To Rant, or Not to Rant

By now, everybody who even has a tiny interest in national politics and their own pocket book has heard of Vermont Republican Sen. Bernie Sanders' caper on the Senate floor last Friday.

The white-haired, 69-year-old Sanders made a speech that lasted eights hours and 37 minutes -- not a record length but close to it.

Politico.com reported his Twitter account picked up 4,000 new followers. The phone lines at Sanders' office were jammed with calls.

Sanders' office boasted that the Senate video servers had shut down after more than 12,000 people tried to tune in to his speech on their website.

He ranted and raved mostly about the "bad" compromise deal President Barack Obama just reached with the Republican majority on extending unemployment benefits for another 13 months and keeping the federal tax levels for individuals and businesses intact for another year at least.

Former President George W. Bush was the author of those tax breaks, largely to the super-wealthy, claim Obama opponents in both the Republican camp and within his own Democratic Party.

During his speech that started at about 10:30 in the morning, Sanders took no breaks for food or left the Senate floor, even to the restroom, reports Politico.com.

Well, good for Bernie Sanders.  But I personally don't think he achieved anything more than providing a fresh buzz for the electronic media.  I think Sanders is dead wrong and Obama is clearly on target on this one.

Sure the compromise deal, if passed by the Congress, will add to the country's $1,000,000,000,000 (that's one trillion dollars) debt.  But the hope is that it will jolt the economy into shifting into higher positive growth.

Here's a simplistic example of what the White House is trying to do.  If you have an expensive and favorite auto that has just been in a serious collision and are staring at it in the repair shop, you don't worry about the crushed fenders and broken windows first.

You worry about the engine.  Is it still good?  Will it still start? Is it worth fixing at all?

Obama and his team think the nation's economy is still good; it will re-start; and it is worth fixing.  Regardless of the cost right now.

That expense will be taken care of when the nation's cash registers are humming again and the 15 million out-of-work citizens are back at jobs they prefer and collecting decent pay checks.

A trillion-dollar-debt?   The United States of America is good for it. It will be repaid.

What do you think?

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