stupid stuff
The government’s back in business. Woohoo. As if we should all congratulate members of Congress for doing their jobs. Sort of.
The politicians, of course, will congratulate themselves for ending the budget impasse that began on Oct. 1, as if they’ve accomplished something other than shaving already-weak economic growth by several basis points and trashing what’s left of America’s global reputation. Not so fast, guys. The shenanigans in Washington have pushed real priorities further into the background. Here are eight big enduring problems that have only been getting worse as Congress overdoses on needless drama:
1. 14 million Americans can’t find a good job. Sure, companies hire a few people every month, but we’re stuck in a cycle of hesitancy in which companies remain reluctant to hire until business picks up, while consumers hoard money, waiting for signs that everything’s getting better. Anybody in Washington have a plan for getting out of that rut? Anybody? Hello?
2. The tax code remains a mess. There used to be bipartisan agreement that the tax code was overcomplicated and unfair, with too few people paying taxes, too many loopholes for wealthy filers and a corporate tax scheme that discourages big companies from investing and hiring in the U.S. The latest budget deal sets up a Dec. 13 deadline for Congressional negotiators to reach agreement on tax and spending reform. That’s similar to a “supercommittee” set up in 2011 for much the same purpose. If you don’t remember that, it’s because the supercommittee accomplished nothing memorable before disbanding.
3. Medicare is still headed for insolvency. It’ll run short of money in 2026 if nothing’s done to reduce costs or come up with new funding. That might seem like a long way off, but needed changes to this vital health-care program for seniors will take years to get through Congress and will then most likely need to be phased in gradually, to soften the impact. Getting started on that yesterday would have
The politicians, of course, will congratulate themselves for ending the budget impasse that began on Oct. 1, as if they’ve accomplished something other than shaving already-weak economic growth by several basis points and trashing what’s left of America’s global reputation. Not so fast, guys. The shenanigans in Washington have pushed real priorities further into the background. Here are eight big enduring problems that have only been getting worse as Congress overdoses on needless drama:
1. 14 million Americans can’t find a good job. Sure, companies hire a few people every month, but we’re stuck in a cycle of hesitancy in which companies remain reluctant to hire until business picks up, while consumers hoard money, waiting for signs that everything’s getting better. Anybody in Washington have a plan for getting out of that rut? Anybody? Hello?
2. The tax code remains a mess. There used to be bipartisan agreement that the tax code was overcomplicated and unfair, with too few people paying taxes, too many loopholes for wealthy filers and a corporate tax scheme that discourages big companies from investing and hiring in the U.S. The latest budget deal sets up a Dec. 13 deadline for Congressional negotiators to reach agreement on tax and spending reform. That’s similar to a “supercommittee” set up in 2011 for much the same purpose. If you don’t remember that, it’s because the supercommittee accomplished nothing memorable before disbanding.
3. Medicare is still headed for insolvency. It’ll run short of money in 2026 if nothing’s done to reduce costs or come up with new funding. That might seem like a long way off, but needed changes to this vital health-care program for seniors will take years to get through Congress and will then most likely need to be phased in gradually, to soften the impact. Getting started on that yesterday would have