The Sage Observer

Our Budget Compromise

Its lack of real accomplishment notwithstanding, our illustrious House of Representatives and United States Senate have finally come to a bipartisan budget agreement. In the course of its announcement, Paul Ryan, a member of the House of Representatives and United States Senator Patty Murray jointly stated, to the effect, that no better deal could be made under the circumstances of today’s political conditions. That remains to be seen, however, as it still must be approved by both bodies of Congress and signed by the President.

I didn’t see this in the write-up; but, as I viewed their joint announcement of the deal on CNN, Senator Murray said, in effect to Ryan, “You and I serve a different team” to which he nodded his head and spoke his agreement. He certainly does; but, really, I was surprised that he would openly admit it. Senator Murray serves the people’s team (I hope I’m right on that–one never knows anymore). Ryan serves our Shadow Government. You remember. That’s our government by the Corporatocracy and Power Elite which controls our Congress and others high up in government through their campaign contributions, lobbying groups, think tanks, etc.–overpowering your vote.  That’s the top five percent of us, or so, where most of the money goes. I’ve been telling you about these people. Just tune into the various news programs on your radio and television. Listen to them talk. They’re good, folks. They are really good. They’ve got a line that’ll really “Wow Ya”.

I don’t know all the good and bad of this (as they say, it’s beyond my pay grade); but there is some good to be seen in it. For one, it will get us by a possible government shutdown, January 15^th; and, for another, it might help to facilitate negotiations of the debt limit in March, allowing us to keep going until we can come, hopefully, to a real and substantive agreement. The bad, of course, is that, but for the greed and avarice involved, we could have solved many of our problems permanently. This just, once again, kicks the can down the road.

A really sad omission at this point in time is that of our Congress not renewing the unemployment benefits expiring in December, just after Christmas. Not only will this cause severe damage to the lives of the individuals involved; but, also, it will take from the overall economy a significant stimulus, hurt business, and bring about additional losses in jobs. I don’t care what your political religion is, that’s one hell of a blow to all of us. It’s very easy to make decisions about the lives of others when you have a full stomach, warm clothes, and a roof over your head; but it’s a horse of a different color when you are the one hungry, about to be evicted from your home, or sleeping out in the cold with no hope of improving your condition. Wake up, people! These are not normal times. There are approximately twenty million people out there who are hurting and are hurting badly. It’s freezing out there; and our Shadow Government doesn’t care. They do not feel the cold and can care less about how you feel (Correction: They do care for your money and your vote, however).

Ronald Miller

mtss86@comcast.net