Leadership Series: Political Parties

The operative theme of today’s essay is captured by a quote from one of our founding fathers (Ms. Palin, please note the name for future Q and A purposes):

“In my many years I have come to a conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two is a law firm, and three or more is a congress.”

John Adams

US diplomat & politician (1735 - 1826)

As you know, in the United States, a “congress” is the term used to encompass both the house of representatives and the senate. And, as you also know, those two bodies are made up of elected individuals who belong almost entirely to one of two political parties. So what Mr. Adams was really saying is that three or more useless men make up a political party. What is it about our political parties that cause them to fit Mr. Adams conclusion so perfectly? Why are political parties so unable to provide leadership? Why are they totally useless in any form of crisis or difficulty? Why do they always revert to the same solution(s) regardless of issue or crisis?

To wit. The Party out of Power (POOP) with their limited IQ leaders (think Bush II, Delay and Hastert) engaged in two basic activities during their regime. These two activities were spend, spend and spend and war, war and war. For eight years they borrowed massive quantities of cash from everyone with cash to lend and used it to spend, spend, spend and war, war, war. What’s wrong with that you ask? Well, the people wanted them to stop spending and stop the warring; that’s what was wrong with that. Why were the people opposed to the spending and the wars you ask? Because after a while the people realized that the efficacy of the spending and the wars was not determinable. That’s why. What do you mean by efficacy one may ask? Efficacy means no measurable results for the dollars and lives spent. We repeat no measurable results for the money or, in the case of war, lives spent.

So, PIP (Party in Power) got tossed and became POOP. The POOP at the time then became PIP. Because we only have two of these gatherings of useless fools making up our congress, one has to be PIP and the other has to be POOP or vice versa.

Now, wouldn’t you think that the new PIP, formerly POOP, would recognize that the people tossed the old PIP because all they did was spend, spend, spend and war, war, war when the people wanted them to stop the spending and stop with the wars? Of course, any intelligent person would say yes the new PIP would make the changes to stop with the spending and stop with the wars. So what did the new PIP do, you ask?

Spend more and war more. That’s right. Turns out the new PIP leaders were as shameful as the previous group (think Obama, Reid and Pelosi.) They increased spending and increased warring. And now they face the same consequence that POOP faced two and four years ago. The people are fed up because their message is not being received and the wasteful spending and wasteful warring keep on just like the Energizer bunny rabbit keeps running.

As the song says, ‘When will they ever learn?” Well, they won’t. John Adams knew it over 200 years ago. And that is why we at TheFundamentals keep referring back to the fundamentals. The useless fools who are a congress and the useless fools who are a political party are not the answer to our problems. They are the problem. They create the problem and transfer it back and forth between themselves ad infinitum. And, in so doing, they perpetuate their nonsense while perpetuating their employment, their benefits, their pensions and their self importance.

They will seize any opportunity and call it a crisis. Planes attacking buildings – a crisis. Wall Street lenders getting caught up with crappy loans – a crisis. Petty dictators puffing about their intentions – a crisis. Whacked out scientists bemoaning a pending rise in temperatures – a crisis. Lazy over fed citizens procreating undereducated spawn – a crisis. Kids puffing on weeds growing in the forest preserve – a crisis. Aberrant behavior from the neighborhood pervert – a crisis. Low wage countries seeking to build an economic base – a crisis. Two boys thwarted in seeking recognition via matrimony vows – a crisis. Someone can’t get every possible health care procedure they may need or want – a crisis. Foreclosure rising – a crisis. Unemployment up - a crisis. And every crisis warrants more spending and, sometimes, more warring.

Here’s what they don’t call a crisis – Excessive spending and excessive warring. Excessive government employment, wages, benefits and pensions. Excessive contracts going to the military industrial complex.

America is facing two crises’: Excessive government spending and excessive government warring. All the debt incurred and all the lives lost have still not changed the thinking of the useless and shameful congress. So back and forth we go; and the debt rises and the wars go on.

John Adams saw the problem years ago. Unfortunately, he didn’t see the solution. Just think how many elections have come and gone since John Adams was president (1797-1801.) Is there any possible government solution that does not involve spending or warring?