An Endless Series of Hobgoblins
An Endless Series of Hobgoblins: Economist Walter Williams, in writing about the proposed stimulus package, starts off by reminding us that American politics is all about keeping folks occupied with “an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary” (which makes me think of last night’s SOTUA).
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Yes, politics is often about distraction, but not governing. Governing is the small breaks in the storm between political seasons where meaningful action and diplomacy takes place.
While I don’t agree with many of this government’s policies (or previous ones for that matter) you cannot deny that they do in fact govern and do so more effectively than many, many other nations. Can it be better? Most definately and to not work to it’s betterment would show a damning apathy. But in our quest for bettering our nation through the political system lets drift too far past needed criticism toward cynicism and derision. Can we be skeptical with becoming skeptics?
It is true that our political seasons are getting longer with each election cycle and perhaps the gaps between will become so blurred that there no dissernable governing left, but I’m just enough of a nationalist to think that the people won’t let that happen.
I think the providing tax rebates in today’s world is like treating drug addiction with heroin borrowed from some Columbian drug cartel that one day will come after us for payment. And it won’t be pretty.
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