Nero may have had it right when he fiddled while Rome burned.
Once the die is cast and calamity is upon us, there’s little that an individual can do – even an emperor.
The historical accuracy of Nero’s actions notwithstanding, the scenario is a perfect description for what has been going on in Washington. 536 people (members of the Senate, the House, and the President) can choose to put an end to this self-induced crisis, or they can fiddle for a few more days until the deadline, when we can all see what happens.
I used to write about politics much more often. I thought it was important and I’ve always tried to look at the positive aspects of politics. I don’t rant and rave, resort to name calling, or turn those with opposing views into caricatures.
None of those things are helpful.
Politics is more important than that because the issues that our elected officials are supposed to address affect us all, so a more serious approach is warranted.
But ever since last year’s midterms, I find that I have no words to describe the paucity of positive activity that has taken place since those elections. I predicted as much last September in my A One-Term President post, where I wrote:
I don’t think that Republicans will gain enough seats to wrest control of the Senate, but whether or not they are in control, the next two years will bring few improvements. The margin of votes in the Senate will be razor thin, so neither Party will be able to muster a 60-vote super-majority.
Gridlock in the Senate is a foregone conclusion.
This prolonged debt ceiling melodrama has even gotten the attention of people who do not usually track what goes on in Washington, mainly because the entire fiasco is asinine at its core. The immediate concern is the raising of the debt ceiling. Without passage of this formerly routine bit of legislation, the lives of every citizen will be negatively impacted in one way or another. The idiotic idea of linking the debt ceiling and the deficit has created a problem of their own making.
This is exactly what a struggling economy does not need.
To be clear, the debt ceiling concerns money that has already been borrowed and spent. It has nothing to do with deficit reduction, so it is being used as a bargaining tactic – nothing more. Using it this way is not surprising, but bringing us this close to the deadline because of it is.
If the US defaults, borrowing will become more expensive for everyone. Businesses will pass along the added cost to consumers, who as usual, will get shafted. No surprise there. They can argue about budgets and deficits all that they want, but they should not be playing this dangerous game with the debt ceiling.
For those who see all government as bad, you are being proven right — even if it is an inside job.
Congratulations.
To those who cheer on the conservative Right in their efforts to curtail spending on the backs of the least well off, your short-sightedness will cause pain to your families.
Congratulations, again.
Congress and the President have brought us to an unhappy place. So much time and effort has been wasted and nothing has been gained. Whatever the outcome, it’s a certainty that we will all be worse off. The only real question is by how much.
Today, I’m not going to call my Representative, my Senator, or the President to complain.
They are not listening.
Instead, I’ll do some fiddling of my own as I try to enjoy this last weekend of pre-default America by ignoring the shenanigans of the fiddling 536. Like everyone else, I will just have to deal with the fallout because we have ceded all of the power to five hundred and thirty six individuals who cannot seem to agree on anything.
Just a few months ago, the idea of a US default seemed like crazy talk. It doesn’t seem so crazy now because it’s the crazy people who are doing the talking.
How embarrassing for us to have chosen these 536 to lead.
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Ray } – 
