The Bum Control Problem

Barack Obama came charging into office just thirteen months ago “fired up and ready to go”, with huge Congressional majorities and what they felt was a mandate to transform American society.  They told their voters that they wouldn’t pay a dimes’ more taxes (only the “rich” will pay more).  They flung billions of dollars in borrowed money at the banks, the auto industry, the teachers and public employees, they capped and traded and nearly nationalized our private health insurance system.  And their reward:  we hate it!

So much for “hope”.  It’s March, 2010 and we ain’t transformed.  28 million of us are either unemployed, out of the labor force or working part time involuntarily. Millions have lost their homes and are buried under a mountain of credit card debt.  The mood is ugly.

In crystal clear hindsight, it’s clear that 2008 wasn’t a “transformative” election- a mandate for government to save us from ourselves.  It was a “throw the bums out” election- a repudiation of George Bush and a venal, morally challenged Republican regime.

So, fifteen months later, the lynch mob is rallying and we’re getting ready to throw the Democrats out and hand control of Congress back to the Republicans!!?  Why?  What do they stand for? What are we going to get from them?  Do we trust them?  Are the bums we’re throwing back in going to be any more capable of governing or steering us in the right direction than the bums we’re throwing out?

What we’ve really got is a bum control problem.  At some point, we’re going to look in the mirror and see Clem Kadiddlehopper (above).  The real bums …  is us.