What makes America Great

We have lost sight of what makes America great.  It is not our military might or our currency or our power.  It is we create and invent things that are neet and others want.  We have to stop thinking that others are stealing our jobs or be afraid we are being overtaken by China or any other country. 

At this time in our history we need to take the lead and make a new industry flourish.  We need to go green BIG GREEN.  We need a Green bubble.   Imagine if we put all the time and effort we now expend and put it into remaking America.  Wow that would take the rest of the world's breath away.

The federal government has a unique ability to create the infrastructure to make it happen.  By leveraging the government's purchasing power we can create the environment and hardware to make it so.  Every government facility can be recruited to participate in creating the hardware for electric cars and stations for recharging.  Every bus on every street in every city can be fitted for natural gas.  Every city can go green and off the grid by installing sustainable energy on all its buildings.  Every house can have an energy audit and buy components to make itself independant of the energy grid. 

We need sensible mass transit and high speed rail to compete with the flying buses of the airline industry.  We need to stop talking about not being able to afford things and find ways to fund them.  We speak of free enterprise and markets like they really exist...they don't.  We subsidize and support with government largess all manner of industies.  The airline industry could not exist without government support.  So what makes them so special at the expense of rail?  We need to stop putting public transportation in places one would never go if given the chance.  Look at where bus stations are.  In the most seedy sections of our cities.  We need transportation where we don't need a car to get to it.  I want to walk a short distance from my home and get to wherever I want to go and back without need for an auto.  This can happen.  We can do this.  If we have the will and support of our elected officials.

Reading David Brooks NY Times column

David Brooks has a column today which speaks to the disconnect between the government and the people of  our country.  To some degree I believe this but on many levels I think it is wrong headed.  First, I still don't know what "big government" is and I don't think any one else does.  I hear the phrase and the next breath is about issues dealing with local governing issues.  I hear about RepubliCants talk about small government but then they want to have access to my cell phone without warrent to track my where abouts or how my city spends its own funds or what I do with the privacy of my doctor and my body. 

I hear euphamisms about terms that sting so other terms are used and what can that purpose be other than to mislead.  Privatizing Medicare by a voucher program is now spoken of in terms of "premium support or enhancement."  Ugg Me like enhancement, enhancement good.  For me this is a naked attempt to mislead.  The Ryan Plan although voted on by the House of Representatives with the only logical conclusion would be to enact it into law.  But RepubliCant law makers say it is only a starting point.  Well did they want it to be law or not?  Knowing how it will mainly not take effect for a decade and still add trillions to the national debt, how can they do otherwise than vote for an increase in the debt ceiling?

These are the kinds of issues that lead to the thinking that our country is on the wrong path.  Stoking flames for political advantage does nothing to improve the lives of americans.  I hear anger about why can't the president get these gas prices down and wonder why would anyone think he could?  But these same statements come out of people who know better and expouse the free market but say they think the president not only can effect gas prices but should.  Is that big government intrusion.  I think we have  lost the faith not because of what is happening in China or the Middle East but how we handled Katrina and the Gulf Spill of last spring.  We are so feckless in our ability to right wrongs and deal with real world problems that are only about will, dollars and man power.  How can we even imagine we can deal with problems of debt or long term programs or the health of our nation. 

We can't raise taxes on the wealthy but we can cut programs for the needy.  A Chinese proverb:  when business is slow, paint the counter.  But when the president says we need to invest to grow there are those of us who say we can not afford it.  I beleive we can afford little else.  It is not that we have lost faith in ourselves.  We have lost faith in our leaders to over come their petty self interests for the good of the people and the nation

The end of the Reagan Era

The Reagan era's precept: Big government is bad, has ended. Not because big government is over but because Republicans turned big government is bad into government is bad and Americans don't believe that any more. What happened to the Republicans and their ideas about government? They governered as if government was bad and therefore managed it badly.

Acting Like Adults

It seems like a time of great unrest in the world and uneasiness here at home. With fiscal challenges at home and so many abroad I find it very disconcerting that our leaders speak in terms of "acting like adults." The President of the United States of America, who holds the most important office in the world, speaks of acting like adults. The Speaker of The House of Representatives of the United States Congress of The United States of America, is third in line to the Office of the Presidency. The Speaker also talks in terms of, "acting like adults." This is shocking to me.

At a time when they have engaged us in three foreign wars, when our private economy cannot sustain employment rates to absorb new workers, let alone those of us who are without employment now, when our nation debt to gross domestic product ratio is approaching one hundred percent and our annual deficit is forty percent of our expenditures, they want to talk like grown-ups.

The president says he is open for serious discussions but then we find out there has been no direct contact or attempt to contact the House of Representatives Majority Leader. These our most powerful office holders at this most perilous times in our lifetime have not had one on one conversations about the most urgent and pressing issues of the day.

Our leaders stand before the microphones addressing us and the rest of the world telling us that it is time to get down to business and do right by the American People. What do the people of the rest of the world think when they hear such words at this time? Our power is spread across the planet effecting every ones life and now like proud, suddenly self aware, our leaders are ready to act responsibly.

They say we are broke and there is no hope but drastic measures. Always talking about how we are falling behind and loosing ground. China has recently passed Japan as the second largest economy and we must think of them as more of a challenger to our overall well being. Every one knows we are homaging manufacturing jobs. We speak in terms of others "stealing our jobs." I say where have our leaders been and what have they been doing to address these concerns. Now they are ready to act like big boys and girls, now?

Six months ago now Speaker Boewner said the number one thing on every ones agenda should be jobs, jobs jobs.. I have yet to see a jobs bill. The first three bills have been about social issues having nothing to do with the economy or jobs. He tauts the continuing resolution' amendments as saving 38 billion dollars this fiscal year and the Congressional Budget Office scores the bill at 350 million for this fiscal year.