Well folks fasten your seatbelts for our Time Machine is taking off. We are off to visit two points in the twentieth century that initially brought America to her knees, but from which she recovered soundly and rebuilt her standing in the world only at the second stop to further increase her lead for a short time. The first is 1932 when on November 8th Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected to the first of four terms as President. America was in the middle of what was then and later called the "Great Depression". FDR began an ambitious plan to rebuild a struggling economy that would see tremendous growth and change in the way Americans viewed their roles in day to day life. The second stop we will see is during 1950 when President Dwight D. Eisenhower began a massive public works program and infra structure development project called the Interstate Highway system.
More after the fold
Originally posted on idealthoughts
Today, the Washington Post headlinedPresident elect Barack Obama's plan of infra structure revitalization designed to improve schools, internet accessibility, roads and bridges. There is no price tag as to the costs of this revitalization project but some have suggested the cost of up to a trillion dollars. America's Governors have said they have projects that could be initiated within a month totaling $136 billion, and everyone seems eager to dive in, especially after the government reported a total of 533,000 jobs lostin November, and it appears there is no end in sight for this labor job loss. Yet there is more we need to do for infra structure development, and part of this jobs initiative should be reduced and funds diverted elsewhere. More on that later.
What the main concern of this piece will be is all the political posturing, infighting, party divisions and what all to often today in Washington has become a game of one up manship. As noted in today's Washington Post:
Republicans in the House oppose Obama's plan, saying they favor a series of tax
cuts that they say would put money in people's pockets and encourage businesses
to expand domestically.
"Anyone who has talked to the American people knows
that while they are hurting, they don't believe that more Washington spending is
the answer," said Michael Steel, a spokesman for Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio)
Democrats said that
even if a recovery act quickly passed the House early next year, it could take
longer in the Senate, where fiscally conservative Republicans have expressed
concern about adding to the soaring deficit with a massive new round of
government spending. Even with at least 58 Democratic votes in the new Senate,
Republicans could easily hold up a final vote, they said
This is more of the same financial policy that we have experienced over the past eight years that has brought us to where we are now. Here though I would like to point out the hypocrisy of the Republican platform. Look at what a Republican controlled Congress accomplished over the time period from 2000 to 2006 when their majority was overturned. Republican decry what they call corporate welfare for the Big 3, especially GM. Yet what did the Bush Administration and the Republican controlled Congress do throughout the Iraq/Afghanistan wars? Let me see here, no bid contracts for companies like Halliburton, KBR, Blackwater, etc. These companies have been allowed to remain at the public trough despite serious allegations of abuse and fraud. Blackwater was just last year given a billion dollar contract renewal with the state department after it's continued problems of abuse and basic generation of ill will towards the United States. Is this now what we define as diplomacy?
Even now today we see a cry from Republicans for "smaller government" but that itself is just an illusion, and lie left over from Reaganomics. For as the Republicans would shrink government, they would increase a growth of private contractors to provide those services that governmental agencies would no longer be able to provide, with the caveat of lack of accountability. Our ill fated Blackwater corporation has shifted it's aim from private security after getting "too much scrutiny" to intelligence contracting. So what now, we no longer need the NSA, CIA, DIA, but instead farm out that work to Blackwater to become the new intelligence arm of this country? How about all those ex-special forces guys they hired as wild west security personnel? Will Blackwater then contract to carry out "black bag" operations for the military? Should they make this transition I can guarantee a lot less scrutiny under the blanket of national security.
Here now is where we tear down this right wing myth with a simple question. In the past 10 years (for this move started with the Republicans under Clinton) has the cost and quality of service of your government gotten better or worse? As a follow up question one should also ask has governmental accountability risen? It hasn't according to the GAO. Though this one study concerns defense spending, all one needs to do is do a Google search and there you will find many articles and GAO survey's of different areas that that show a decrease in overall accountability. All the while the expense of government has risen while the quality of service has decreased. Don't believe me? Try this then. Call Immigration, now a branch of Homeland Security. The telephone operators who answer your questions are very informative regarding what forms you will need for something, but ask a technical question about something on the I-485 form Application to Register as a Permanent Resident or Adjust Status. Nada, because that is not their job. They are contractors hired just to send you immigration forms. If you want they will transfer to an Immigration Officer, but the minimum wait time if you are lucky is 4 hours. (As a point of expertise I went through this several times as my wife went through the immigration process). After the second wait period 5.5 hours, I asked the Immigration Officer why so long? His response was as a rule they only "have two officers assigned to answer questions for the entire country"! Oh and just as a personal affront it costs $1010.00 to filethis single form. Up from $945.00 when my wife and I filed.
