Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Another View From Main Street

Jobs are more plentiful, but growth slowed recently.  Many are still out of work.  Businesses are still cutting back their employees.  Full time work hours are being cut because business owners would have to provide health insurance for full-time employees. 

With the Affordable Health Care Act being implemented, uninsured people are fearful what it means to them.  One man interviewed on CBS was amazed his premiums were less than he feared.  Parents with children born with chronic or life threatening illnesses are grateful insurance companies are now required to insure these children.  Parents of college students are relieved that they do not have to pay for a separate policy for the child.  Amoral political groups continue to manufacture and circulate lies about the Health Care policies as if we do not have enough genuine concerns to address.

Bigots, racists and prejudiced individuals continue to undercut the efforts of the first black president.  It makes a difficult presidency harder.  Sadly, some of the racists disguise their sentiments as politics, contaminating the efforts of financial recovery as well as political party policies.

Banks we helped to financial stability continue to gouge customers with high fees and interest rates.  They continue to grow.

We are grateful that American automobile companies are doing better.

World problems periodically erupt like hot spots in a forest fire.  The people in these hot spots expect the world, especially America, to bail them out of their problems, even those that are self inflicted.  Then when we act, they hate us even more.

Preschoolers and Kindergarteners are coming home and discussing political and international problems with more understanding than some of us adults.  They don't understand why we can't fix it.

Local elected officials who espouse a belief in small, rather than large Federal government, cut taxes on the home front while insisting on cutting them at the Federal level.  Are they so shortsighted they do not know more responsibility at the local, county and state levels will require their constituents to pay for things locally?

People of all parties continue to experience nausea over attack ads and finger pointing.

Federal elected officials, suffering from inadequate training in socialization skills, continue to threaten, bully, attack, bluster, obstruct.  Why was it we sent them to Washington?  Are we going to have to fine all members of Congress for every law they fail to negotiate through the entire process.  Maybe we could subtract $1,000 for every time they obstruct a vote.

Newt Gingrich continues to act like the rear end of a donkey.  Will we never see his retirement?

Immigrants continue to bypass legal entry.  They can't understand why they are not embraced with warmth.  They feed the environment with hate for natural-born Americans.  They despise the weather.  They dislike that they are expected to learn this language.  They demonstrate for policy changes.  They send home for friends and family to join them -- illegally as well -- and flood the land.  The conservative response to such problems is to spend more money building stronger borders and for more guards.  The liberal response is to allow amnesty or forgiveness every few years.  There is stress on all sides.

People continue to go berserk and try to make a name for themselves by shooting up schools and malls.  It's a favorite new attention-getting device.  It's effective.  The media continue to feed the problem by giving them coast to coast attention until everyone is sick of hearing about it.

Politicians hold up their fingers around their constituents to determine wind direction.  This is so they'll know whether to beat drums for gun control or to support the NRA.  It isn't as if the gun control already in  place actually works.  Or for that matter, that most criminals even attempt to buy their guns legally.  Security measures are ineffective.  People, even though struck with a 2 x 4 of information, don't bother to take notice that someone needs help.  Even when it is noticed, there frequently isn't help available. 

We continue to be war weary.  We continue to be a broke country because of wars.  The world continues to expect us to borrow money so we can defend them and help support them while our politicians don't want to support our own poor and hungry.  I still suggest a short-term (perhaps five year)  moratorium on supplying weapons and dollars to other countries.  That might help us see some relief from the threat of bankruptcy.

And then there is the frequent battle in Congress with people threatening not to pay the national debt or at least the interest on it.  Fine, upstanding, law-abiding citizens pay their debts.  The threats not to pay them -- that's trash talk.  That's insanity.  That's unacceptable.

Congress doesn't even believe in Congress or the Constitution any more.  They are so uninformed and arrogant that they think they are exempt from abiding by the laws enacted by Congress.  They even disregard the rule of the Supreme Court.  They also disregard the signature and office of the Presidency.  They should be recalled.

The rich continue to get richer and the poor get poorer.  And the ill-informed members of the poorer populations continue to think that is okay.  They keep reelecting the same individuals that protect those who exploit the hardworking wealth producers of this land -- the lowly employee.

And the most exasperating thing of all is that people who expect education, roads, bridges, parks, senior citizen centers, etc., etc., etc., apparently think these things can be achieved without taxes.  How?  If there is a way, write up the proposals.  Submit them to your congressmen.  Write them up on-line.  Tweet them out one line at a time.  Do something before your little hot rod falls into a sink hole or another bridge collapses with your own kids on it.  Tell us how to educate our children before they grow up even more ill-informed than our tax cutting politicians. They are the future of our country.  They will have the responsibility for young and old alike some day.  They need to learn all they can learn.

In summary, the view from Main Street is almost as bleak as it was.  The stress level is ever growing.  Our minds and nerves are on high red alert.  We are begging for mature and lucid decisions from our leaders.  It's time to tackle the gridlock and win this game for all of us.

If it doesn't get done, that may make a young friend of mine correct.  She said that life sucks and then you die.  Let's show her some more of the good years, please.  I remember good years from the past, don't you?  Wouldn't you like some more?

No comments:

Post a Comment