Excellent piece in by Terence Corcoran in Canada’s National Post: “Is this the end of America?”
As an aghast world — from China to Chicago and Chihuahua — watches, the circus-like U.S. political system seems to be declining into near chaos. Through it all, stock and financial markets are paralyzed. The more the policy regime does, the worse the outlook gets. The multi-ringed spectacle raises a disturbing question in many minds: Is this the end of America?
Probably not, if only because there are good reasons for optimism. The U.S. economy has pulled out of self-destructive political spirals in the past, spurred on by its business class and corporate leaders, the profit-making and market-creating people who rose above the political turmoil to once again lift the world out of financial crisis. It’s happened many times before, except for once, when it took 20 years to rise out of the Great Depression.
Past success, however, is no guarantee of future recovery, especially now when there are daily disasters and new indicators of political breakdown. All developments are not disasters in themselves. The AIG bonus firestorm is a diversion from real issues, but it puts the ghastly political classes who make U.S. law on display for what they are: ageing self-serving demagogues who have spent decades warping the U.S. political system for their own ends. We see the system up close, law-making that is riddled with slapdash, incompetence and gamesmanship.
George:
Check on your “tocayo” George Soros he has been boasting how much money he has made during this mess for example see
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1164771/Im-having-good-crisis-says-hedge-fund-manager-1billion-world-plunged-recession.html
In all fairness to the ghastly political classes who make U.S. law, yes, they’re ghastly, all right, but who elected them? Who keeps re-electing them? Hello? Is anybody home?
That’s why it’s time for the American people to insist, nay demand, term limits for congress. These are incredibly self-serving jerks who think they are above the laws they make. I’ve heard the argument that with term limits there would be no seniority for congressional committes left, and that would be a very good thing. The present Congress has demonstrated they don’t know much about the law or the constitution and can’t even be bothered read the bills they vote on. The work perhaps 180 days of the year (if that) where most common people work at least 345. It’s time to throw all the bums out and make sure the next crop in congress can’t set up the little sinecures these people have made for themselves.
Asombra/Elemaza, good points. It’s the easily manipulated, moronic masses that put these bastards in power. Once they’re in they make self-serving decisions in order to retain their ‘jobs’. Neither the majority of the populace nor the politicians give a shit about the country as a whole. It really is time for the term limits. It may just reduce some of the pandering and poor voting that goes on in order to get reelected…maybe.
I don’t want term limits for the same reason I don’t agree with the throw them all out rhetoric.
There are some good people in Congress and I want to keep them there. I have no interest in term limiting people like Michelle Bachmann, a real star in my opinion, Marsha Blackburn, another impressive gal, Mike Pence… The list goes on. In fact to put it simply, just leave in place and reelect all those who got there because of the Club For Growth as long as they vote the right way.