The Brink of Brinkmanship

Living in the Washington, DC area means I get an up close and personal look at how our federal government works.  Or in most cases doesn’t work.  I’m quite appalled at how the people who are responsible for administering my tax dollars behave.  The petty squabbling and selfish ambition on display is really all too much.  Yet these are the people that we elect to represent us.  What does that say about us?

Now the latest round of petty squabbling led the federal government to the brink of shutdown because Congress refuses to perform the most basic element of their constitutional duties, control the governmental purse strings.  Republicans blame Democrats and of course Democrats blame Republicans.  Well they’re right, there’s more than enough blame to go around

Last year when the timid Democrats controlled the House and the Senate with historic majorities they failed to pass a 2011 budget and watched their control of the House drift away.  Of course they blame Republicans, but they could have  basically passed whatever they wanted.  Now the Republicans in control are attempting to push forth some of the most drastic and unfair budget cuts we’ve ever seen.  Except the Democrats still narrowly control the Senate so any Republican budget plan is a nonstarter and the result is gridlock.

Both parties talk out the side of the necks when it comes to the federal budget.  Democrats refuse to show anything resembling fiscal responsibility.  Actually they basically refuse to do anything.  I’m no longer sure what, if anything, Democrats stand for.  They just react to what Republicans do, make a little noise then cave to most of what Republicans want.

Republicans with their unnatural relationship with tax cuts for the richest among us, passion for increased military spending and the unproven view that a market economy is truly sustainable are no better.  How they can continue to stand behind the myth that cutting government services and “waste” will balance the budget and wipe out the deficit baffles me.  At some point taxes are going to have to be increased.

Really is it that hard to stop patronizing the public?  Stop selling us economic pipe dreams.  Oh wait, you don’t win elections with the truth.

Of course we’re no better.  We know they’re lying but we want what they’re saying to be the truth so badly that we willfully ignore facts and accept their demonization of the other party.  We refuse to hold our elected officials accountable (I almost wrote leaders but I know that’s not the right word for them).  Folks, elections may end on the first Tuesday in November but the work doesn’t.

Both sides fail to realize (or don’t care) that there are people’s livelihoods at stake.  Their pursuit of the political high ground so they can continue winning elections ignores what’s best for the country.  It ignores the millions of people who lives are directly and indirectly affected by what the government does.  Let’s hope we all wise up before the country tumbles down around our ears.