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| Near the intersection of Rt. 41 and Wells Hill Rd. in Lakeville. |
As an unaffiliated voter, I have long been fascinated with this notion of party loyalty — the idea that one side alone has all the answers and, dammit, you'd better vote for that party's candidates through thick and thin because, well, it's the right thing to do. Plus, my family has belonged to Party Y since Lincoln, so there must be something to it, or so the thinking goes.
From my perspective, both sides have something to offer but neither can see the forest for the trees. We certainly need to get our financial house in order and keep a closer regulatory eye on it, as the Dems want to do. But nor do we want to stifle the financial sector and increase taxes to the point that people won't want to invest on America.
We need to address the deficit by cutting spending aggressively — except for the military — but not raising any taxes (GOP). We need to raise taxes for "the rich" but not cut spending — except for the military and "corporate welfare" (Dems).
This is but one example of the boneheaded logic that passes for intelligent thought in Washington. Hey Repubs and Dems, the simple fact is that the political will does not exist to cut spending enough to fill the hole in our budget. Nor can we expect tax increases and military cuts to do the job alone. There simply isn't enough money to be had.
If we want to get serious about bringing our budget under control, we will need some combination of tax increases and spending cuts. Do none of the party bosses understand this or are they just striking a pose?
I hate our current political climate and — boy! — would I ever like to see a viable third party emerge to compete with the existing duopoly. Unfortunately, Americans talk a good game about third parties, but when push comes to shove, the always go back to donkeys and elephants. Ugh ...
It's like that old Steelers Wheel Song, no?
I wouldn't say that one side has all of the answers, but I would say that one side does all of the damage, and that side is the left.
ReplyDeleteOr... a populist movement emerges that has such an influence over one party that it causes that party to shift course and reflect the broader mood of the electorate. Or... the electorate is so dissatisfied with both parties that forces (or threatens to) force a Constitutional Convention which addresses the concerns of the people. Or... the broader middle of the electorate simply votes for anyone who is not in office already. Any or all of those could occur and improve what appears to be an unresponsive professional political class. I'm betting all of the above are in the cards. Maybe a third "great awakening" is already going on.
ReplyDeleteTouche!
ReplyDeleteOr perhaps the Tea Party will reveal itself as a fad along the lines of Ross Perot. What's he doing these days?
ReplyDeleteI like the term Teapublicans, and I'm fairly certain that this is a legitimate movement.
ReplyDelete