With the American electorate looking more and more schizophrenic every day, as in: not liking the Health Care Reform Act (but liking medicare, medicaid, etc), wanting deep spending cuts as long as it doesn't affect them, and now giving the Paul Ryan plan a severe rebuke in New York 26, the question arises; Is America Ungovernable? The New Republic has a very good article on the subject.

"Let's step back for a moment and think about what "ungovernable" means. There are three kinds of problems that make more effective policy impossible. The first is that, in many areas, economic special interests block policy changes that lack deep public opposition. I'm thinking of farm subsidies, tax loopholes, wasteful health care spending, financial regulation, teacher compensation, defense pork, and clean energy. The second is public fiscal illiteracy -- voters want to keep taxes low on everybody but the rich, preserve every penny of entitlement spending, and balance the budget. Any attempt to bring the government's revenue and outlays into line will be met with a public outcry, especially if the public is being whipped up by an opposition party eager to bring down the majority and gain power for itself. Sometimes problems one and two interact with each other (as when attempts to rationalize health care spending are painted as reductions in care or death panels.)

Then third, the structure of the Senate allows a minority that recognizes that the path to power lies in the failure of the majority to block any public policy change. This is an especially powerful tool if the minority has either the special interests or public fiscal illiteracy on its side."

Read the entire article here: Is America Ungovernable?

 

 
Post is included in group: Blatant Politics
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4 Comments on Is America Ungovernable?

MAY
25
2011
815,477 Points Outside Blog Called Shot Master

I think America may have turned into "it's MY Money and I Want It Now" nation.  Cut, but not from me.... Sad.
11:43am • #1
MAY
26
2011
126,303 Points 2 Featured Posts Outside Blog

Elections are won by those who promise Free Ice Cream.  Everyone would like the free ice cream, and no one cares to ask who paid for it.  Statistically, nearly half of Americans receive some form of government hand out/subsidy, and they are in no mood to bite the had that feeds it when they don't feel a cost. 

Free Stuff is worth exactly what you pay for it, and carries the same amount of loyalty.
6:43pm • #2
MAY
28
2011
1,021,127 Points 65 Featured Posts Outside Blog Attended Rain Camp Called Shot Master

If the LIBS and DEMS want to GIVE MORE of their tax money to the government THERE IS NOTHING TO PROHIBIT THIS * NOTHING!
6:55am • #3
329,480 Points 5 Featured Posts Outside Blog Attended Rain Camp

Wallace, ummm, excuse me.  But why should the "LIBS and DEMS" alone pay for the mess created, in large part, by REPUBLICAN presidents? 

Let me remind you: Reagan tripled the debt, from 1 trillion to 3 trillion dollars, H.W. Bush from 3 to 4 trillion, and Clinton from 4 to 5 trillion (with a projected budgetary surplus).  Not so bad so far and they actually left the country better off than when they took over.  "W" on the other hand took the debt from 5 trillion to almost 11 TRILLION dollars, left the country in financial ruin, two wars and teetering on economic collapse.  Tell me what the "Obama debt" would be if revenues didn't tank (unemployment doubled), a stimulus package was not needed, didn't have to pay for two wars OR didn't have to pay the interest on the debts racked up by mostly REPUBLICAN Presidents?

This is why I STILL don't understand WHY so-called 'fiscal conservatives' support Republicans.
9:51am • #4


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