Better Than a Stick in the Eye

“Better than a stick in the eye” means an outcome is not very good but it is better than getting something much worse. No one wants to get a stick in the eye. Logic dictates that we try to do better than the stick but right now it appears that we’d rather have the stick. 

No I have not emptied another bottle of JD. I am thinking about economic policy and the coming presidential election. Now that Hillary Clinton seems even more likely to be the Democratic candidate the barbs are flying between her and Donald Trump. He is dangerous and incoherent; she is immoral and corrupt. Your mother wears combat boots. Your father is dumber than Papa Q. Bear (of the Berenstain Bears).  

I am hoping that somewhere down the line these two candidates will actually talk about policy but I am also hoping that the JD genie delivers a case to my front door. The question is not why these two people prefer to shout at each other. The question is why we voters put up with it.

Why are we so entertained or enamored by rude, colorful language in the people who say they want to be President of the USA? Will they continue this when in office? Will Hillary decry that her pecs are bigger than Putin’s? Will the Donald say his hands are larger than Dolly Parton’s?

The last time I looked US economic growth was lackluster, capital spending is literally falling, and the Fed decided to put off returning to a normal policy regime because the economy appears too fragile to withstand a 0.15 increase in the federal funds rate. You would think that these candidates would be seriously debating what to do about falling labor productivity, workers leaving the labor force, soaring national debt, and Jason’s new addiction to smoking meats.

Doing all that hard work would be better than a stick in the eye yet we prefer the stick. Why? I guess because we have gotten to the point where answering the real questions is either boring or just too hard. What to do about productivity? Wow, talk about a sleeper. Go down Main Street of your town and ask 50 people what they would do about declining US productivity. Then ask those same people to name 7 types of weed or all the members of the SF Warriors including the names of the managers. I think you see what I mean.

But I think there are enough of us who really care enough to want some real debate. I am going to get in trouble with just about everyone I know for saying the following but I think it is true.

·      Monetary policy might be much too expansionary right now but that policy will always be used by politicians to stimulate a weak economy. Can't we find something in between?

·       Fiscal policy is leading to unsustainable national debts but again, deficit spending is ingrained in national thinking for a weak economy. Is there no middle ground? 

·       Legal abortion is here to stay. We might argue about making it a little easier or harder to get. But it is not going away.

·       China might not abide by all agreed trade rules but it cannot be ignored.

·       Immigrants – legal are not – who have been in this country for decades might deserve a sympathetic ear even as we realize that a country has to protect its borders.

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I could go on and on but you get the drift. We have serious policy issues and they are not going to be resolved by sticking things in our adversary’s eyes.   We have had enough of that already. For two years the Democrats held a majority and used it. Ever since Republicans have tried to counter everything Democrats did. There is much shouting and accusing and little in the way of governing. If we keep that up for another 8 years, what is going  to happen with all our issues?

Some Democrats say that when they are restored to power they are going to ram all their stuff down our throats. Some Republicans say the same. Finally back in power we Republicans are going to undo everything Obama did.

Really? Is that what governing is supposed to be all about? I don’t think so. I think there are enough of us who think that way so we need to be heard. We can begin by stuffing a bunch of $100 bills in a pillow case and mailing them to me. Okay nevermind that one. But for a start we should stop supporting candidates who won’t debate real issues. We should stop supporting candidates who continue to call each other names. Having real debates about issues is not a lot of fun but it is definitely better than a stick in the eye. 

Perhaps we should threaten a voter's strike. If our current crop of candidates knows that they are going to lose votes from moderates, perhaps they will moderate. Let them fight for moderates by explaining what they are going to do to solve our current economic mess. If they won't and they continue to feed the polar frenzy, then we should make it very clear that we won't vote for the jerks.  Don't they have something to gain by retaining and attracting moderates?  What happens if the moderates organize a revolt?  

Do you have a better idea? Naw. You Ds fear Trump so much that you'll stick with candidates who appear more reasonable yet haven't said one sensible thing about solving our economic problems. You Rs will let Trump say anything because you think Hillary will name the wrong people to the Supreme Court or will be pushed to support liberal causes. And while you do all that people drop out of the labor force, banks and firms sit on their resources, and productivity gets lower than a limbo stick in Nassau. If we don't demand sensible policies then the polar extremes will continue to destroy this country. Whew, I need a large ice cube and a cold glass. 

