Gotta get it out of my system!

Obviously I have not bothered to attempt a post in forever. I guess the motivation just hasn't been there. Maybe I will try and redouble my efforts with this new year and actually make a few posts.

Don't hold your breath... really

Tonight I am aggravated at the state of our country. Actually that is a little bit of a far reaching way to put it. Our country is fine I suppose but the people trying to lead it are getting on my last nerve. The buzz word of the moment is "fiscal cliff". That is supposed to represent an artificial deadline set by Congress a few months back in order to give them some more time to reach some sort of agreement. Ha! Our two parties can't agree on whether the sun is up or not.

Somewhere back in the annals of time something happened to the way we looked at ideas from a political standpoint. There used to be "good ideas" and "bad ideas" and usually you couldn't be for sure which category an idea fit in until you gave it a little time to see how it was working out. Now there are "Republican ideas" and "Democrat ideas" and all you need to know in order to determine if it is good or bad is your party affiliation. At least at the congressional level.

Both parties are scared to death that if the other party gets credit for a good idea then it will aid them in the next election so therefore you just can't let your opposition get the upper hand like that. The only way we seem to be able to tackle tough issues anymore is to make it appear that both parties won something and lost something.

So today we are supposedly standing on the edge of some cliff (a term our media has eagerly promoted for dramatic effect) and our congressional leaders are trying to push us off or save us, again depending on party affiliation.

The President is just standing on the sidelines occasionally exercising his bully pulpit to support the democrat plan. (As long as it lines up with what he wants). He apparently knows nothing about the fine art of compromise but instead relishes in trying to make the republicans look bad at every opportunity he gets. This of course pisses them off, sometimes at a personal level. and just intensifies the determination to thwart any plan the President supports. It is sickening to watch and watch you must as our 24 hr news coverage feels compelled to report blow by blow the developments like it was some sort of prize fight.

For the record I am a registered republican and usually vote my party especially once you get past local and state level. I am not a "one lever" type. I will vote for who I feel is the best person as long as I can know a little about the person. Naturally once you get passed the State level and even local level in some cases it is almost impossible to really know anything about the candidates on a personal level so I just have to go with the party at that point.

But here is a news flash..... We just had an election AND WE LOST!. The Dems maintained the White House, gained seats in the Senate and House as well. So for better or worse I think the nation as a whole has spoken and like the way the Dems think on the majority of issues. So I say give em what they want. Nothing wrong with debating a fine point here and there but to try and completely block everything that comes down the pike is just ludicrous.

If the ideas being presented by the Dems are bad ones then I am sure they will pay the price the next election cycle. Why should the Republicans continue to allow themselves to be made to look like the bad guys.

If they don't start getting it together (and I am putting the impetus on the Reps at this point) then I am afraid some people are gonna start going off a real cliff..... on purpose.

The time to start settling issues is now.