Government Shutdown
I have my own rather strong political opinions, but I am amazed at the depth of rancor displayed by politicians of both parties and by the public on this issue.
If I was an alien from space who was visiting and had no opinion in the issues or stake in the outcome, just observing, I believe the conclusion I would come to is that in order to end a stalemate like this, regardless of who is right or wrong, or any foolish actions or statements made, it is necessary for both sides to have a way to save face in order to reach a settlement. It will never happen with the "my way or the highway", scorched earth tactics displayed so far. Eventually one side may be defeated, but it will be looking for revenge thereafter. The country will become even more deeply polarized.
Obama isn't going to give up the Affordable Care Act, as it is about the only thing he can point to as having been accomplished in his presidency. Therefore the Republicans are going to have to back off on defunding it or destroying it and instead look at changes that need to be made, especially ones many Democrats can agree on. The Republicans, however, need to take something away from this, so the Democrats are going to have to back off on a "clean CR" and agree to spending cuts to stop or slow the rise of the national debt.
There are lots of cuts that can be made.
The use of disability to replace welfare and unemployment insurance needs to be addressed, especially as it will drain the funds in a few years. This would cut spending in a positive way. (The Republican "chained CPI" idea needs to be resisted, as it is a backdoor way to cut benefits and raise taxes, without most people realizing it until it is too late).
We need to roll back Government. Get it out of education, in which it has no business. Limit spying to potential terrorists, not all Americans. Stop fighting endless futile wars. Welfare should be a hand up, not a way of life. Eliminate regulations adversely affecting small businesses. Stop hindering developing our energy sources and provide the means needed to transport them. Stop subsidizing big business. Simplify the tax code.
This standoff has shown how deeply Americans have come to depend on Government rather than God and themselves. This is not a good thing. Government will fail - in fact it already is. We should recognize that human behavior can't be controlled by ever more laws, rules, and regulations. Character, morality, and ethics are needed, and like it or not these are all religiously based.
#governmentshutdown
If I was an alien from space who was visiting and had no opinion in the issues or stake in the outcome, just observing, I believe the conclusion I would come to is that in order to end a stalemate like this, regardless of who is right or wrong, or any foolish actions or statements made, it is necessary for both sides to have a way to save face in order to reach a settlement. It will never happen with the "my way or the highway", scorched earth tactics displayed so far. Eventually one side may be defeated, but it will be looking for revenge thereafter. The country will become even more deeply polarized.
Obama isn't going to give up the Affordable Care Act, as it is about the only thing he can point to as having been accomplished in his presidency. Therefore the Republicans are going to have to back off on defunding it or destroying it and instead look at changes that need to be made, especially ones many Democrats can agree on. The Republicans, however, need to take something away from this, so the Democrats are going to have to back off on a "clean CR" and agree to spending cuts to stop or slow the rise of the national debt.
There are lots of cuts that can be made.
The use of disability to replace welfare and unemployment insurance needs to be addressed, especially as it will drain the funds in a few years. This would cut spending in a positive way. (The Republican "chained CPI" idea needs to be resisted, as it is a backdoor way to cut benefits and raise taxes, without most people realizing it until it is too late).
We need to roll back Government. Get it out of education, in which it has no business. Limit spying to potential terrorists, not all Americans. Stop fighting endless futile wars. Welfare should be a hand up, not a way of life. Eliminate regulations adversely affecting small businesses. Stop hindering developing our energy sources and provide the means needed to transport them. Stop subsidizing big business. Simplify the tax code.
This standoff has shown how deeply Americans have come to depend on Government rather than God and themselves. This is not a good thing. Government will fail - in fact it already is. We should recognize that human behavior can't be controlled by ever more laws, rules, and regulations. Character, morality, and ethics are needed, and like it or not these are all religiously based.
#governmentshutdown
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