Buckaroo Junction

This morning I feel like taking a break from my usual ramblings about my kids to write about another topic I am passionate about...politics. I realize some that read this blog may not agree with my politics, and others are closely aligned with my
views. But wherever you may stand on the liberal versus conservative spectrum, I am sure most of us agree that the way our elected leaders are behaving is downright shameful. If most of us acted in our jobs the way members of congress are acting right now, we would be fired. I heard yesterday on the news that it was a "notable" day for congress because they showed up at the early hour of 8am to work on passing the bailout bill. The early hour of 8am??? Is that not the hour most of us need to be at work? (or even earlier for the farmers and ranchers that keep our country fed!) I cannot believe the amount of money we as taxpayers pay these worthless leaders to do absolutely nothing but sit on their behinds and argue with one another. I am not a financial expert by ANY means, and I understand that the current credit problem is probably more complicated than most of us realize. But to me, in this election year, it seems like this is all just a bunch of political grandstanding...a way to polish up the public opinion of our wonderful elected leaders that, according to most public opinion polls, has been badly damaged by the inability to do anything productive. Well, from this voter's perspective, IT'S NOT WORKING. And, did anyone else notice yesterday that after congress did not pass the bail-out bill, the markets plunged? They are not making anything better, they are only making things worse.
I guess I don't understand the concept of a "bail-out." Why is it our responsibility as taxpayers to rescue a bunch of fat cats who made poor decisions based only on greed as a bottom line? (And, believe me, I have witnessed the greed of the banking world first hand!) But the blame for the current "crisis" cannot solely be left on the shoulders of the banking industry. If you traced back the origins of this problem, you would probably find several politicians who felt it their duty to make sure everyone had a home...regardless of their financial ability to PAY for that home, thus passing down mandates to the banks regarding lending policies. Here we go again with our wonderful elected leaders sitting around coming up with ways to make all of our lives better. I am a big believer in free-will (so is God). Most of the time, I love capitalism, I think it works. But apparently Washington doesn't agree.
I have heard others suggest we start a petition to completely wipe out every member of congress and start over. Presidents can only serve two terms, so why do we not have a cap on the number of years other politicians can be in office? Sign me up. I am ready for true "change" and not the kind Barack Obama has claimed as a mantra for his followers to chant.