In the past,
dating back to as far as the Eisenhower Administration, the nation routinely goes
through an employment boost at the onset of presidential election cycles. Those
coming up for reelection in Congress open the federal purse strings, which in
turn creates at least a temporary sense of employment euphoria. For elected federal
officials, this is their insurance policy for staying office.
Since the
inauguration of Barak Obama as President, that employment cycle is on the verge of
breaking down, and not of his doing. During the 2010 election, and specifically
the House, something bizarre happened. For better or for worse, the Tea Party
faction hijacked the House of Representatives.
The recently
elected Tea Party members of the House have learned to apply Orwellian newspeak. For those unfamiliar with
term, newspeak refers to the deliberate use of ambiguous and contradictory
language used to intentionally mislead and manipulate the masses. By the way,
if you vote, you are one of the masses.
The one big
drawback in our form of representative democracy is that everyone of legal age,
regardless of his or her cognitive abilities or level of education, is allowed
to vote. Hence, the ability to vote wisely, rationally or even in one’s best
interest is not a qualifying factor or consideration.
Our flawed form
of democracy allows us the right to elect individuals not fit to hold high
public office. Warren G. Harding, Spiro T. Agnew and Dick Chaney come to mind,
but a few others could probably be added. We are not alone in committing
election folly during times of crisis. Hitler, Stalin and Mussolini all used
various forms of newspeak propaganda to garner high office.
Newspeak works
most effectively when you manufacture a crisis or instill a sense of panic
among voters. In today’s political environment, jobs are at the forefront of
most voters thoughts. Today’s manufactured crisis is the lack of employment, in
large measure caused by the lack of government spending on proposed job-stimulating
projects.
Such large-scale
projects might include building state-of-the-art schools, scientific
laboratories, major bridge repairs, a high-speed rail network, developing
alternative energy resources and urban infrastructure redesign. Would such
massive undertakings create more employment? Of course, they would. That,
however, is not the question. The real question is why has it not occurred?
To answer that
question, you have to know which political party controls the government’s
purse strings. Ignorance, however, abounds. I have a second cousin named
Charles living in Cincinnati who honestly thinks the black guy living in the
White House controls the nation’s budget. My second cousin’s cockeyed thinking
is highly prejudicial, based large measure upon his over-the-top racial
beliefs. Charles is also a devout Tea Party supporter. –No surprise there.
The President
does not control the nation’s budget, any more than the U.S. Supreme Court. The
part of government that controls those employment dollars is of course the
House of Representatives. So who controls the House?
If you do not
know who controls the House of Representatives—and by inference, your
employment future—you probably should abstain from voting. Undoubtedly, you
most likely entertain the notion that less government spending will create
jobs. That too, is illogical and mindless nonsense.
Except for those
in control of the House, the vast majority of voters want higher employment.
The downside, however, if that were to occur, it might make the President look
good. In a blatant effort to prevent that from happening, both Mitch McConnell (minority
speaker of the Senate), and John Boehner (speaker of the House), have
publically vowed that their top priority
is to see that Barak Obama is a one-term President.
This pledge to
unseat the President has nothing to do with improving the nation’s employment
dilemma. Nonetheless, it does not preclude them from assailing the President
for the nation’s lack of employment growth. The oxymoron is that John Boehner’s
House of Representatives control the purse strings that could create that
employment! In short, the House is blaming the President for a problem it
created. It is hard to imagine anything more ironic or illogical than that.
All employment
is a political issue. Make no mistake about that. The decision to upgrade
schools, improve the nation’s infrastructure or launch a high-speed railway
network all generate ancillary employment, expand business opportunities and
boost the general economy. This is often referenced by the phrase, a rising
tide lifts all ships.
This election
season, the anticipation of a rising tide does not appear to be in sight for an
overriding cause—namely, the attempt to hijack the White House and embarrass
the President. The steaks for undertaking this dubious mission, however, are
high. In the event the Tea Party gamble backfires, it could cause John Boehner
and his Tea Party cohorts to lose control over the nation’s budget.