Framing

I suppose I’ve been so verbose on one subject lately because it isn’t just the policy that bothers me. It does, because it is unjust. But the talk about it is just as bad. For all the talk about the economy and the deficit, the proposed plan doesn’t help either.

Cutting taxes doesn’t stimulate the economy, if it did the last ten years would have been boom times. Everything suggested just adds to the deficit, so neither argument is honest. There is some stimulative effect, but it is minor. The things that would be the most immediately helpful are extended unemployment insurance and food stamps, but they are vilified.

What helps a recessionary economy is spending, and since people don’t have the money to do that it is the responsibility of the government to do it. It worked before, it would work again. But then there’s that pesky deficit which is only allowed to explode in order to cut taxes. Oh well.

We are told repeatedly that this is the best thing for the country, and I am afraid that may be true for the middle class. I don’t see any way at this point to get anything else done so we just have to settle for the least we can get – again. I hope it’s enough.

But we are also told that this is the best way to do things, and as I said before, if this is the best they can do then we need better people in Washington.