Congress has lost its mind...

Originally Posted by Griff

More good thinking about our current climate from David Brooks. As long as we punish hard work in this country our culture will continue its decline.


In a few years’ time, Ben is going to be disappointed again. He’s going to find that the outsiders he sent to Washington just screamed at each other at ever higher decibels. He’s going to find that he and voters like him unwittingly created a political culture in which compromise is impermissible, in which institutions are decimated by lone-wolf narcissists who have no interest in or talent for crafting legislation. Nothing will get done.

I disagree with Brook's basic premise and its not clear at all how the current monetary policy has punished hard work. Ron Paul's "free trade" solution is certainly not the answer and would likely result in even more jobs going overseaS.

A recent study found more entrepreneurs starting new businesses in 2009 than at any other time in the past 14 years....in part, because, even with tight lending, money is cheap right now as a result of the current Fed policy.

http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/9...ew-businesses-

Add to that the recent (and largest) middle class and small business tax cuts and tax credits.... but these dont come without a cost to the deficit as well.

I do agree with Brooks on one point. Its easy to be on the outside criticizing and waving their signs, like the Tea Party crowd.

Its much harder to offer constructive and realistic solutions.

The US debt has to be addressed, but there are no simple solutions. Certainly not the notion of cutting spending AND cutting taxes, given that the largest and fastest growing component of the debt is entitlement programs (Social Security, Medicare....)

The solution will require compromise and tough decisions including cutting spending AND raising taxes.

added:
I am still perplexed at how silent the Tea Party crowd have been on the need for financial regulatory reform....another indication that they, at least the token leaders (Palin and now Rand Paul and to a lesser extent, Gingrich), are not interested in consensus building as much as they are in imposing their own narrow ideology.

To some degree, IMO, the Cellar is a microcosm of the country. Alot of complaining by those who dont like the current policy direction, but very little in the way of alternative constructive solutions.