The Worst Government EVER!

Now I don't believe for a moment that the crisis on Wall Street is symptomatic of the broader economy. Industrial and service companies in America are strong except maybe for automakers who have the wrong product mix in their home market but right products elsewhere in the world. That's another topic for another day because their problem is in part due to the fact that their best, most fuel efficient products in Europe and South America cannot make the cut here due to emissions regulations, but I digress. Wall Street's problems this week were caused by a number of factors. Perhaps the worst had to do with the removal of proven securities rules (uptick rule, no 'naked' shorting of stocks) which turned investing into trading. Add to that the insistence that federally backed mortgage institutions had become political instruments forcing Freddie and Fannie to make loans that made sense to no sound financial institution.

These causes developed over time and each contributing factor happened independently. Politicians and businessmen from both sides of the aisle are to blame. Many of them profited by making millions before the fertilizer hit the proverbial fan. And now we see the fruits of their labor. No only is Wall Street looking like it was hit by Hurricane Ike but because we live in a global economy their actions have impacted markets, companies and citizens across the globe.

So now that there's a crisis which requires leadership where are our elected officials? Running scared and hiding. President Bush, where are you? Why did you cancel your opportunity to address the press the other day? Assurances that no matter what happened the government would be there to help would have been a great thing to do. Instead we hear nothing from the White House as the government takes a case by case view of which companies to bail out and which to let go into bankruptcy (which is not the end of the world and in some cases is good but the media will have you believe that these companies have evaporated). Nancy Pelosi, where are you? You wanted this opportunity to be the Speaker of the House and made some bold promises. Yet, you were in charge of a do nothing congress more partisan and corrupt than the one that you replaced promising change to the American people. Claiming that this mess is not your fault is not only untrue but also not a sign of leadership. And going on recess may help you campaign but watch out for what you see when you hit the campaign trail - my guess is a lot of folks with pitchforks and torches. Harry Reid, where are you? Saying that nobody knows what to do is not the kind of leadership that we expect in this country. We pay billions of dollars for you to have staffers and advisors. The Constitution gives you powers to subpena powers to get people to talk to you. How about using some of your God-given authority and actually finding out what to do instead of quitting?

These are the top 3 elected officials in our country. None of them is leading or doing anything. One is retiring in January and good riddence to him. One is up for re-election. I hope the people in San Francisco see her for what she is and give her the boot but believing that will happen is like Harry Reid going to his happy place while Wall Street burns.

What about the people running for President. Neither has shown leadership. Obama's 2 minute Presidential Address was a joke. Nothing to disagree with but no plan and no content. And his content is the wrong message. We've been throwing money at problems that Washington created in the first place and we're going to be asked to bail the government out. Sorry, Senator but wrong answer. John McCain shows that he's voted on the right side of these issues in the past. But I don't even hear rhetoric from him on the subject - good or bad. Saying that the problems are greed and he's for the American worker is on par with what his less experienced opponent is saying. And finally, there's Joe Bidan. Sorry but sending more tax money to Washington only to be wasted is not Patriotic it's stupid, plain stupid.

People, give us sign that you get it. Please.