Playing Politics...

This morning's commute contained a scintillating discussion of political strategy.  One party is waiting for the other party to make the moves necessary to keep our country from sliding into economic oblivion so they can trounce them for being "draconian".  Who is doing the waiting and who is doing the trouncing don't matter.  Both parties have done this before, both will do it again.  It's all about politics.  You play to win.

Two problems.

Since when is politics a game?  Ok, probably since 1776, but come on people!  This game isn't fun anymore.  Second, the only Winners I want to hear about out of Washington are our nation's creditors.  I want them paid off.  Until that happens, no one wins.

I keep hearing that there are tough choices to be made.  There always are tough choices.  Time makes them harder still.  Paper or plastic just got tougher with those reusable bags.  The boxers vs briefs question is tougher again, now we have boxer-briefs.  The choice between bankrupting our nation and paying for muppets?  This is a tough choice?  Hey, Muppets are popular.  I get it.  I'm sure someone would love to make money off of them.  Go forth and join the American entreprenneurial tradition.  Wait, maybe the tough choice is to borrow $3 billion for a fighter jet engine that no one in the military wants?  No, that one doesn't seem tough either. 

Maybe the tough choice is whether or not we should spend $10 billion to distribute $21 billion to states for education grants?  That one doesn't seem too hard either. 

Then there's the ponzi scheme that made Madoff blush.  Is it a tough choice that we'll have to increase the retirement age for people under 50 years old in order to keep it from going bankrupt?  Is it a tough choice that we can no longer afford to keep spending the profits of the social security tax on other government wishlist programs?

What about the other entitlements?  To start, if there's a word that evokes more frustration, anger, and sadness from me then I do not know what that word might be.  Entitlements.  Don't get me wrong.  I understand why people have become dependent on the government to take care of them.  We are encouraged to sacrifice our future well-being for the pleasures of today.  The government has told you since LBJ reigned, don't worry.  We'll take care of you when you reach 65.  You don't need to plan for your future.  So, we haven't. 

So, here's a tough choice for you.  How do we prepare ourselves for our own future, without the chains of the government holding us up?  How do we teach our friends, our family, our children not to depend on the continued charity of the government? 

Now you too are faced with a tough choice.  To which of your friends will you recommend this blog?

Until tomorrow....