Spaghetti Against the Wall

Okay, everyone, what is up with our economy? I mean, really, what is truly up? Hank Paulson came out six weeks ago telling us we HAD to get on board with a Congressional bail-out for the financial systems, otherwise liquidity would freeze, leaving small businesses and ever-beleaguered home owners out in the cold. Now, Paulson comes out and tells us " Meh, my bad. We're not buying 'bad assets' (read : troubled mortgages) with the bail-out money after all. We've decided we are going to do something entirely different." Mr. Paulson defended his position late last week by asserting "changing facts" led him to revise his original plan. The sudden burst of adaptability from this administration is welcomed; however, it's a day late, a dollar short, and, frankly, with this cause, seemingly a political two-step swagger.

We now see the auto industry in dire trouble, a predictable turn of events, given the American auto downward spiral we've plainly seen over the last two decades. Some argue that GM should be allowed to fail, they have a poor business model, and that's the way things go in a Capitalist society. There is some validity in this theory. GM has refused to adapt, much as our government has refused to adapt, leaving it vulnerable to implosion, much as the G.O.P. name brand imploded after years of leaders plushly sleeping at the wheel. Should we reward faulty practices through a commitment of more tax dollars, particularly after we've seen a clear abuse of that trust with a recent ploy into our pockets? The answer is mixed, at best. We know we can't trust the current government to implement a plan as proposed; the excuses for revision abound, but the bottom line is this: the recent Bail-out, under Paulson's present direction, is not going to assist the average American. So, we are now told that we are in a fight for our lives, we either commit to helping out the Big Three American auto companies or face dramatic consequences.

I ache for the poor workers and their families, the ones who truly will suffer if GM ultimately goes down. It's not fair, it's not just, it's a complete betrayal of the loyalty they have shown " the company" for so many years. Yet, I can't bring myself to support a measure that would sink more tax payer dollars into an endeavor that fails to under gird the greater good. What is the national benefit if we agree to another bail-out? We know we can't trust the current stewards, we hope and pray we can trust the new guard. Can GM file for protection under bankruptcy, sparing the poor worker, saving the company, while also preventing the country from assuming another debt? If so, why are we having this discussion, with terms set forth to further sink the American economy?

We, the People, need to become better informed on large scale economic issues, as they increasingly affect us all to the same degree. We are no longer in a position to view "politics as local", as former House Speaker Tip O'Neill famously once said. Politics are local, but they are also national, and international. The well being of our families, communities, and beyond are at stake; we no longer have the luxury of thinking local. GM's bottom line has become inextricably connected with the government's bottom line, which, we have seen, has become irremovable from our kitchen tables. The time has come where we each, optimally, have an educated answer to the question " Hey, so what's up with the economy?" Throwing spaghetti at the wall, hoping a strand will stick, is no longer an option.