Too Busy To Think?

A year from now, we will be month away from the next Presidential election.  As of yesterday, the Governor of NJ said explicitly that he will not be throwing his hat in the ring. I've been watching the Other Guys with a mixture of curiosity and alarm, as the field grew ever stranger. If Christie is wise, he will sit this one out.

If you follow the Economy, you know that things are not going great. I've heard people suggest that they are the "worst", and have to assume they weren't paying a lot of attention in history class. "Worst" was when a quarter of the population was unemployed.The problem is, the economy has also not bottomed out yet. I believe it will be at least a decade before we are capable of patching together the damage done in August/October of 2008.

That is an uncomfortable concept for most. They want an answer right now---one that is painless, and palatable, that everyone can agree on. A nice thought...like an end to hunger, and world peace...and every bit as likely.

I was walking past a bank the other day, and they had a sign up front, advertising .5 percent interest on savings. That'a half of one percent. When I was a kid, I opened a savings account for 5.25 percent, and they gave me a toaster to do it.  At the time, banks were heavily regulated. The Dow was trading in the hundreds...not the thousands. Blue collar workers could afford a home on one job.  America has a manufacturing base.

When I was in my 20's, we switched to a "service economy". I argued at the time that you can't eat a "service". I was told I was hopelessly dumb for not understanding business. The manufacturing base left. But that is not a recent development. Things haven't been made in the USA in a long time. Suddenly, people are angry about that...but when it was happening, they cared less.

When the nominations start,  candidates are going to be very mystical about how they intend to "fix" what's happening.  Most of what you'll hear will be "I'm not the other guy." But actual ideas, and answers? Those will be slim indeed. The reality is that fixing what is broken will be a slow, painful process...a fact no one want to hear. The culture of instant gratification, and "I want it NOW" makes us all seem like toddlers...not thinking adults.

We need to think ahead. It's not sexy. It doesn't make a stirring sound byte. We need to elect people because they can do the job...not because they look good on posters. But as long as we are willing to believe that someone can wave a magic wand, and make all the bad stuff go away, we will still be right where we are now. We need to think about HOW things can be done, and balance the costs against the expectations. Saving ten cents today might sound good...but not if it costs you ten dollars tomorrow.

What do you want? What do you expect? If it's not worth any of your time to even think about, don't expect the politicians to put much into it. Register to vote, and when you do use your ballot. Don't let a third of the population make the choice for you. When you hear a promise, think about HOW it will work...or if it can. Simple solutions rarely work when a problem is complex. And right now, we're looking at some doozies.

Happy voting!