Low Hanging Fruit and Politicians

What a couple of weeks! If only there were three rings at once we could call it a circus. This has been more exciting than a fireworks display at a Zippo convention.

Obamacare, Gay Marriage, Iran, Race, Greece, Presidential jockeying, the Pope, Ted 2, and Bruce Jenner. You can’t fault Washington if you are bored. Stuff is happening. Of course, depending on which issue it is, you are either happy as a clam or ready to move to Canada.

I am trying to filter it all down. JD helps but there is a lot to get my hairy arms around. So it hit me. There are basically two themes to follow. The first one is that society has gotten to a new place. It is a place where nothing is easy. All the political fruit within arm’s reach is gone. All that is left requires a ladder. And ladders are notoriously dangerous.  In short, there are no easy answers. 

The second theme is that politicians are, well, politicians. I found this on Wikipedia: There have been some publishers who criticized politicians for being out of touch with the public. Areas of friction include the manner in which politicians speak, which have been described as too formal with too many euphemistic and metaphorical expressions, and is commonly perceived as an attempt to "obscure, mislead, and confuse". 

So if you are pissed and possibly confused then there it is – we live in a world where it takes real and tough analysis and negotiation to solve our problems. And the people who should lead the process are simply not up to the task -- caring more about wooing voters with simplistic slogans that actually solving problems. 

Think about some of the problems that got a lot of of time in the last weeks…

            Guns – if there was a simple solution President Obama would have already found it and proposed it.

            Iran, Russia, Syria – being friendly with these people does not seem to be working.

            Healthcare – solving the healthcare needs of more than 300 million people in a country whose national debt is approaching 100% of GDP is not a trivial undertaking

            Racial Discrimination – Stamping out the last vestiges of hateful, persistent discrimination is challenging to say the least

            LGBTs – marrying religious freedoms with economic and social opportunity in a secular society is no easy union

            Income Inequality – despite decades of trying to reduce poverty in this country it hangs on like a drunk at closing time

If you are on the fringe of the debate on any of these issues you will hate what I am about to say. To some of you fringers it is either your way or the highway. What I am about to say is that both sides have at least a smidgen of merit. And both sides hold to their beliefs tenaciously. Iran, Russia, and Syria have some legitimate views. Russia might feel threatened by a growing Europeanization of their adjacent neighbors. Maybe there are racists and homophobes whose lives were somehow diminished by gays or blacks. Having better opportunities for healthcare makes sense for a country. The Constitution seems to allow people to have guns. Poverty makes no one proud.

I am not arguing that any of the above statements in any way proves the point of one side or the other. The above paragraph is meant to say that there are two sides to every debate and we have reached a point in history when resolving these issues is not the real goal.  The real goal is for my side to win. The real goal is to support ideology or to pad the pocketbooks and power of those who represent those ideologies. In the meantime some of us would prefer solutions and we know this will take patience and VERY hard work. Yet the charade goes on. 

We hope our elected officials will assemble all the data and do the analysis and then duke-it-out in government institutions. But so far that is not what we see. What I see are politicians on both sides of the spectrum hurling naïve and damaging statements, cleverly disguised insults, and silly statements. Basically they are saying things like “trust me and I will solve all these problems. Do not trust my adversary as he/she wants to hurt you.” Really!

Since the ice melting is diluting my fine JD I really should finish this. So let me end with one example: income inequality. It seems to be the strongest candidate for my points today. Political candidates make it sound so easy to transfer a dollar from some rich guy to a homeless person on the street. Perhaps we spent too much time reading fairy tales. Ahh Robin Hood. Such a nice boy with tight pants. But please. Spend a little time at a soup kitchen or a park bench and get to know the clients. You could sprinkle hundred dollar bills on many of these people and it wouldn’t do a thing for the poverty rate.

My liberal friends are ready to BBQ my testicles on the nearest Big Green Egg. But wait. I am not saying that poverty programs are useless. I am not saying that government does not have some role to play in reducing poverty. I am not saying that high income people should not share their wealth. What I am saying is that whatever we have been doing for 50 years does not seem to be working well enough. Lyndon Johnson said these programs were going to eliminate poverty! Yet there it is worse than ever.  

To make any real headway today is going to take harder work. It will take real leaders who understand that the easy choices are gone. It will take people who can objectively evaluate, explain, listen, and then implement policies that matter. 

Honestly, can you name a living leader ready for this job?