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Get the Patch On, And Then Tell the Drivers Why Staying Out of the Nails on the Left Side of the Road is Important

The WSJ, this morning: [1]

Top U.S. policy makers emerged from hours of tense negotiations with a clear message just after midnight Sunday morning: A deal to bailout U.S. financial markets has been agreed on and all that remains to be done is to commit the legislation to paper.

Well, yeah… and in that translation, it seems to me, lies a number of possibilities to add to ACORN’s coffers, huh?

Well, OK, maybe I’m being cynical, but as I said the other day, I have no choice but to be cynical. Democrats are involved, after all.  To that point I will add, that one thing we’ve been short on from Washington is problem identification, as I’ve laid out here [2], here [3], here [4], here [5] here [6] and here. [7]Now, notice also, please, that when problem identification becomes part of the package, who gets nervous and jerky.

It should be fairly clear as to why. The biggest fear these people have is that someone will figure out they’re at the root of this problem.

[8]So, what to do about it all?

Well, let’s take a moral lesson first as a basis of discussion.

Let’s imagine that someone drives a truck through your house. Thank God, nobody gets hurt, but your house is now a large pile of kindling. Would you not want the people responsible for the accident… the driver and the company he’s driving for, for example, to pay for the damages and to set things right?

Well, as I demonstrated quite clearly in the list of links above, this crisis is the direct result of a failure of government… (actually several failures of government all of which are tied to socialistic attitudes)  in failing to acknowledge and act on problems within the GSE’s Fannie and Freddie, but in using the force of government to re-writing bank policy as regards lending, to literally force banks into a position of arranging a housing bubble, and one based on mortgages that could never be paid off…   [9]The combination of these two situations, both of which were fostered by Democrats, are why we are, where we are just now. This crisis has been caused by Democrats pushing the kind of socialism described in the graphic left. And doesn’t that graphic describe the situation so very clearly?

I understand and trust me, I fully appreciate the idea that this is a growth of government. I understand and trust me, I fully appreciate the idea that this will be expensive and more, I understand and trust me, I fully appreciate the idea that this bailout will be used by the left in their attempt to grow government more still. They’re already doing it when they lay the blame for this current crisis at the feet of private enterprize. But the root cause of this problem was corruption in the GSE’s and in governmental regulators trying to by votes in getting their supporters something for nothing, by way of questionable loans, and their socialistic manuvers in attempts in dictating CEO pay.  Yet, given the basic morality of ‘you broke it you fix it’ I fail to see a moral alternative, here. The stuff that will get added on is the nature of politics, I’m afraid, at the moment. We’re going to have to deal with the financial consequences and the initial problem as seperate issues.

The difference to be made, here I think, is how the lesson this crisis teaches, gets absorbed into our national consciousness.  I accept, very grudgingly, that the government paying to fix the problem is the only first step that can be taken. However, the lesson needs to go out that government needs to keep their hands off private enterprise… including CEO pay, including lending policy, and so on, going forward, because there’s no free lunch; the law of unintended consequences always steps in. As an example, Billy mentions the other day:

“A friend on Capitol Hill in a very dark mood thinks so. Last time, House Republicans got blamed for shutting down the government, this time they’ll get blamed for shutting down the financial system. He also worries—did I mention he’s in a dark mood?—that if nothing passes and the crash comes, the country may arrive at a turning point, moving irrevocably in the direction of a social democracy.”

Rich Lowry [10] doesn’t get it.

The fact of this discussion means that it already is.

He’s got a point. Though, I’ve never accepted that socialism is a border to be crossed so much as a hill climbed, and one that frankly, nobody’s ever reached the top of, nor will they.  The lack of breathable air  up there always brings reality to intrude on that quest… something that history has proven countless times. That we’re moving up the hill the last 60 years or so is lamentably unquestionable.  I submit that where we are in this financial crisis just now is a direct result of that climb attempt. There is a lot of blame to be placed at the feet of both parties for our current condition;  The Democrats for pushing us in this direction and the Republicans for their ‘go along to get along’ and “we’re all Americans” BS, in allowing this nonsense to get as far as it has, instead of fighting this stuff tooth and nail as they should have been.

I agree that given the conditions we face at the moment, there wasn’t a great deal of choice remaining in the matter, but to throw money at the issue to keep us afloat. But just as important, and likley moreso, what needs to happen now, is problem identification as I’ve laid it out here. That’s going to be, as I’ve been saying, a slow political process. And sometimes a shock like this is what’s required to get things moving back down the hill.

I tell you… we need to start fighting.

Now.

At the least, to start with this means getting Democrats, and liberal Republicans out of power to the degree possible. Then, it means keeping the talons dug into the people we do elect to get them shrinking governemntal intrusion. But first, this means explaining in graphic detail… over and  over and  over and  over and over again, why such a transition is needed. And yes, it will become a job of repetition. Where we are now is also a direct result of not telling people why keeping socialism in all it’s forms is needful for a healthy country. And reminding them daily.

If you have a new driver who doesn’t understand about road junk and flat tires, how are they going to know that it’s important to keep out of the crap along the side of the road to guard against flat tires?  This stuff needs to be taught. We used to. It’s past time we started attending that need again.