The Enemy of the Obvious
What was so tantalizing about Barack Obama was that for the first time, perhaps since President George Washington, common sense might no longer have been the enemy of ideology. Just maybe we wouldn't have to endure iteration after iteration of ridiculous government initiatives and programs until there is nothing left to do but what was so very, very obvious in the first place. There was palpable anticipation that we might be able to coalesce the best ideas from each party into policy proposals that would solve the current and future's most vexing problems. So far, that is still a dream.
Pick any issue and I guarantee that a small group of rational non-politicians, not burdened by partisanship, could deliver a far more credible solution than could ever be expected from Congress and the President.
Consider the "stimulus." Setting aside the debate over its size, it's clear to most, that if the goal is to stimulate the economy, this is about the worst possible way to spend $800 billion. Even Paul Krugman, the Nobel prize winning economic conscious of the Left, agrees that the package is terribly non-stimulative. Why did it end up this way? Ideology trumped reason. We ignored what's consistently worked in the past for a litany of giveaways by a beholden group of politicians. So, we get to waste $800 billion and simultaneously balloon the deficit, only to come back in several months with another costly program that's supposed to do what the first one failed so miserably to accomplish.
How about the auto industry debacle? There's nary a coherent thinker around who doesn't recognize that the automakers require a pre-packaged Chapter 11 in order to shed their unwieldy obligations and become viable for the long term. Instead, in the name of dogma, we throw billions and billions of dollars at the Detroit Three only to have them repeatedly come back to the government trough because they can't or won't affect necessary structural changes. So, we wasted critical time and tens of billions of dollars, all because the obvious has been the enemy of the ideological.
Think about energy policy. We know it will take at least 10 or 20 years to dramatically reduce foreign oil dependence, yet we don't do what's necessary to accelerate and smooth the transition. We could be much more aggressively evolving the power grid to predominantly use renewable sources such as nuclear first, then solar and wind. We could also be drilling for more domestic oil in the interim to better insulate ourselves from the unstable nations who presently supply us. Every clear thinking individual knows that the oil industry has a near perfect environmental record over the past couple decades. Technology has made drilling-related spills practically obsolete. Politicians simply don't have the courage to shed their long-ingrained predispositions and stand up to the partisan interest groups on both sides.
Look at gun rights. Most sensible people can agree that the 2nd Amendment gives us certain liberties. Those same people probably can also consent it makes sense to require fire arm registration. Furthermore, I bet they'll concur that an M-16 isn't necessary to hunt squirrels. Common Sense.
Go down the list.
Do we really need the complex maze of restrictions and regulations that put obstacles in the way of responsible stem cell research? They've plainly been layered on to assuage various interest groups.
Is there any lucid person who doesn't realize our tax code is too complicated? Surely there are fair and practical simplifications that can be agreed upon by evenhanded people.
Who is confused about the unsustainability of our entitlement system? If a social safety net is generally desirable, then tough compromises must be made. Continuing to postpone the inevitable only makes the ultimate solution that much more painful.
A month ago, there was hope that these and many other issues/problems might be addressed in a way that brings both sides together and incorporates the best ideas from up and down the political spectrum. Today, that optimistic view has been replaced by the realization that we are much more likely to be re-inflicted with the business-as-usual virus.
Too bad. A great but rapidly weakening country could have been reinvigorated.
Pick any issue and I guarantee that a small group of rational non-politicians, not burdened by partisanship, could deliver a far more credible solution than could ever be expected from Congress and the President.
Consider the "stimulus." Setting aside the debate over its size, it's clear to most, that if the goal is to stimulate the economy, this is about the worst possible way to spend $800 billion. Even Paul Krugman, the Nobel prize winning economic conscious of the Left, agrees that the package is terribly non-stimulative. Why did it end up this way? Ideology trumped reason. We ignored what's consistently worked in the past for a litany of giveaways by a beholden group of politicians. So, we get to waste $800 billion and simultaneously balloon the deficit, only to come back in several months with another costly program that's supposed to do what the first one failed so miserably to accomplish.
How about the auto industry debacle? There's nary a coherent thinker around who doesn't recognize that the automakers require a pre-packaged Chapter 11 in order to shed their unwieldy obligations and become viable for the long term. Instead, in the name of dogma, we throw billions and billions of dollars at the Detroit Three only to have them repeatedly come back to the government trough because they can't or won't affect necessary structural changes. So, we wasted critical time and tens of billions of dollars, all because the obvious has been the enemy of the ideological.
Think about energy policy. We know it will take at least 10 or 20 years to dramatically reduce foreign oil dependence, yet we don't do what's necessary to accelerate and smooth the transition. We could be much more aggressively evolving the power grid to predominantly use renewable sources such as nuclear first, then solar and wind. We could also be drilling for more domestic oil in the interim to better insulate ourselves from the unstable nations who presently supply us. Every clear thinking individual knows that the oil industry has a near perfect environmental record over the past couple decades. Technology has made drilling-related spills practically obsolete. Politicians simply don't have the courage to shed their long-ingrained predispositions and stand up to the partisan interest groups on both sides.
Look at gun rights. Most sensible people can agree that the 2nd Amendment gives us certain liberties. Those same people probably can also consent it makes sense to require fire arm registration. Furthermore, I bet they'll concur that an M-16 isn't necessary to hunt squirrels. Common Sense.
Go down the list.
Do we really need the complex maze of restrictions and regulations that put obstacles in the way of responsible stem cell research? They've plainly been layered on to assuage various interest groups.
Is there any lucid person who doesn't realize our tax code is too complicated? Surely there are fair and practical simplifications that can be agreed upon by evenhanded people.
Who is confused about the unsustainability of our entitlement system? If a social safety net is generally desirable, then tough compromises must be made. Continuing to postpone the inevitable only makes the ultimate solution that much more painful.
A month ago, there was hope that these and many other issues/problems might be addressed in a way that brings both sides together and incorporates the best ideas from up and down the political spectrum. Today, that optimistic view has been replaced by the realization that we are much more likely to be re-inflicted with the business-as-usual virus.
Too bad. A great but rapidly weakening country could have been reinvigorated.
Excellent post, too bad it isn't being read by those in congress who need to follow this advice.
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Hating politics myself - I just need to say that I believe that the way to solve a lot of the problems in this present government is to set term limits on all political offices. It is the people in this government who have been in there for years who are pulling this country further and further into a hole. They are lazy, condescending, politically incorrect, and out of touch with reality. But of course, they won't vote themselves out of jobs, it is then up to the President of our wonderful country to do that for them. What we need is ideas and people who are willing to work their tails off to come up with promising solutions in a short term period. Not the lifers who have secure jobs and our coasting once again.
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Couldn't agree more. Too bad the Republicans dropped the ball. They had term limits done as part of the 1994 Contract with America, but got drunk with power and ended up reneging. Huge mistake.
Of course, the other way to accomplish the same thing is for everybody to commit to voting out their Congressperson, regardless of party. That would send a very clear message. Unfortunately, virtually everybody despises Congress, but thinks their Representative is ok.
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