I sometimes channel flip (both television and radio) and
surf online. Perhaps I do this being a male with a sometimes short attention
span. But, I want to see what various pundits and commentators are saying about
the issues of the day. I include listening to and watching folks I know I don't
often find enlightening on the chance they say something that's worth my
writing about or that may lead me to modify my views of them or the topics they
cover.
I feel compelled today to write about an issue that keeps
coming up and causes me some sleepless nights. Okay, I was exaggerating a bit
about that last part but this really, really bothers me and it should annoy you
as well.
In liberal precincts like the New York Times, the Huffington
Post, MSNBC, the Daily Kos, etc., leading Republican presidential candidate
Mitt Romney is repeatedly attacked for being out of touch with the common,
ordinary, average folks. Multiple times, for example, I've tuned into Chris
Matthew's MSNBC show, Hardball, to hear the liberal Matthews' rants about
Romney's being out of touch with everyday folks. Matthews pounced on Romney, for
example, for statements the former Massachusetts
governor made trying to relate to NASCAR fans and then commenting how he knows
some NASCAR owners. Romney was also blasted for saying his wife has two
Cadillacs when he was listing all of the American made cars his family has
enjoyed owning and driving.
Apparently Chris Matthews and his ilk don't want an honest
politician because if nothing else, Mitt Romney is being honest when he
identifies who he knows and what he owns! He could be disingenuous and
dishonest and say that he watches NASCAR with his family and hangs out at the
racetrack bar with the folks when he goes to races.
I wonder when Chris Matthews last had lunch or coffee with
the janitors or landscapers at MSNBC. I very much doubt he's a man of the
people!
The State of Economic Discourse
Now, more than ever, we need politicians who are going to
tell the American public the truth about economic issues. We can't afford to
hear half-truths and lies about the deficit, unemployment, taxes, etc.
There's nothing wrong with informed disagreements and for
sure, economists and policy makers don't all agree about the impact of various
strategies. But, partisan, ideologically driven rhetoric minimizes the chances
of finding the best or even workable solutions.
We have some serious economic problems in America which
include:
Large annual federal government deficits
Large and growing federal government debt outstanding
Slow economic growth (especially given the severity of the
recent recession)
Continued high unemployment
Rapid growth in government entitlement program spending
Near record high gasoline prices and reduced oil production
on federal lands
Wide disparities in incomes aren't an economic problem - it's
a consequence of a successful capitalistic system. Income disparities aren't as
wide in socialist and communist countries for the simple reason that they don't
have the wildly successful entrepreneurs that capitalist systems do. Of course
and more importantly, incomes are lower under such systems compared with the
best capitalistic systems.
Our problem isn't that the highest American income earners
aren't "paying their fair share." That whole line of thinking is a mere
distraction from the real economic problems. Demand that politicians tell you
what they will do to address the actual problems. Otherwise, our problems will continue
to grow rather than get addressed.
You should also be aware of the biased news outlets and commentators like Chris Matthews. He was the man who after an Obama speech during the 2008 election cycle said (see video below):
"I have to tell you, you know, it's part of reporting this case, this election, the feeling most people get when they hear Barack Obama's speech. My, I felt this thrill going up my leg. I mean, I don't have that too often. No, seriously. It's a dramatic event. He speaks about America in a way that has nothing to do with politics. It has to do with the feeling we have about our country. And that is an objective assessment."
I have to laugh at Matthew's backpedaling comment that he's really "objective" after telling his viewers that listening to then Senator Obama speak sent a thrill up his leg! He's a lifelong Democrat, served on the staff of numerous Democratic members of Congress including Senator Muskie and House Speaker Tip O'Neill, served as a speechwriter for the Carter administration, and even himself ran as a Democrat for Congress in PA!