Representing No One

It isn't often that I find a day in which I'm inspired to create nothing. Nothing. I don't remember the last day I felt like this.

First of all, I was optimistic about our new President and all the excitement--the possibility of repairing some outrageous failures over the last few years. Yet, almost overnight it seems, so many liberal and conservative friends and family feel disillusioned by their political party.

A while back, I was happy to receive the stimulus check from Bush. That's nice, I thought at the time, and really didn't give it anymore thought.

Later, I realized it had successfully stimulated nothing. Just another Bush failure.

Then, when the first "bailout" package was proposed, I spent long hours in organized efforts of opposition. Many business owners I knew agreed with my concerns. My DH, who's been in the automotive industry for nearly 40 years, shared the same concerns. He remarked that one of the biggest solicitors for government funds was GM, a company he knew had been mismanaged and faltering for years. He said that any government funding they received would only delay their likely dissolution, which would hardly "save" their corporation like everyone was being led to believe. Ted reminded me that before GM even sees a dime from their vehicle sales, thousands of dollars must go to retired executive pensions: the UAW, etc. The other automakers have similar pension programs, for instance, however GM was notoriously in the red the deepest. Now I see why DH was bothered by these CEO's flying in on their fancy carbon footprint flyers.

At any rate, none of that mattered in the end, because, just like the BILLIONS that simply vanished for Katrina aid (can you imagine?), countless companies and banks cannot account for BILLIONS received from Uncle Sam (ultimately YOU and I, of course). So did Bush's first bailout help our failing economy? No.

Now we are to be pacified again? With our so-called representatives passing an even bigger "bailout?" A bailout that is literally a jumbled mess? A bailout that has so many components that aren't related to creating jobs? Just how foolish can we be? Millions of dollars designated for the Smithsonian, albeit one of my favorite museums? I am hugely supportive of the arts, but jobs are what we need! J-O-B-S. I'm no economist, and I'm no mathamatician. But why would we throw more money at a problem that other money thrown at it didn't help? And why would we release this bailout without the proper oversight to protect it? Especially since Bailout #1 resulted in those billions already being "lost?"

Can you imagine other countries laughing out loud at our bumbling Congress, a Congress that can't even make sure this "stimulus" is read and understood before it's presented? This is beyond insulting to our intelligence and very troubling for the future of our children.

The excitement from the election of one our most promising Presidents in our nation's history has faded. Both parties have shown themselves to be bickering, manipulative, double-speaking, greedy, phony "representatives" of the American people. I think our citizens would do better to start their own party and tell all of Washington to f*** off.

I'm signing off for now but I'm going to hopefully find some kind of happy photo to post later tonight.

XOXO
Annette