Curse of the Government Bucket

Earlier this year, like many of you on the lower end of the economic ladder, I got my check from the government attempting to buy my vote for the incumbents (Demorat, Republikook, whatever). And I remember thanking many on the higher rungs of the ladder, as they watched the government, in full communist mode, redistribute wealth to "stimulate the economy."

Well, as gas prices continue to suck money out of us, the mortgage mess threatens to smack some banks into the cold grasp of death by regulator, and the fallout of these messes starts to wipe out jobs (auto and construction industries) all across the country, we look (with hope and dread) to see what the federal government is going to do about it.

Things I've heard batted around to "solve" the litany of crises: Increase the gas tax to make up for lost revenues, argue incessantly over which plan will solve the oil price crunch (drilling or suing), and throw out another round of "stimulus" vote buying checks. My guess is that the last idea will come late October (when vote buying is most effective).

But the most insulting thing of all is another damned government bailout.

Essentially, the government has taken on the role of ameliorating all risk in life. They have taken to subsidizing farms and fuel, car manufacturers and cigarettes, big banks, and little guys. Whenever an industry is teetering on the brink of failure, the government spends our money, our children's money, our grandchildren's money, our great-grandchildren's money, and so on, and so forth.

This season, the helpless waifs are the mortgage banks who made loans to people who couldn't afford them, and people who had no business buying their houses. And Congress, that august collection of leeches (apologies to the leech community) that can't not throw money at a problem while trying (and failing)to figure out how to change the price of oil, decides to bail them out, when it was reaction to and fear of congressional action that created the whole mess in the first place. That explains their abysmal job approval rating from Real Clear Politics: Approve - 17.3%, Disapprove - 75.0%.

President Bush has promised things like vetoes to cut spending, but when it comes time to really stop the insanity, he picks up his pen and gets ready to sign the shit sandwich that is the bailout. That explains his job approvalnumbers, according to RCP: Approve - 29.0%, Disapprove - 66.1%.

That bill will be signed soon, with numbers that make the price of the war in Iraq look like pocket change.

I could cite a gazillion articles that say the same thing. Here's two, from some site called dealbreaker.com and from John Lott, Jr on Foxnews.com. I haven't tried to dig into the actual bill, but if even half of what I've read about is true, I have to put the government below monkey piss in my list of things I respect (they just edge said urine out by a slight margin right now).

In essence, we are locked in a mentality that expects government to keep things on an even keel, which has been an increasingly prevalent view since the Great Depression. However, as we continue to mount endless piles of debt and chain the fate of more and more of the population to the largesse of the government, which is based on the theft of an increasing amount from a dwindling number of taxpayers, we are nearing the point where we cease being a country of freedom and opportunity and instead, in the desire for safety and security, descend into the bland "equality" that is communism. The world, after the great communist era of the 20th century, has sought to pull away from this soul-destroying system, as we slowly learn to embrace the madness.

In the end, it's an election year and the buying of votes will continue unchecked. Will the next president be willing to use the power of the veto to stop the bleeding, no matter the consequences? Or will we continue down a path that will lead us to ruin?