The buck stops nowhere

For as long as I can remember, politicians have portrayed economic distress as the predictable consequence of intentional acts inflicted on the unsuspecting public by their opponents. Setting aside the malevolent motives ascribed to their counterparts, I find it remarkable how powerful they find them. Not only do they see them as capable of conspiracies, crimes and selfish motives, they see them as good at conspiracies and crimes and malevolence.

The Obama Democrats are almost awed by the magical powers of the Republican minority. By the same token, while Republicans can seemingly impose their evil will on the economy, Democrats with overwhelming control of both houses still feel pretty impotent. And more importantly, not responsible for the outcomes of their own making.

Let's examine the case for the stimulus package. The focal justification for the stimulus was to prevent the unemployment rate from rising to 9 or 9.5 percent. Passing this legislation would keep the unemployment rate under eight percent. When the unemployment rate ballooned to 9.7 percent, the explanation was pretty unconvincing. The Democrats didn't grasp how bad the economy really was. The Republicans had made even a bigger mess than we thought. That is certainly one explanation, Another would be the stimulus didn't work. Needless to say, that school of thought wasn't given much credence.

Americans can find at least two things to be depressed about here First, we have one party government for the time being. Worse, we have unaccountable one-party government. We have have placed the Congress in the hands of a party that can do anything-they-want, yet doesn;t want to account for the result of anything-they-want. It is also troubling that politicians, who failed to grasp the fragility of the economy, could advocate so adamantly for a remedy that is so fiscally reckless.

The second and even more distressing outcome is that the buck stops nowhere. I mean that both literally and metaphorically. If the buck doesn't stop at the Democratic doorstep today, it won't stop at the Republican doorstep if the voter have a similar temper tantrum in November.

Once again the media is missing in action. The politics dominate the daily news cycles. The politics,though, are just Entertainment tonight from Washington D.C. As we come to expect less and less from politicians, we get less and less. As we accept less from the media, we get ? We would be lucky if political decisions affected only politics.

The decisions being made in Washington affect your employment opportunities, your retirement security, the quality and availability of medical care and your ability to secure credit. They impact your security and your liberty. These issues are a damned side more important than who wins the political sideshow.

Midterms "Feel the breeze"

I so look forward to the midterm elections. Politicians are on their best behavior, rising above the senseless antipathy and character assassination that poisons politics during the governing phase.

Politicians assume a respectful demeanor grounded in a recognition that they are public servants, not public overseers. See what hope and change has wrought.

Seriously, with Congress polling at an 11 percent approval rating, a little less animosity and a bit more humility might be a good play, tactically speaking. So, why aren't we seeing it. There has been a seismic shift away from party affiliation and incumbent infatuation. The disenchanted fringes, the Reagan Democrats, moderate Republican and Perot voters now people much of the eclectic middle. With the wisdom that only career politicians can muster, the Democrats strategy is to intimidate their recalcitrant charges back into the fold.

By associating the Tea party types with racism, substandard intelligence and angry rural sentiments, Democrats hope that the Obama deserters will dissassociate themselves from the radical center and hop back aboard the Obama train. The Republican response has been equally mystifying. While the criticism of the Sharron Angle types has been cautious, their message is directed at emphasizing the impotence of Tea Party independents. Without us, you are no one. Republicans should recognize impotent. They are desperately in need of a legislative blue pill.

The Republicans usually own the tone deafness issue but not this time. Their Democrats have established an oily sort of comfort with attacking the undecideds. They don't dispute the dissatisfactions of the undecideds as much as they dispute their right to be dissatisfied. It is an arrogant whim to think only Democratic grievances are valid grievances.

The Republicans are at least entertaining the idea that the party has to address the collective disenchantments of the 'beholden to no one crowd.' The Democrats seem content to wait and forgive them when they finally come to their senses. If I was truly undecided, I'd remember who treated me better when I was adrift.