February 18, 2016

FIXING THE GOVERNMENT WITH.... PITCHFORKS? 

Newsflash:  Government is big. BIG.

It is laughable that the Republicans blast “big government” as a goal of Democrats when the truth is they like big government just as much. The difference has always been the opposite views of what the big government should do, how it should be funded, and who should pay for it.  Both parties agree that the military, defense, and intelligence communities must be funded, but the amount is arguable.  When Democrats have their way, government must promote an equal opportunity economy.  When Republicans dominate, first and foremost this goal must be obstructed and taxes must be lowered enough to keep banks and corporations happy.

I am saying what is obvious, right? When are politicians going to get real about this; a tug of war that has been around for decades, while the deficit has grown, economic progress has ebbed and flowed, and taxes have been redistributed according to who has the most political power at the moment.   In any case, the emperor has no clothes:  government is not functioning well, and it is pissing everyone off.

This is why Donald Trump is dominating.  People don’t care if he is qualified.  They don’t care if he is rude and obnoxious.  They are tired of promises they like and actions they don’t. Trump’s message that “everything sucks” gets a big thumbs-up from those who feel marginalized and the most powerless – the middle and worker classes, who have suffered the most from the aforementioned pendulum of promises.  Some of them are Democrats.  Some are Republicans and some are Independents.  In Shakespearean terms they are all saying “a pox on both your houses!” or in modern phraseology:  “screw all of you!”

Understandable.  Most of us feel this way. But cooler heads (I like to include mine in that population) know that there is little that can be done to fix this.  The best we can hope for is leadership in both the White House and on Capitol Hill that is experienced, knowledgeable, measured and cooperative.  From my perspective, that means John Kasich or Jeb Bush on the GOP side, and Hillary Clinton on the Democratic side, and more centrist candidates for the Senate and House.  No candidates are perfect, but we have to try to get as close as we can to elect people who will get the government functioning again.  Big or small, that is what really counts.

It doesn’t seem too much to ask for, yet it is looking more and more like people are so angry they will vote against reasonable candidates, even it it is in their best interest.   As Patrick Buchanan seemed to think was happening several elections in the past (but didn’t pan out), we may now be seeing the real pitchfork brigade.  What will it accomplish?  More anger, more polarity, more dysfunction.  I hope I am wrong.