Politicians and Problem Solving
I had an epiphany recently.
Slow on the uptake perhaps, but this realization puts some things into a very simple, yet accurate, perspective.
Politicians don't solve problems.
Statesmen solve problems, but politicians do not.
Politicians need problems because as long as there are problems, politicians wield the power to solve them; power that is all too often misused.
Want proof? Shamnesty. Congress has the power to secure our borders, yet misuses said power to grant amnesty for millions of people who in all likelihood will place a major burden on our economic infrastructure.
Want more proof? The tax code. A consumption-based tax would be a great benefit economically (if I recall my basic economics properly), yet Congress keeps this unwieldy beast of a tax code around, tweaking it to their advantage and our detriment.
Politicians also do not solve some problems for fear of repercussions.
Want proof? Social Security reform. This Ponzi scheme is going to eventually bankrupt the country. It cannot continue doling out the level of money that it does to every retiree indefinitely, even if the government taxed us at a 100% rate. Eventually, the money will dry up.
Yet, Congress fears to do any significant change to the program.
We need to find Statesmen, people who are actually committed to solving the problems this country faces, rather than quisling politicians who are more interested in lining their pocketbooks (or freezers).
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posted by Snowy Owl | 7:53 PM
1 Comments:
Great to see your blog alive, Snowy! :)
Unfortunately the Statesmen you speak of seem to be incredibly rare. I used to think it was so because there was a genuine lack of such people, but I've come to realize it's just extremely difficult for political figures genuinely concerned with doing what is best for their country/state/etc. to compete with those willing to indulge the electorate with whatever destructive frivolity will win them the most votes.
It's rather like, I imagine, parenting a two year old child. When the kid cries for cocoa puffs, candy bars and soda, well... If you give him what he wants and ignore the consequences you know will come, he'll certainly like you a lot more, be your buddy, not interrupt your peace and quiet etc., but he'll become sickly and obese and his teeth will rot.
If you make him to eat his fruits and vegetables, drinking milk and water and such, you'll have to put up with his tantrums and screaming and crying that it's not fair - but he'll be a lot better off in the end.
Politicians offering open borders and heavy-cost state welfare programs are selfish parents peddling sweets to the electorate in return for peace, popularity and adulation, without a care in the world for how bloated and ill we quickly become.
I fear that change cannot come until we, the attended to, are collectively matured enough to look in the mirror and realize for ourselves what the poison we've been fed all along is really doing to us.
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