The last myth that will be formulated by Republicans as mentioned in the block quote above is rather then putting government money into an investment in jobs and infrastructure rebuilding is we need to "lower taxes" so those that will benefit will then reimpliment the "trickle down theory of economics". I prefer to call it the "piss on you" theory of economics. Simple mathematics debunks this idea even if you still believe this after these past eight years. There are two main components of this idea, both of which cannot succeed for they involve a double negative, and when you take something away from something else it makes that something else all that much smaller. The first premise involved by the radical right is the old NeoCon idea of a "free market economy", which basically says let the different businesses play a form of a game of social Darwinism. Only the strongest and well managed businesses will survive. The problem with that is government tax revenue and expenditures depend on a tax surplus come in and a decreased expenditure on social welfare programs such as unemployment insurance, Medicaid, food stamps etc. The free market model as we have seen promotes the expansion of large businesses, which then gobble up the competition, and then reduce choices in consumer goods which actually then results in decreased quality, an increase in prices and loss of jobs. Especially since it becomes more profitable to share holders to export jobs to countries who allow a substandard wage, and as a result, a substandard product. With the loss of jobs you have a loss of revenue, and increase in spending on social welfare programs, and as so well seen a big increase in a trade deficit that devalues the currency while increasing the national debt.
The second big cry of Republicans is the cry to end Capitol Gains taxes. They will argue hardily that this will benefit all Americans. However, look at the definition of Capitol Gains. It applies to the selling of properties, stocks, bonds, and precious metals. If you make a profit in your trading then you pay a Capitol Gains tax. Who amongst the working class or middle class do you know of that has such money lying around to make such an investment? The only people who would benefit from the elimination are those who are in the top 5% of income levels and large corporations. In the case of corporations I addressed why promoting their growth over other businesses is bad in the proceeding paragraph. As for the upper 5% even with a capitol gains tax the old adage of the "rich get richer" remains true today, so yes you can afford it.
Finally, back to the political games. Yes Obama has introduced a bold plan, but guess what? Unlike "piss on you" economics of Ronald Reagan the Obama plan is like the Eisenhower and FDR New Deal plans that proved themselves and worked. Democrats in Congress need to shed their fear and games manship of maneuvering to preserve or gain seats in Congress. There needs to be a solid push to give this new President a chance and implement his programs. This country can no longer afford the political deadlocks based on party ideals with a refusal to look at alternatives. To the Democrats and Obama Administration I say push your platform to the max. Should Republicans block your proposals then takes names and publish them, use those stances in 2010 to campaign against them. This has to be America first, not partisanship first. Voters, you know despite party affiliation something has gone wrong, so try something new, and let your Representatives know of your wishes. Mr. Obama, you seem to be a good student of history, look also to former President Woodrow Wilson and how he managed to get his legislative inuatives passed. Learn also from his mistakes which you seem to have done so far in your cabinet appointments. For those in your party Sir that fail to support you, remind them that come 2010 or 2012 you will work hard to support another candidate that is more reflective of your views be it a Democratic challenger or even a Republican.
We the people have suffered while the DC crowd has played their power games. We the people are hurting because we have no health care, the only major industrial nation in such a bind. We the people have lost our jobs to companies that have gobbled up the competition, then exported jobs overseas so that CEO's could show a profit rise and increase their executive compensation all the while telling us it would bring prices down. Guess what, I challenge you to point to one instance where it has. You can't. We the people on our own behalf must keep a watchful eye on our leaders in Washington and ensure they know of our desires. Should they fail to listen then we the people must place the same burden of unemployment on them that they placed on us. For those in DC who feel lost in all this economic gobbilty gook, asked your significant other that maybe the one who handles the household budget for advice. Economic principals believe it or not are consistent and true on all levels, just the size and scope expands, the basics remains the same. Oh and Mr. Obama, rather then focusing on roads too much, focus on mass transit, rebuild bridges, but in all honesty we don't need any more new roads.