I am glad to see Washington somewhat back to normal. The Democrats want to spend money, and the Republicans are firmly against it. The Republicans are like the fabled aunt who wouldn’t spend a single penny. However, when she died, she proved to have more than $1 million in the bank. She wasn’t like the rest of us and used her money for things she enjoyed. She wanted to hold onto her money, so she would have it when the country went south.
I think we’d all agree with her a little bit. We ought to have a bit of saving for unexpected expenses. The Republicans are a bit like the fabled aunt, and somewhere in the deepest darkest recesses of their minds, they are sure the country will fail if we spend some money. That’s the reason the two sides can’t seem to ever agree on congressional spending. The current bill offered by the Democrats to spend money on the “infrastructure” of the country has been met by the Republicans offering to spend a little less than one-third of what the Democrats say is needed. You could say the Republicans are offering less because they want to bargain to reduce the amount the Democrats want to spend. Like all bargaining, one side starts lower than the other, and they go back and forth and settle somewhere in the middle.
What sounds like a good bargaining strategy is why our infrastructure has not kept up and been modernized. Like our fabled aunt, the Republicans never want to spend even when they see it is needed. If we had done little spending every year along the way, the modernizing and repairing of infrastructure would cost much less. Not spending is a shortsighted view and always leads to greater spending in the long run. Once again, like our fabled aunt, the Republicans will say no. Unlike her, the country is likely to suffer with no fortune in the bank. Still, it’s good to see old arguments back in Washington even if they make no sense. I remember what Mark Twain said about Congressmen, “Fleas can be taught nearly anything that a Congressman can.”
