rooted, but still growing

The House of Representatives actually rejected the Wall Street bailout. One side of me wants to jump up and fist-punch the air, but the other side is worried about what comes next.

Here’s what I don’t understand. The mortgage companies were reckless in their policies and actions, causing hundreds of thousands of people to lose their homes. Because of this, we’re now in a lending crisis because the banks aren’t receiving payments on those risky loans and thus have less money to lend. Why, why, why, then, are the mortgage companies who SCREWED THINGS UP FOR EVERYONE the ones many of our “leaders” want to help? Shouldn’t we punish these people rather than save them?

If the government really wants to help (*snort*), they could provide the people with the money they need to pay off their mortgages. Do it in the form of a fixed, lower-interest loan payable to the government. Giving the money to the mortgage companies does absolutely nothing to help the people who were snookered by those fools in the first place. It only compounds the problem.

Our representatives could also – gasp!- cut taxes. Eliminate wasteful spending and irresponsible earmarks. If people want perks in their local areas, let the money for them come from local funds and tax bases. I’d much rather my tax dollars be used for things that benefit me, my family and my neighbors than people living six states over. I have serious problems with many of the government’s so-called social programs, so why should I pay to help fund them?

Third, downsize, downsize, downsize. When things get too large, they become more difficult to manage. This country is huge. It simply isn’t realistic to think that a central agency (for programs like FEMA, etc.) can handle everything it needs to. Govern at the national level and let the states deal with their own people.

And for God’s sake, why are we still in Iraq? I realized something a few days ago about my views on this war. I could make a better statement about whether or not I support it if I actually knew what our objectives are. Can someone please explain to me what we are (or are supposed to be) doing in Iraq? Republicans and Fox News would have us all believe “we’re winning in Iraq!” while Democrats and the rest of the U.S. media conglomerates tell a tale of death and doom. Ok, so what are we winning/losing at? What are the goals, and what are we doing to meet them?

This isn’t rocket science, Congress. Was it Bill Clinton who said to Keep It Simple, Stupid? We could solve a lot of problems by simply following the procedure for just about every imaginable task: Define the objectives, develop a plan to meet those objectives, measure the results. That will tell you whether the goal was successfully met.

I had to throw that last part in there not only because it’s what I truly believe, but also so no one would think this liberal chick had gone all Republican. I am, however, seriously considering changing my registration to Independent. Right now, none of those idiots are doing it for me.