Debt Ceiling Drama…If Not Now, When?
The drama over the debt ceiling continues to build to the point where I actually have to post this entry to my long-neglected blog. Today we learn that Obama and Cantor actually don’t like each other. Wow, who would have thought. This coming just a day after Mitch McConell threw out a proposal that is supposed to be somewhere between a brilliant pincer movement to trap Obama between two untenable alternatives and a rank betrayal of the Tea Party conservatives in the House of Representatives. And this comes just one day after John Boehner suddenly appeared to grow a spine. It’s the best show in Washington for a long time and there’s just one problem with it. It’s more business as usual and the American people have had it with business as usual.
The one constant among all the politicians in Washington is their insistence that, somehow or other, the debt ceiling must be raised. They argue over how and when and how much, but they all agree the debt ceiling must be raised. Not to do so would be, irresponsible. Funny thing though, when you look at what the American people want the message is clear. By a two to one margin they do not want the debt ceiling raised. And the reason is simple. Americans are, correctly, far more afraid of the consequences of Washington’s business as usual, piling on more debt, then they are of the consequences of not raising the debt ceiling.
“But they don’t understand”, the politicians say, “Not raising the debt ceiling would be an unprecedented calamity.” And you know what, they are probably right. But you know what the American people have finally figured out after decades of watching their government spend $1.17 for every $1.00 taken in taxes.
It’s Not Ever Going To Get Any Better.
Sure not raising the debt ceiling now will cause huge problems but ask yourself this, do you really think the crew in Washington will have us better prepared to deal with it at any point in the future? The answer is obvious. No, they won’t. Everybody knows it.
Politicians don’t want to face it because it means they lose the big game of musical chairs they’ve all been playing. But for the rest of us it means the opposite. We had better face it now. Face the fact that our government is like an addict who is always going to ask for “just one more” before going into recovery. Face the fact that the problem is only going to be worse a year from now, and worse than that two years from now. Face the fact that no matter how painful it is to deal with our problem now, it will only become much more painful the longer we wait.
We’re like the passengers in a car without any brakes speeding down the mountain out of control. We don’t want to run the car into the ditch. We know it’s going to be a wreck. But we’ve also figured out that Bozo the clown is driving the car and there’s no other way to stop. And we’re picking up speed fast. That’s why the American people don’t want the debt ceiling raised. It’s not because we don’t understand what’s going on. It’s because we do.
PS: I want to apologize in advance to Bozo.
The one constant among all the politicians in Washington is their insistence that, somehow or other, the debt ceiling must be raised. They argue over how and when and how much, but they all agree the debt ceiling must be raised. Not to do so would be, irresponsible. Funny thing though, when you look at what the American people want the message is clear. By a two to one margin they do not want the debt ceiling raised. And the reason is simple. Americans are, correctly, far more afraid of the consequences of Washington’s business as usual, piling on more debt, then they are of the consequences of not raising the debt ceiling.
“But they don’t understand”, the politicians say, “Not raising the debt ceiling would be an unprecedented calamity.” And you know what, they are probably right. But you know what the American people have finally figured out after decades of watching their government spend $1.17 for every $1.00 taken in taxes.
It’s Not Ever Going To Get Any Better.
Sure not raising the debt ceiling now will cause huge problems but ask yourself this, do you really think the crew in Washington will have us better prepared to deal with it at any point in the future? The answer is obvious. No, they won’t. Everybody knows it.
Politicians don’t want to face it because it means they lose the big game of musical chairs they’ve all been playing. But for the rest of us it means the opposite. We had better face it now. Face the fact that our government is like an addict who is always going to ask for “just one more” before going into recovery. Face the fact that the problem is only going to be worse a year from now, and worse than that two years from now. Face the fact that no matter how painful it is to deal with our problem now, it will only become much more painful the longer we wait.
We’re like the passengers in a car without any brakes speeding down the mountain out of control. We don’t want to run the car into the ditch. We know it’s going to be a wreck. But we’ve also figured out that Bozo the clown is driving the car and there’s no other way to stop. And we’re picking up speed fast. That’s why the American people don’t want the debt ceiling raised. It’s not because we don’t understand what’s going on. It’s because we do.
PS: I want to apologize in advance to Bozo.
posted by IR1 at 9:53 PM
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