A Trend I Want to See Continue

I don't usually get political but there is something I want to get off my chest. It's my opinion that many of the problems we face as a nation are caused by our politicians in Washington. While the direct blame may not always be there, we have to accept the fact these characters act with little regard for the national well-being. Backroom deals, payoffs, lobby issues...seems like we're back in the early 20th century. In other words, take care of my district, region or state regardless. Some of our leaders are dubious, and some actually accept blame. Whether it's housing, the financial crisis, lack of confidence or some other issue we always seem to find something dirty in DC. The public is outraged and is vocal about it, and recent elections supporting the minority party are very telling. Perhaps the sound is quite loud, and we're seeing politicians taking the high road out of office. Lately many Senators and Congressmen are 'retiring' or bowing out of upcoming races. Maybe they see the writing on the wall and are ducking out early to stave off an embarassing defeat. Whatever the case, I hope to see more new 'blood' in the beltway next year and maybe that will change the way our country does business.

Heath Insurance

This healthcare debate is getting massive interest, and why not..this is an inflection point for our country. We haven't been this close to passing healthcare reform in more than fifty years. Now, while some regard President Obama's idea of goverment control as socialist ploy, I find the alternative much more alarming. Many families are at a crossroads right now with jobs, struggling to make ends meet. The cost of healthcare for many families is like a mini mortgage payment, and these costs are starting to spiral out of control. With no solution in place there is a strong possibility of disasters on the horizon. One medical problem away from catastrophe is alarming. I can understand the President's desire here, having spoken with many across the country and hearing the cries. I think we can put the cost of his program aside for now if in the bigger picture it saves the uninsured from finacial calamity, for the future costs could be astronomical. We heard the Republicans wanting to 'start over'. Well, that time has passed as we heard crickets chirping when it was their moment to step up and present a viable plan. It's clearly a stall tactic as the clock is ticking toward November, the next big election.

A Race Against Time

The President's agenda has eight solid months remaining. When that time is up it's elections, and more than likely he will lose some partisan support in both houses of Congress. It's too early to tell exact numbers but on the extreme side there could be a big shift in the Senate with democrats losing up to nice seats. That would flip the majority to the Republicans. In Congress the Democratic party seems safe in majority but could lose some seats. This extreme scenario sets up some gridlock (which may be good for the markets). President Obama is rushing to get through as much legislation while the going is good. We may see some jamming of bills over the next few months before the election.