Views

Is it just me, or are there others of you out there who are completely exasperated by the silly posturing and inflammatory statements of politicians and pundits, both public and private, and those idiotic people who believe in them?

The media is constantly focused on whether Obama can fix the economy and create jobs while managing efficient government services and fighting two wars he did not start.

Constitution alert: The President cannot write a single law, or hire a single person on his own; it's Congresses' job to legislate and appropriate money. Obama merely executes the laws available to him with the money Congress gives him. He is just one man who waded into the swamp on our behalf for a salary which most CEOs would laugh at.

Obama did not wreck the economy. Business and the Wall Street money changers did that. Congress helped by deregulating because "people want government out of their lives." (Criminals also want government out of their lives. Sometimes criminals and businesses are the same people.)

Why are not the pundits demanding that we gather the Wall Street fat cats and the CEOs of all major industries in sports stadiums all around the country and keep them there until they come up with a viable plan to revive the economy and put people to work? They are the ones who hire the folks who make and sell and move stuff. They finance the products and services.

Our taxes saved the banks, and now they won't lend to anybody.

Perhaps there wouldn't be enough profit in it. The only way you can afford your own personal jet and billion dollar mansion is if you receive far more value than you give. That the ruinously poor management by an auto executive is compensated thousands of times more than the skilled labor of the workers who build the cars is an example of what's really wrong in this country.

It's our American dream come false.

Follow up:

Some of us want the government out of our lives. "Screw poor people, and sick people, and old people, and the saps who lose their jobs because they foolishly chose to work for any business that doesn't depend on war to keep it going." But do not touch our military spending. Just because we are fighting people who do not have air forces is no reason to quit building (and borrowing to pay for) sophisticated fighter jets and missile defense systems. We need our farm subsidies to protect us from those foreign socialists.

The limited-government people apparently do not drive on public streets and highways, have their own fire departments and hospitals, and operate their own private security forces. They personally buy all of their food and medicines directly from the farms and factories so that they can guarantee the safety and purity themselves. They personally monitor all chemical plants and mining operations to prevent pollution and transport their own water from sources they purchased.

They obtained whatever wealth and position they think they have without the benefit of public-funded schools and universities (the Harvards and Stanfords all get public grants), and never worked for or consumed a product from any business which received a tax break, tariff protection, or cushy government contract. They never use banks and only pay for things with gold.

Those people have no problem with the government meddling in other people's lives, if it means that their personal views on religion, morality, and sexuality can be legitimized -- at a distance by someone else.

If you know anyone like that, then perhaps you may want to listen to their selfish rants, since they have obviously got it all together without the help of anyone else.

If, however, like the overwhelming majority of us, you live in a world where we are interdependent on each other for a safe, healthy, and decent life, you may want to disregard the complainers and obstructionists. You may want to pay attention to those who urge shared sacrifice in bad times and shared prosperity in good times. Reject greed, conspicuous consumption, and waste. Ignore the celebrities, bogus issues, and media liars which are paraded in front of us as distractions from the real machinations that serve the few at the expense of the many. Worry less about whether Obama is really an American citizen and more about whether your Senators are really public servants.

If you are not absolutely certain that your elected officials are working for all of us, not just some of us, then vote them out, whatever their political stripe. For every  cynical opportunist there is at least one honest citizen eager for the chance to make things better.

If you think that President Obama is not doing enough to solve all of our problems, perhaps you should offer to help. Try starting locally.

If you are one of the blamers who feel that you have already got your own and done your share, just hope that the public works guy who keeps the road clear for the ambulance you called doesn't have the same attitude.

Mike Susinski

Rio Rico