A lot of folks have their tutus in a tizzy. They strongly dislike President Obama and blame him for our huge deficits, our unemployment rate, problems in our schools, the recession, crashing real estate prices, immigration, Social Security taxes and even the weather. Unfortunately, many are using Obama as a scapegoat because of his skin color and his visibility.
However, the blame — 100 percent of it — belongs to the 535 members of Congress. Why? It is Congress that makes the economy purr, bark, cough or spit or go head-long over a cliff. Congress passes all the legislation governing the economy, labor laws, tax laws, banking, securities, immigration, etc. Congress, as many expect, will remain gridlocked until after the November elections. As sure as the sun will rise tomorrow, Congress will most probably stay gridlocked for some time. After the election, the dysfunctional Congress may try to resolve the issues that face most Americans, but the usual partisan politics, marauding special interest groups, and the 38,000 registered lobbyists buying favors with suitcases of cash suggest that the economy will continue to flounder for 99 percent of us.
To quote the late Gore Vidal: “A politician is not meant to be honest. He just has to keep dishonesty within bounds.”
— Brian Hartl, Vancouver
