Our Not So Wise Government

Interesting post by CenTexTim at Bergheim Follies

http://bergheimfollies.blogspot.com/2014/09/why-i-worry-about-future-three-examples.html

At one point he states,

 “Incompetent government run by people that have no clue about how the real world works.”

Being the contrary grumpy old man I am, I can come up with an alternative explanation.

West Seattle for decades had suffered access to the rest of Seattle because of a draw bridge across the Duwamish waterway. Many studies had been done, but no action taken, until 1978 when the draw bridge was struck by a freighter and put out of order for months.

An acquaintance was a back room political operative. He had been the “bag man” (his words) for a Seattle mayor until that mayor lost an election for Governor, and left politics.  He was close to the past leadership of a major union. I knew him because I was a precinct committeeman, and my then wife was an unpaid, but effective, lobbyist, and a founder of the State Autistic Association.

One night over a few drinks he said something that stuck with me.

“You know”, he said, “Now we are actually building a West Seattle bridge, it hardly pays to be in politics”.

I think that as long as there have been governments, there has been an underclass that make their livelihood off the process, and that explains many of the apparently stupid things that happen in government. This is not an original thought, by the way.

In CenTexTim’s third example,

“Hmmm ... isn't there a name for increasing access to mortgage loans for people with bad credit? Oh yeah - it's called subprime lending. That's what got us into the 2007/2008 financial crisis and recession.”

Perhaps they should head the words of that great philosopher, W.C. Fields.

“If at first you don't succeed, try again. Then quit. There's no use being a damn fool about it.”

Nah, not likely to happen.