No one seems to disagree that the economy is cyclical. No one seems to disagree that these cycles start years before they are evident, or that turnarounds are usually almost over by the time they are felt. Yet reason seems to have been shoved through the window, forced out by whining and blame. A president in office for less than two years has been vilified for problems he could not have created; his efforts to address those problems met only with impatience and criticism. The fickle and overindulged attitudes of many have made them fodder for the moneyed who's latest business is to stir political turmoil.
Those who say they are "taxed enough already," conveniently ignore the fact that government is non-profit. Taxes pay for public infrastructure and social services. It may be that many who decry taxes and support tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans are those who can afford to pay for their own 'social services.' They don't require unemployment benefits, Medicare, or food stamps; they don't use public libraries or send their children to public schools. They have no interest in the services government provides with our tax dollars.
Since September 11, 2001 Americans have demanded to feel secure against terrorist attacks. Politicians have been penalized at the ballot for not appearing fervent enough in pursuing ways to protect the country's residents, even as air travelers bitch and moan about long security lines and other inconveniences. The Transportation Security Administration's latest security implementations - full body scan machines and the alternate pat downs - have been lambasted as intrusive. Where would you hide an explosive device? Drug smugglers use every body orifice to transport drugs. Why wouldn't potential bombers avail themselves of the same hiding places?
Come on children. Open your eyes to the big picture, recognize who is pulling your strings and why, and quit all the bitching and moaning.
