LP Gas, December 2011

EDITOR IN CHIEF PATRICK HYLAND Taking the bait Personal rule on political discussion faces Thanksgiving Day test in the line of fire Someone turned up the TV volume I argued that the unproductive line in the sand attitude toward two dramatically competing visions of the role government should play in a free society is a dangerous gamble I believe there is sufficient middle ground on the proper purpose and design of the social safety net and the fundamentals of job creation and economic growth And Im convinced that when both sides see unbending stubbornness as a winning political strategy we all lose Our half hour animated debate didnt win me a single point with Roger In hindsight I guess I didnt really expect it to precisely why I have a rule of thumb to avoid political discussions In our prayer before the meal I specifically gave thanks for the grace of living in what is still the greatest nation on Earth I still believe that our dire economic and federal budget woes notwithstanding Like the tasty hors doeuvres of sausage made fresh at the corner butcher and served before our Thanksgiving dinner I know the end result outweighs the ugly process of legislatively steering our country But thats little comfort from the persistent indigestion and heartburn the heartland is getting from Washington these troubled days LPG phyland@ questex com T his year I broke a personal tenet that ruined an otherwise perfect Thanksgiving Day gathering I engaged the family curmudgeon in a post meal debate about politics It was stupid and I know better My wifes ornery opinionated cousin is a recent retiree with far too much time to soak in the drone of talking heads on TV and radio I dont have the time interest or stomach for any of that stale empty theatrics But Roger loves to instigate So he corners me in the living room ignores the fact that Im watching the Dolphins Cowboys football game with a dozen other sensible folks and annoyingly stirs the pot The news earlier that week that the bipartisan Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction the so called super committee could not agree on how to lop 12 trillion from federal deficits over the next decade greased some early haymakers about whos to blame for this historic mess that divides our nation So what do you make of these clowns in Washington that want to bankrupt the nation he lobs out to me in his favorite sarcastic tone I should have changed the subject with a comment about the Dallas head coach being a Cleveland native I should have gotten up and poured another drink I regret doing neither Instead I took the bait I qualified my political bent as a long standing registered independent because I have little use for either side of the aisle I explained that it had nothing to do with partisan ideologies 35 years So Roger corners me in the living room and annoyingly stirs the pot of watching both sides sacrifice the best interest of our nation in favor of political traction has simply crushed all trust and hope I ever had in functional political leadership I told him that I blame most of my cynicism on a two party system that breeds spineless self serving scavengers Nobody can get the job without party backing and once they have it there is no wiggle room under the thumb of its overwhelming influence I said it frosts me that elected officials on both sides have calculated that the price of compromise is too high Each is convinced that there is political gain in sticking firmly to their core principles Republicans refuse to raise taxes and Democrats refuse to make big cuts to entitlement programs like Medicare Besides I noted Republicans know they can always blame Democrats and vice versa as a way to stave off criticism from the electorate that trusted them to produce solutions And so amid historically low approval ratings of Congress inertia reigns in the nations capital The wine had fully kicked in by then The volume and pace of the discussion picked up and drew stares of curiosity and concern from those not 6 LPGas December 2011 www LPGasmagazine com