GOP plays NERO

Remember the Roman story of how Nero sat and played his fiddle while Rome was burning? Well, during these past two weeks and especially yesterday, the GOP House members and Senators have renewed that story in America (with the minimal exception of 3 Senators) and have made the decision to take a huge political risk for themselves and their Party.

On the surface it appears illogical and somewhat anti-American for an entire group of elected officials to basically announce their belief and hope that the just passed stimulus bill will be a complete failure and that the economy of America and the plight of its citizens will worsen during the next 12 to 18 months. Why, you might ask. The simple answer is that EVERYTHING, in the end, is about politics and the Republicans have calculated that a deepening of the nation's crisis (meaning everyone will be in even worse shape down the road) is their best chance to regain lost seats in Congress and ultimately win back the White House in 2012. It should be noted that many of the Republican Congressmen and Republican Senators probably feel "safe" in their own States and Districts in the shrinking map that is colored red by the pundits. At least they have taken a stand even though fiscal responsibility, control of spending and especially, attention to our National Debt was certainly not a part of their agenda during the Reagan, or Bush administrations. A careful review of Government spending and the extent of national debt relative to which political party was in power will destroy the stubborn myth that the Republicans have been the Party of fiscal restraint.

This choice by the Republicans to walk away from the attempt to at least try something will either lead them to further ruin or allow them to regain lost power (always the main goal). Sadly, the only way for the GOP to "win" this battle is for America and her citizens to fall deeper into the abyss. If the Republicans and their minions on talk radio and cable news continue to assert that anything "the other side" proposes cannot be successful and continue the attempt to convince citizens that the sky is falling they will fully deserve the political punishment they should receive if there is any measurable or perceived improvement in the coming months. It is a huge political gamble but at least their intentions are clear. The Republicans are now forced to use whatever power they have left to undermine the efforts for improvement in the coming months and keep citizens in a negative mindset.

To be sure, the Democrats are taking a huge political risk as well. The new Administration inherited a disaster and the task of correcting the national situation may prove too difficult. The Republicans have thrown down the gauntlet by telling us that the Democratic leadership and whatever plans they try to implement will fail. So, the Obama Administration and the Democratic Congress MUST to ready, willing and especially able to accept this challenge and proceed without major mistakes and without the usual corruption and waste that almost always happens. THE most important result needed is the perception that the situation can and is improving. I have maintained for years that the Government cannot and should not be the answer to all the various aspects that make up the lives of American citizens. The ultimate success of America and its citizens is, in the end, up to each one of us.

I have no doubt that a portion of the spending proposals in the "stimulus" bill justed passed will include things that could be considered wasteful or that do not appear to directly stimulate or directly create a job and this part, sadly, seems to go along with any spending measures passed by any Congress. The point is that every attempt must be made to use these funds wisely and effectively at every level. The main reason for that is that the Democrats can be sure that there will be a task force of Republicans and other detractors just waiting to expose and showcase ANY misuse of the taxpayer money that is about to be spent.

The task of controlling the money will be extremely difficult since large portions of it will go to the individual States and the State powers will decide how to use the money. There are many areas that will receive funding during the next year or two and so there will be many areas to monitor and attack. This may turn out to be the biggest challenge for President Obama and his team. Remember, the Republicans have commited themselves to trying to undermine success at every turn and they will use everything at their disposal to reach their goal.

My message for the Democrats is to advise them to be VERY careful and to avoid the usual lack of oversight and control. They must make sure that there are actual and REAL results for the country and the citizens. They must create an atmosphere of optimism and also continue to tell us that WE are more a part of the solution than is the Federal or State Government.

I will write more on the individual and national pain that we must accept and endure before stability can be restored in my next posting.

Until then, now more than ever it is "TIME TO THINK AGAIN"