I arose early this morning—not my favorite thing to do, but often necessary—and checked the computer for news about any changes in Washington, DC. The best analysis referred to negotiations as a “last ditch effort.” Last ditch, indeed.
By the time you read this perhaps there will be a “deal” of some sorts. My only prediction is that any such deal will be messy and will make nobody happy.
Democracy, as many have commented, is the worst form of guvmint imaginable, unless you consider the alternatives. At that point, it becomes by far the best.
But there are problems.
Congresspeople of both houses are elected locally to manage nationally. They allegedly serve the nation, but their rewards—re-election—come from their local voters. Local people tend to vote for a Congressperson by one rule—what did s/he do for us right here at home? This obviously translates to “How much money did s/he bring back to us from Washington?”
That is how we end up with bridges to nowhere. A Congressperson from Florida must make a deal with a congressperson from Alaska—“Hey, you vote for my pork project in Florida and I’ll vote for your pork project in Alaska.”
This is a definite conflict of interest, and helps create massive spending by massive guvmint and that brings about messy situations such as our current impasse.
What’s the answer? Damifino, but we need to be searching for an answer.
