IF NERO WAS FIDDLING…WHILE ROME BURNED…
(then Congress’s diddling…is what’s keeping our economy comatose)

Fed Chairman Bernanke was being polite as he explained why it was maintaining the current level of bond buying rather than easing off as had been previously forecast. The reason for that surprise move was because Congress has yet come up with anything useful concerning sensible budgetary or fiscal policy; and, while the economy was showing encouraging signs of improvement, it still isn’t showing enough sustainable signs of expansion and growth to warrant easing off from the Fed’s current stimulus mode… which will have to continue for a bit longer.

As taxpaying voters, however, we have no constraints requiring us to be polite in our criticisms of Congress’s unacceptable behavior concerning these issues. Both the Democrats and the Republicans are just screwing around and playing party politics, living fat while the rest of us have to make do with lean cuisine. They are more concerned with their respective political postures than with doing what is necessary for the good of the country as a whole. In short, if Nero was fiddling…while Rome burned…then Congress’s fiddling…is what’s keeping our economy comatose.

Both parties are ignoring a cardinal principle of good governance, which is…political ideology must never be allowed to over ride commonsense. The question is…will these career politicos of ours ever bother to learn that? From the way things are going right now…not bloody likely any time soon. Few of them seem to either understand or give a damn about that principle. Nor do they seem concerned about it if it doesn’t fit their political perspectives.

Good governance dictates that there be a rational and equitable tax code (which we don’t have), that there be a balanced budgetary process (which we don’t have), and lastly, that there be some sort of long term mechanism for methodically and consistently reducing whatever national debt load there might be (which we don’t have at all). So, unless we taxpaying voters can somehow “re-educate” and “re-train” these self-serving politicos to focus and implement these things, instead of playing constant political end-games with each other (at our expense…not theirs), there’s little chance our economy can ever be what it should be.

Perhaps it’s time we showed them that, we too, can draw red lines in the sand, and that they all face serious consequences at the ballot box…next time around…if they don’t change their ways.  On second thought, perhaps a more effective approach with these “honorables” is to just bluntly say…Yo’… dipsticks…knock off the BS, get off your buns, get to work…or face a swarm of folks with pitchforks and torches surrounding your grandiose Capitol Building…like…tomorrow! Yeah, that might do it.

Meanwhile…does anyone know of any good tax havens still around, where we can apply for refugee status?

CENTURION