Filed under: politics
Over the past several months we have been the unwilling bystanders as the United States Congress goes through the excruciatingly painful experience of party politics at its worst. The debt ceiling debacle stands out in sharp relief, along with the most recent rejection of President Obama’s Jobs bill by the Senate, of how our elected representatives place party ideology over public needs. The public need is clearly diagnosed with the symptoms of unacceptably high unemployment rates, flat consumer spending and home foreclosure rates that scare even the most cynical of economists. Congress promotes legislative stagnancy with its ideological battles which only is a dis-service to the people Congress is meant to represent.
Albeit the current economic situation is not as severe as circumstances of the pre-Depression 1920’s, the political climate is similar. The economic policies of Herbert Hoover were analagous with the position of the Republican leadership. President Hoover believed and the Republicans continue to believe that private industry will eventually come to life, reanimated by some ethereal desire to invest in a failing economy. Franklin Roosevelt realized that sometimes the economy needs some pushing to get it going again. It is that same ideology that needs to permeate Congress: get the economy running again. Paying for the costs of economic investing will largly be paid by the increase in revenues derived from the more vibrant economy.
I am not expounding the generalization that Obama’s Job’s bill was a perfect piece of legislation. It was, however, a strong message to help those in need. Congress is sending an altogether different and more disheartening message.
If a reader of this post thinks this is too liberal a view, I am putting Congress under the microscope only due to the fact that the theory that we should wait for companies to begin rehiring has turned into a farce rather than a fact. Over the past two years, we have been waiting for the private sector to step in and kick-start capitalism. It hasn’t happened. And it doesn’t appear that it is going to happen. With that being the existent scenario, it is justified for government to step in.
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Thunker's Weblog 
I wholeheartedly agree; as a Canadian watching from a distance, I am caught between being amused and being angry at the political posturing going on. Because of the recession a couple of years ago, the big corporations have become cowardly lions and instead of doing their part to kick-start the economy, they are downsizing and enacting hiring freezes. Somebody’s got to step up and try to make this right. At least Obama recognizes that.
Comment by Vicky Applebaum October 14, 2011 @ 7:43 pm