No. of Recommendations: 8
Our country also suffers from large groups who have no clue what others think and feel - or even how widespread ideas which others might think absurd and dangerous might really be. Our media is split between one group who maintains a bizzarro assortment of mistruths - which are supported by much of our national leadership and another group who may be only reporting the truth, but frequently omits facts that they feel would give credibility to the news reported by the first group.
This sets up a "who do you trust" scenario for each citizen with the "bully pulpit" placing its thumb on the scale on one side and an assorted group of uncharismatic political hacks trying to sit on the other while maintaining a "holier than thou" attitude.
Regardless of what we were taught in school, most politicians of both parties attained their ranks though a lust for power and, if at all possible, use that post to make as much money as they can. Taking actions which tend to help most Americans are only taken during times of extremis or by chance when it appears to the protagonists that it will give their political tribe some advantage over the other. The reason for the apparent difference in ethics between the two parties at this point of time has more to do with the massive level of braggadocio by the leader of one of the parties indicating in public how he, and his family, will benefit compared to the other party who at least tries to disguise its own greed as good governance (thinking of a NJ just-former senator).
Putting ethics aside as well as negotiating style (openly blackmailing and strongarming EVERYONE is rarely a SOP for most politicians) aside, our current attention is fixated on economic gyrations which contradict the first chapter of nearly every economics book. While I hope everything works out, the economy has just had a load of variables simultaneously cranked away from normal and it's anybody's guess what the mid-term results will be.
Frankly, a huge political/economic risk is that infighting between incompatible factions of the Republican party will negatively impact the ability of the US government to smoothly function - exacerbated by the fairly substantial reductions in government employees and a new cabinet of helpers chosen from Central Casting, coupled to the assumption that everything will continue to function flawlessly.
There once was a farmer who mistakenly dropped some sawdust into his horse's oat. He was concerned when the horse ate the mixture, but the horse seemed happy. Since sawdust is cheaper than oats, every day, the farmer mixed a bit higher percentage of sawdust into the horse's food - and the horse was very happy. And then, one day, the horse dropped dead.
Jeff
