I'm working hard on understanding what is going on around us, but I can't. A majority of us voted for change. What we got was a lot of the same. We were told there would be limits on pork barrel spending and that the public would be given an opportunity to read proposed laws (and comment) before they were passed.
Mr. Obama, you promised a lot of things. Many of these things I wanted nothing to do with. These two things, though, are ideals that I not only support you on, but strongly believe are the cornerstone to a good democracy and a strong republican government (small 'r' not big). (Surprisingly, there were many other things that I support you on, but these two took front and center of attention because they seemed to be a common cause between friend and foe in the political arena.)
Neither of these things have happened. We have seen some of the largest pork-barrel laden bills passed in your first 100 days. These were called stimulus packages meant to help the economy. I don't see how earmarks and a public fountain for a park in some city in Missouri is supposed to help the economy. The mess we are in is because of reckless spending on the back of reckless borrowing. Borrowing more to spend more recklessly doesn't seem to me to be the solution.
And the transparency - in the form of waiting periods so that public input could be given before bills were passed by you and Congress - doesn't seem to be gaining any traction. I thought an informed public was the most equitable way to govern.
Maybe I misunderstood what change meant. I thought it meant different than things are or were. It doesn't seem to me that much has changed. Maybe someone can tell me where I went wrong.
Leave a comment