Saturday, February 18, 2012

Trickle Down Politics -- The View From Main Street

In the early days of the financial meltdown, the media frequently related how the crisis on Wall Street trickled down to Main Street.  Nobody ever seemed to consider whether Main Street could impact Wall Street.  Certainly nobody ever thought to ask the common men--or women--if they could offer advice on finance, or politics, war, or any other national situation.  After all, the people in charge are the most sane, learned and rational individuals around, aren't they?  When "Main Streeters" disagree with "Wall Streeters", at most they can avoid the stock market.  When Voters disagree with their Congressmen, they wait until the next election.  I think a lot of congressmen will see their comeuppance next election.

Wall streeters and politicians seem promptly to forget the basic training of Main Street once they rise to power.  Isn't there some old adage about a manager being someone who has risen to his own level of incompetence?  Well, here is advice from Main Street beamed up to those abusing their power.  Any average low-paid head of household knows what needs to be done. 

Quarreling about the problem solves nothing.

Playing political games with other people's money is inappropriate. (Yes you are.)

Making other family members give up "pork" when you are insisting on pork for your own reelection prospects is hypocritical.

Prevarication might get you elected, but it won't serve anyone well.

A financial crisis can be solved only with an increase in income as well as a decrease of frivolous spending.  Let me repeat, frivolous spending.

Do you really think that laying off government workers is helping the economy?  Out of one side of your mouths you are yelling we need more jobs to become stable.  Out of the other, you are yelling to cut programs, which cuts jobs, which even cuts revenue.

When the financial experts of the world tell you that not raising the debt ceiling, along with defaulting on our loans, will cause world-wide financial disaster, the wise don't vote against raising it.

Playing games about the decision so you can score political points causes undo stress on individuals who are already trying to figure out how to put food on the table.

First you create jobs and raise taxes, which eventually creates revenue.  Then you pay down the debt.  After the economy is stabilized, then you pass a Balanced Budget Act.  You don't make a crisis worse while you're in the middle of it.

Change the law about Congressional raises.  If senior citizens didn't have a cost of living increase, neither did you.  Tie your raises in salary directly to their COLA increases.

Before you start cutting Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, cut your own salaries and benefits.  You already have sufficient income.  They are living at or below the poverty level.

Cut out all frivolous spending.  Yes, it needs to be repeated.  Cutting jobs just makes it worse.

While you're feeling so smug about your superior knowledge and investments, thank the Good Lord you had enough left over after feeding your family so that you could invest.  Then remember that you are responsible for always keeping "their" salaries so low that they didn't.  Blame yourselves for all new slums and for all new visitors to SRS.

Congratulations!  You now have money you cannot find enough ways to spend, but nobody in your own land to buy your new widgets.  Shot yourselves in the foot, didn't you?

And don't tell anybody again that you deserve the multi-millions, which you stored at the expense of your employees, because you had the idea and took the risk.  Just exactly how many widgets do you think you and your family could have made by yourselves?  Your employees earned your fortune for you.  Treat them with tender loving care and share the wealth with them.

Oh, yes -- avoid the Maadoffs and Enrons of the world.  It could happen to you.

Don't brag about your great philanthropy now if you failed to pay your employees a decent wage or if you gouged your customers. 

Don't blame your seniors for being poor now and needing help.  You set their futures when you set their wages. 

Let's see you move manufacturing back to our country.  These people are your fellow Americans.  It's time to return to our old caste system and cast off the new.  We are not a third world country.

This is America, the land of the free and home of the brave.  This is the land where all are created equal.  As a celebrity said recently, one doesn't see a U-Haul being pulled by a hearse.  There is no point for all this greed.  You certainly can't take it with you, but you can make certain your fellow countrymen can live well too.  Then you might actually have customers to buy your products.