I’m really not political. I’m an artist; I don’t think very much about government, and I don’t think very much about business. But I do stay abreast of world news. While my art keeps me busy most of the time, the local news also breaks through my shell on occasion. Lately, I’ve been reminded just WHY I am not particularly political.
We Americans are so short-sighted! And that includes Wisconsinites. We have lived lives of luxury compared to the rest of the world and yet as a people we seem never to be satisfied with what we have.
Provincialism is “being narrow in scope, or considering only small sections of an issue.” Provincialism has been the hallmark of Wisconsin politics since the middle of February (2011). On the surface it has been an argument about collective bargaining for public workers. But the collective bargaining issue is such a small part of the overall issue that it’s maddening that NO one is talking about the larger issues.
For decades we have been spending more money than we make. Nationally, Statewide, and individuals have been doing it as well. At some point in time we have to pay the piper. At some point we have to realize that some of the promises we have made to people cannot be fulfilled. It’s a bitter fact. And certainly there is not a politician around who wants to bear that bad news to the electorate — but at some point in time the electorate will be forced to realize that we (collectively) have spent ourselves into national bankruptcy.
40% of our national budget we borrow from someone else.
National mandates require states to pour buckets of money into programs the states never asked for — and the result is that money once available for wages, benefits, maintenance, etc., is being spent to provide other (perhaps) wonderful services, but services that no one has bothered to factor into the equation of how much can we afford.
For decades I have watched as the nature of politics has changed. We have become increasingly polarized, we have become increasingly less willing to LISTEN to other points of view; we have decided that talking louder, or behaving badly will get us what we want. We are already paying the penalty — Government overpays for almost all services it provides. Because we are throwing money away in some places we do not have it to pay for other things that also need doing. Citizens with legitimate needs are left wanting; antagonism rises, polarity increases and we are on a merry-go-round that never ends.
And in the bargain we have professional politicians who want to keep their jobs more than they want to do what is necessary for those they serve. What they really want, is to be re-elected — at whatever cost.
It’s sad that a great republic has been reduced to this.
In time the noise about the the 2011 budget will go away. I doubt that the depths of our budget shortfall will have been addressed. As I write this the Federal government is trying to avoid a national government shutdown. I doubt that the national debt crisis will be fixed this year either.
And I really wonder, will we act before this nation too disintegrates in revolution…. No one thought it would happen with the U.S.S.R. or East Germany — but it did. And revolution continues to change international political geography. This year Egypt, Libya and who knows what other country….. How long before our debt payments to other nations drives citizens here to similar behavior.
The problem with history is that no one thinks that THEY will be the ones to repeat it.
