As we prepare for a likely fall over the fiscal cliff, the doomsday warnings remind me of December 31, 1999 and the
y2k theory. I remember filling our car up with gas in Maryland, where we lived at the time, before traveling around the Beltway to my sister's house in Virginia that New Year's Eve.
Predicted disaster did not ensue that time around.
This time it is not a technology issue but a political one. Competing theories of government's role in a capitalist economy have come forehead to forehead, with neither side inclined to blink. Watching CNN tonight, I can see that the rhetoric chosen by Democrats and Republicans is still aimed at nothing more than public relations, as whatever backroom deal they may be negotiating succeeds or fails to pass the House, in the only vote that matters.
The Senate has had the votes to pass a reasonable compromise all along. Inside the Beltway, it is known as the house of Congress where the "adults" work, as opposed to the other chamber.
Be that as it may, the House is theoretically more representative of the nation, since every state, large or small, has two Senators, regardless of population. The House, by contrast, has 435 members allocated by the population distribution -- thus California has the largest delegation in that chamber, followed by other populous states.
From my time in Washington, covering the political system up close, what I remember most vividly is how image-oriented all the politicians I met were. There was the occasional policy wonk, who cared more about what would actually change things for the better, but most seemed far more concerned about looking good, raising money for their next election cycle, and cutting down their opposition.
During the brief time my roommate was a U.S. Senator, I learned just how much of his time had to be devoted to raising money and/or talking to donors. Basically, it was every available hour outside of actually meeting with his caucus or with the Senate as a whole.
Nothing I saw in D.C. increased my confidence in our federal government. Don't even get me started about our state government in Sacramento, which I've also witnessed up close.
I actually have more faith in local government, which despite many problems, remains most closely in touch with citizens and their concerns.
Not that it necessarily does a good job of addressing those concerns much of the time. But we have a fairly responsive government here in the city of San Francisco. Come to think of it, I must find someone at City Hall to discuss the mess DPT has made along my route from here to Bernal.
They've messed up the intersection of Bryant and 24th. I know this is TMI for most of you but as I drive this route a thousand times every year, it really matters to me. More than the fiscal cliff, if you want to know.
I don't earn enough money to pay taxes and I don't rely on any publicly funded services, other than Medicare, so if they go over the cliff, I doubt it will matter much to me personally. On the other hand, like most Americans, I'm thinking of my country as a whole, and wondering whether it really cam be a world leader much longer with such a dysfunctional political standoff, led not by leaders but elected officials reluctant to lead.
Happy New Year?
