Change?

I have read with interest the opposing sides on this recent election. Both sides missed a couple of key points.

First, the Republicans, when they had power, failed to balance a budget, doubled the national debt during the Bush years, and failed to monitor and try to stop what was happening in the financial industry. For that, and a weak candidate, they deserved to lose the presidency. We will see if they have learned.

George W. Bush also signed the TARP bill, but most economists agree that was necessary to prevent a collapse of the banking industry (and trillions paid out in FDIC guarantees). Much of that money is coming back from the banks.

The Democrats, and Barack Obama in particular, took his election as a mandate to change our society. We did not want that (most of us). What they have done is save GM and Chrysler, and thereby save the union jobs. If those companies had been allowed to fail they would have reopened the next day under a federal judge with a clean start on union contracts. Now the government owns them and they can't compete effectively in the world market.

The Democrats pushed through the stimulus bill, which was nothing but a bunch of temporary government jobs and pet programs. No long-term help at all and a waste of a trillion dollars.

Next came Obamacare. Here everyone should agree something needed to be done to the mess we have in health insurance. But not what they did. They packed the bill with tax increases, regulatory morass and more pet projects.

What we needed was cross-state lines policies, a way for the uninsurable to get some kind of major medical coverage, and a big sales job on American to think of medical like they do their auto insurance — something they should not normally make a claim on during a year.

So the people have said, twice, we are tired of you — to both parties. We will see if anyone has learned.

I doubt it. I expect paralysis in the government as both sides just try to blame the other.

Dave Long
Gainesville