My 86-year-old mom has Alzheimer’s Disease, but I think she could do a better job of managing the nation’s debt crisis than the current crop of elected officials in Washington, D.C.
Symptoms of the disease present themselves in many ways with my mom. For instance:
She can’t remember my name or the names of my wife and children;
Her conversation “menu” includes a handful of topics that seem to run through her mind in something of a continuous loop, repeating multiple times during a typical afternoon of interaction; and
My mother always speaks of pleasant or happy memories, such as when she used to make divinity — a white fudge made of whipped egg whites, sugar, and nuts — every Christmas and when she served several terms as president of the PTA at Taft Elementary School in Enid, Okla.
When I consider most of our elected officials, including those now on center stage, allegedly attempting to settle the debt ceiling crisis before the nation goes into financial default, symptoms of the memory-robbing affliction present themselves quite clearly:
The typical elected official cannot remember the name of a constituent without the aid of a database listing the amount of that constituent’s latest campaign contribution;
Though it changes with the direction of the political wind, the typical politico’s conversation menu includes a handful of topics (a.k.a., “talking points”) given to him by his handlers (a.k.a., “party bosses”) that he repeats often, seemingly in front of anyone with a camera or microphone; and
Unlike my mom, those on their political soapboxes in the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate and the White House seem to focus on bad times ahead if one thing or another doesn’t get done via legislation. In addition, they blame people on the other side of the political aisle for being reckless and wanting to cause harm to children, seniors and others with special needs.
Now is the time for us to go back to the citizen legislature envisioned by the Founding Fathers and to elect presidents who, like George Washington, are best for the job and don’t necessarily want the job.
In lieu of that, the best temporary solution might be to elect my mother as president in 2012. Believe it or not, she thrived as PTA president and, she tells me, she ran a pretty tight ship.
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Speaking of managing the books, in the start of the debt crises. Why has there been nothing said about the historic sea change that swept the republicans into the House. What are the republicans doing? The people spoke through the last election. The people expressed their will by voting republicans into majority. The republicans should be screaming this from the roof tops and then throwing it in the middle of the negotiating table with Obama!!
The Republican “Establishment” is not a whole lot better than the Dems, Byron. Still full of RINO’s and people who want to keep the power and the big money and the Washington DC or Bank or FHA status quo. Too many just very typical politicians.
The Tea Party Republicans are trying to make a difference, but they not only have the insane and traitorous Dems against them, they have the status-quo-RINO Republicans against them.
No group outside of the Tea Party Repubs give much of a crap about the “will of the People”. That’s one reason the Establishment Repubs joined with the Dems to demonize Palin…she tried to fight the corruption in her OWN party, and they couldn’t have that (but I’m not trying to make this a Palin pro-or-con reply, just using her as an example).
Bob is 100% correct about us needing folks in Washington who don’t really want to stay there and rule for life. I’m not sure how to really go about getting them, as the paradox is that those who belong, as Bob points out, don’t WANT to be there.
In the Old Testament, Moses doesn’t want to be the leader of the children of Israel, argues with the Lord about it! That humility and lack of desire for power is part of what made Moses a great leader! He did what was necessary, cared about the people (arguing for them when they had sinned), and even delegated the power when advised it was a good idea, by his father-in-law (who told him to give some of the power to elders who would help lead).
Ok, we’re not going to get a Moses. How about a Washington? George didn’t want to be a dictator, and I have been so impressed when reading about Washington’s life, how he was extremely cognizant about appearances and protocol; he did not want to APPEAR to be overstepping his bounds. As general, he deferred to the Congress (though they were idiots then too), because he believed the military should not be in control. During the discussions about the Constitution, he was there, but deferred to Madison and those who were better prepared to bring us that document. Washington was there reluctantly, but he was NOT the scholar that Madison and others were, and let them do what they needed to do. But his presence made a huge difference at critical times, and perhaps, overall, as his support was necessary.
We’ve had others who tried to do the right thing; now we have a political ‘class’ that is completely classless and don’t really give a damn.