House of Eratosthenes

The basic assumption in Washington seems to be that politicians must do something—pass a bill, add a new regulation or create a new entitlement—in order for America to get better. President Obama agonizes, “I spend every waking hour, when I’m talking to my economic team, about how we are going to put people back to work.”

What if government leaving people alone is better than doing something that just makes matters worse? What if letting Americans be free to handle their own problems and earn their own rewards is better than watching government politicians micromanage something they know nothing about?

Congress recently passed legislation to fine airlines for leaving people on runways too long, only to find that now airlines prematurely cancel more flights in the face of pending bad weather to avoid possible fines. Cancelations leave more flyers stranded with no plane to fly in. Congress “cares” enough to make matters worse.

Give me a “Do Nothing…Get Out of the Way” Congress!

This used to be a mainstream idea. It’s been repeatedly proven right, and after being repeatedly proven right it has — somehow — become, in 2010, a not-quite-so-mainstream idea. Somehow, if there’s a building on fire Congress is the only fire engine in town with a working hose.

But this includes out wretched financial shape too. We’re seriously upside down, debt is completely out of control and Congress will…will…will pass a new program or two that will fix it?

Things are about to get seriously cockeyed and gunneybags, or a government program is going to do what no government program in the history of the republic has ever before done. There is no in-between.

Using all your firing synapses, Dear Reader, which one do you think is about to happen?

What if government leaving people alone is better than doing something that just makes matters worse? What if letting Americans be free to handle their own problems and earn their own rewards is better than watching government politicians micromanage something they know nothing about?

Sigh…because that philosophy isn’t consistent with the megalomania and self-importance that many (if not most) of our elected leaders find themselves mired in. That’s why. “Doing nothing” (or worse, actually retreating the hand of government) isn’t something they think they can point to as an accomplishment, even though I think Reagan did a pretty good job of making it into a campaign slogan.

Chairman Zero, Dingy Harry and San Fran Nan want to “be involved.” They want to “do something.” Cutting taxes and then stepping back (the way Sarah Palin would likely do) is simply not a workable solution for them.

What they’re missing out on is that the American people are interested in results more than they are interested in methods, particularly as concerns economic recovery and jobs. Face it – tens of millions (maybe even hundreds of millions) of Americans don’t have around on blogs or stay glued to news channels on TV. They might have a few principles they care about, but enough politicos on both sides have claimed the mantle that those principles, in their minds, are no longer associated with either the Right or the Left. A lot of people in the middle aren’t political, they don’t pay much attention to what parties or politicians say or do.

But they do understand that they’re either out of work or worried about losing the job they do have, or trying to get by after some kind of pay cut. And they do vote – for whomever they think is going to delivery recovery, whether that be Democrats or Republicans.

The media succeeded in getting these people to Blame Bush after the recession started in 2007, but now the tables are turned because these same voters are seeing that the alternative leadership is worse, not better.
- cylarz | 03/02/2010 @ 01:02

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American Optimism Based on People not PoliticiansMonday, March 1st, 2010

American Optimism Based on People not Politicians
Monday, March 1st, 2010