Out of the Mouths of Talking Heads

Out of the Mouths of Talking Heads…

Maybe it’s me, but has anyone else grown tired of listening to political talking points? Does everyone in politics think that we are so stupid that we can’t see when someone is simply towing the party line or reciting some rehearsed message intended for political gain? I think what really galls me about this is that there are some serious issues that need thoughtful solutions, and in general, we tend to get political shots over the bow and mindless banter back and forth looking for sound bites that will stick with viewers or (gasp!) readers of headline news. The media thinks that we all have ADD so if they can condense an entire issue that may require the mental capacity of Einstein and the patience of Job into a 10 second quip we will remember for more than 24 hours they have “educated” us about a particular issue or problem. The real problem is that the issues facing us today are not a game and are not about the 2008 presidential election. Let’s pick one example, oh, say social security. Anyone with more than spuds for brains knows that this system is going to go belly up in the future. It is a pyramid scheme (which is illegal for everyone but the federal government, but let’s not get sidetracked). By definition and in reality, at some point in the future, the system will not have enough revenue to meet its obligation. The only point of debate is when this will occur. Will the year be 2018 or 2040? I have no idea and it’s not the point. The point is that there is a brick wall this system will smash into sometime either before or about my retirement. The brick wall is there, the train is headed straight for it. The only variable is when the crash occurs. President Bush has decided that he will risk the political capital of his entire second term to fix this looming problem. I have not decided if his proposal of personal accounts is the best answer or not. I tend to think they will work over time and help relieve the government of its obligations under social security but I have not read enough objective analysis yet to decide one way or the other. It is possible that there is a better solution floating out there waiting for a champion to put it into play. The problem is that the only “debate” and I use this term very broadly, I have heard about President Bush’ idea of personal savings accounts has been talking points from the Democrats telling us what a stupid idea this is and how we cannot “afford” the proposed solution. I have a personal credo I try to live by especially in my professional life and that is, never gripe or complain about an issue if I don’t have a suggestion for how to fix the problem. I have read endless rants by Paul Krugman and listened to harangues by Ted Kennedy and Nancy Pelosi about what an incredibly risky and stupid idea the President has tried to inflict upon the country. I have read the outright distortions of this idea – this plan will wreck the system for current payees, this idea is an election debt that Bush owes his Wall Street buddies – who I am sure are calling the President everyday with insider trading information. I think they connected this plan to Haliburton somehow as well. I have heard the claims that the President’s plan will impoverish future retirees and will break the trusted bond between the federal government and the people (taxer/taxee). On a side note, I have news for the Dems, I have no idea what trusted bond they are referring to, as it has been ruled by the supreme court that the government can pull the plug on social security payouts any time it wants to and there is nothing you and I can do about it. How about that for a “bond”? I have also heard many Democrats say that there is no problem. I have always been impressed with a politician’s ability to simply deny away the truth, but this is math, 2+2 always equals 4. Pyramid schemes always screw the people on the bottom rungs because the system cannot fund the bloated top. The key point here is that I am still waiting for the first “plan B” or the first hint of a suggestion of another way to get off this road to financial oblivion. I have heard nothing but political pot shots and talking point blather about the pending financial train wreck in out future. The question is not if the system collapses, the question is just when. We are just haggling over the date. So when will any politician propose another idea to fix the problem? When will the talking point ping-pong match end? I am afraid the answer may be never or that the whole proposal to fix the problem will end up on the political scrap heap. This is what is so maddening about our politicians today, no one really gives a shit about you or me. No one gives a rat’s rear end if they fix this problem or if they train crashes. The only real issue for these people how will this affect the next election. This is why I never listen to an interview from the leader of the DNC or the RNC. I can already tell you what they will say. The RNC Chairman will love it. This is the panacea we have all been waiting for and why the heck have we been so blind, thank the Lord Almighty that George W. Bush has the courage to fix this problem. The DNC Chair will hate it. This is the stupidest idea from this president we have ever heard and that is saying something. Maybe when he finds the WMD’s in Iraq he will have the political capital to tackle the social security problem, if one exists. The proposal will add to our deficit and send the economy into a tail spin. Well, if that is all true, what would you do, assuming that do nothing is not an option? Go to the top of the talking points to hear the answer to that question. “This is stupidest idea…blah blah blah....economy into a tailspin.” If the people in Washington are all so smart, then why can’t anyone come up with an original thought? I know this condition in Washington won’t change anytime soon. Social Security will probably be broke by the time anyone musters the courage to actually address the problem or at least speak candidly about it in non-talking points. You and I will be the real losers as we will have paid thousands into a system for years and will get the federal brush-off when the time comes to actually tap into the “trust fund”. Well, I know I feel better, how about you? Let’s go spend some of the money our government has not taxed away from us while we still can.