in the name of something beyond even enlightened self interest, to believing that we all live close enough to the exit to escape any and all disasters financial or otherwise.
President Obama has some leadership issues. John Boehner and Mitch McConnell have similar leadership issue on the Republican side of the aisle, as do Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. This does not excuse the 535 that are elected to represent the other 307,000,000 of us.
If the median family income ranges from about $40,000 in Mississippi to about $66,000 in Maryland and the poverty level for a family of four is $23,000 and 200% of poverty for a family of four is $46,000 nationwide there are lots of people that are struggling to meet their financial obligations.
I get it. I'm willing to say that there is too much money being spent on keeping this country on a war time footing when it comes to military spending. Too much money is spent on end of life medical care funded by medicare or medicaid. Given the fact that we are living longer there needs to be a better way of determining when people should be pensioned out of the workforce. There are examples of waste, duplication of services and outright fraud that give even good government programs a bad name and they need to be eliminated.
Democracy isn't easy, but we seem to have outsmarted ourselves in the name of something beyond even enlightened self interest, to believing that we all live close enough to the exit to escape any and all disasters financial or otherwise.
There is nothing to do or say about this. This is the path the American people have chosen. This is what you voted for.
ReplyDeleteDon't remember voting for any of the republican leadership. Or Harry Reid for that matter, but I doubt that Romney would have won had I voted for him in Florida. And you think a parliamentary system is disfunctional. Happy New Year. Hialeah Winner's Circle was fun on the 12/21/2012.
DeleteWell, you probably voted for some of the Democractic leadership or maybe didn't vote at all. Obama, Reid, McConnell etc. were elected by Americans, so this is what "we" Americans voted for. This is not in dispute is it? The "you" in "what you vioted for for" wasn't meant to be personal, just as your statement "we seem to have outsmarted ourselves" is not me. Cheers on following our chosen path.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the voters are sick of what congress has become. Illeana Ros lehtenin has been silent on this issue. Bill nelson hasn't called me either.
ReplyDeleteAs for my distaste for parliments, the problem is that a Prime Minister (who is appointed) is in fact the same as a King or Monarch. There is no check on a parlimentary majority.
ReplyDeleteSort of like harry, nancy, mitch, and john were appointed by their parties. I really like the Dennis Haster rule where you can't do much of anything unless you have a majority of the majority. And in the Senate it is even worse.
DeleteWhy would Illeana talk to you? You're not Cuban, LGBT or rich. I'm still waiting for Rahm to get back to me on Chicago's "year of the children" celebration. I'm thinking of becoming the precinct committeeman for our section here. I would need 8 signatures. I'll get to see the inside of how the GOP selects candidates. As a bonus people could ask me for favors and I could put them on the latest GOP porklist. Haster was a world class porker, so I have a lot to learn here.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year. Maybe next year you'll comment on Did I Zoom's victory at Hialeah Park. I think there is a video on AQHA Racing Video.
ReplyDelete