When the history of this time is written, it may well report that in the middle of the Great Recession that began in 2007, a recession brought on by a massive misdistribution of income, the Congress of the United States decided to commit economic suicide by doing what it had never in its history done before: default on its debt.
From Ronald Reagan to George H.W. Bush to George W. Bush, the scions of the Republican Party raised the debt limit repeatedly and without much fanfare. Now, with the country's cash flow again approaching a debt limit and a Democratic administration in place, the rules have changed.
Republican House Speaker John Boehner assured the president that he would, if he only could, help reach a solution, but Rep. Eric Cantor just won't let him. Poor John. The business wing of the Republican Party, which Boehner represents, thought it could control the radical, fact-free tea party wing of the party.
But the tea party Republicans have found a technique that works. Like petulant children, they lie on the floor, yell and stomp their feet until the Democrats, led by President Obama, give in. Instead of legislating—formerly known as coming to agreement with others—they listen to radio commentator Rush Limbaugh, who threatens members of Congress if they even think of compromising with Democrats.
Like tired parents who think they can just buy some peace and quiet, Democratic leaders have caved in rather than stand up for what they believe. They are setting no boundaries and reacting as if Republicans won't just continue to use this same tactic.
This would be mildly amusing if the debt-ceiling war were not threatening the nation's solvency and the financial well-being of every American.
The plans on the table today are uniformly bad, and Obama needs to understand that he is not going to "nice" his way to a solution. As the deadline for default looms, all of the proposals call for no tax increases and significant cuts in entitlement programs like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. All will ensure that income disparity will continue to widen while protecting those on top. Everyone else will be on his own.
Every American of every political stripe should call, email, text or Facebook their U.S. representatives and senators and tell them to end this stupid and dangerous showdown. Tell them how important Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and a stable economy are to you and your family. Blaine County's congressional contacts are:
Sen. Jim Risch, 202-224-2752 www.risch.senate.gov,
Sen. Mike Crapo, 202-224-6142 www.crapo.senate.gov,
Rep. Mike Simpson, 202-225-5531 www.simpson.house.gov
