Economic Politics by Jen

Ok, maybe I've been listening to Neil Bortz and Dave Ramsey too much.   But here's my current take on politics....

I know very little about politics, and generally stay away.  I generally don't even want to discuss politics.   I do enjoy listening to Neil Bortz because he is hilarious, and I find myself agreeing with him more and more.  But in my core, I am a democrat.  Ironcially, I married a Republican.  Which means politics come up more at dinner with my family than the used to.  Go figure.

I believe in the separation of church and state, yet I certainly also believe in saying personal prayers about God's hand in who becomes elected as well as praying for God's hand in the policies our government makes.  I believe it is the responsibility of the Government to take care of people, and provide helping hand programs.  I do not, however, believe in hand out programs.  I believe that workers do have rights, and that the government should protect the majority of the people out there and not the people running those companies that are all about getting rich rather than treating employees fairly.  I think health care should not be run and orchestrated by the government per se, I just think health care should not only be for privileged.  I hope and pray that one day Medicare will be available to people who are disabled when they are disabled -- and not two years later because the government wants to save a buck.  In the long run, that costs the government more.  (Duh --- let's give them monthly money benefits as long as they are sick, but not provide health care at any level for two years.  That should be cheaper in the long run.  NOT!) I think the government should play a role in economics, but I feel quite strongly that this recent bill STINKS!  You can't live in a capitalist society and expect that your own dumb mistakes and risk taking in business will be rewarded with hand outs.   And that is what congress just did.  I do think a higher insured amount for our bank accounts is excellent.  But beyond that, well, both business and investing include risk.  I've only had two economic classes in my life and I know that.   Suck it up.  This would be that risk they were talking about.  Why is risk in general well and good, and worth taking, until it effects you?  Why should risk only be for other people?!?  Hello!

Come on, America.  Take responsibility for your self, your own business, your own bad decisions.  Is it news that the strength of economies rise and fall?  Um. No.  Do you know what creates the strongest come back for so called "victims"?   The victims that refuse to see themselves as victims, that find power within themselves, and decide to look for the best in even the worst scenario.  And the victims with people who love them supporting them, but NOT bailing them out, are always better off in the long run.  Hand Outs are useless and prolong the inevitable.  Helping Hands give strength when you are down so that you can survive and become better from your experience.

Only wish our government had thought through things more and realized that.  

I work for the government, and love my job. I also believe in the Social Security system, yet agree that some serious reforms are needed for SSA. There are many times that I take a disability claim and get great satisfaction knowing that the claim I am taking is the exact scenario SSA was meant to help with. By the same token, I too often take disability claims where I am happy to know there is NO WAY this person will get approved, and I am glad there are structures in place to make sure it goes to only the people that truly qualify.

But, y'all, the government is a mess.  It's not like we have a CEO that makes a decision that gets carried out immediately.  A decision gets suggested, the congress has to vote on it, then it gets pondered and revised for a year or two, and then they have to write the policy that outlines the process with which to carry out the decision, and then they spend a year or two revising that (it must be approved at many, many layers of government), and then they have to figure out the forms that will have to be used to make sure that only the correct, intended, people will benefit from this decision.   And then they have to train whoever it is that is going to decide who is eligible how to decide who is eligible, and then, they have to have an appeal process so that if someone feels like they were wrongly disqualified they have the right to fight it.  And then, they implement that original - all be it -- slightly altered decision.  And, about that time, a new decision gets put out there because that first decision doesn't look like such a great idea once it is actually implemented.   Case in point--- the medicare prescription drug program.   Screwing old people all over the country, and prescriptions often cost more in the end - when you include the premiums and the so call doughnut void in the middle of the year-- than they used to.  Thank goodness for Wal-Mart and Kroger and $4 prescriptions!

At any rate, my humble prediction is that this "rescue" bill is going to prolong the economic crisis, create a scenario where people take more risk because they figure the government will fix the problem when it doesn't work out, and then create a cycle where government gets way, way too much power.