ANOTHER LESSON LEARNED…AGAIN by T. Edwin Perry
As I’ve said before, the most accurate definition of INSANITY is to do the same thing over and over again and expect a different result each time. Imagine, if you will, working on a table saw and cutting off your finger because, as you’re making the cut, you turn your head away from the blade. You get the pain of the blade cutting through your flesh, you bleed, you go to the doctor for stitches, and then you go back to work. Now, imagine, if you will, working on a table saw and cutting off your finger because, as you’re making the cut, you turn your head away from the blade. You get the pain of the blade cutting through your flesh, you bleed, you go to the doctor for stitches, and then you go back to work. BUT WAIT, we’re not done yet. You’ve lost two fingers, but now, imagine, if you will, working on a table saw and cutting off your finger because, AS YOU’RE MAKING THE CUT, you TURN YOUR HEAD AWAY from the blade. You get the PAIN of the blade cutting through your flesh, you BLEED, you go to the doctor for STITCHES, and then you go BACK TO WORK!
In the time since our financial troubles started in 2008, our Government has repeated the same mistakes over and over again, each time going bigger and more expensively than the time before. TARP? STIMULUS? HEALTHCARE REFORM? FINANCIAL REFORM?! In each case, the margin for passing the bill was so narrow that it literally came down to one or two votes in order to get he deal passed…all with the very VOCAL opposition of the American People, and all in the name of being COMPASSIONATE.
Today (7/21/2010), they did it again. With a 60-40 vote, the Senate has approved ANOTHER extension of Unemployment Benefits. Now, with the seating of Carte Goodwin to replace the late Senator Byrd, there are a total of 59 Democrats and 41 Republicans in the Senate. However, as with the passing of the Financial Reform Bill, Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins crossed the aisle to vote with the Democrats, but Democrat Ben Nelson of Nebraska crossed in the other direction. Essentially, all 100 Senators were in favor of extending the benefits. That wasn’t the issue. That wasn’t the delay. The delay was in determining HOW to PAY for the extension! But instead of taking THAT responsibility, they passed the extension with no declaration of how to come up with the money.
There are BILLIONS (with a “B”) still unspent from the STIMULUS program passed in early 2009, and BILLIONS (another “B”) that have been “Recovered” from the TARP program. You’re telling me that they couldn’t justify spending SOME of that money on the Extension? There wasn’t SOME program spending Billions of Dollars on studying the effect of salt on garden slugs somewhere in the Midwest that couldn’t have been reallocated to funding Unemployment Benefits? COME ON, PEOPLE! Get your collective heads OUT of your ASSES and FIGURE IT OUT! The Credit Cards are MAXED OUT and you’re behind on your MORTGAGE. You’re OUT OF MONEY and there’s no more coming in!!!!!
When are we going to learn? When is CONGRESS going to learn? Imagine, if you will, working on a table saw…
Leave a Reply