CLICK TO READ: t r u t h o u t - Paul Krugman | The Deadly Doughnut
I can always count on Paul Krugman to make me feel better. Even though he's often times the lone voice of sanity in an American asylum.
His latest insight: "...politicians who don't believe in a positive role for government shouldn't be allowed to design new government programs." Unfortunately, these days, that seems to include a whole slew of politicians whose "purpose [is] purely political: to be able to say that President Bush...honored his 2000 campaign promise[s]...." Using the hugely flawed new Medicare prescription drug benefit -- or, more accurately, non-benefit -- to illustrate his larger point, Krugman concludes, " Once you recognize that the drug benefit is a purely political exercise that wasn't supposed to serve its ostensible purpose, the absurdities in the program make sense." He points out that it is designed to benefit those who least need it, and to benefit least those who need it most. Seems likely, Krugman surmises, that Congressional supporters weren't much interested in writing a drug bill that would help middle-class retirees. Our Congressional leaders dont believe government has a responsibilty to help the middle class--period. And therein lies the real problem. In order to fix it, Krugman notes, we need to throw out the "the current Congressional leadership [and] the Mayberry Machiavellis in the White House" and elect some politicians who believe government has a responsibility to actually write bills that work. Otherwise, we will continue to reap legislation that is shot full of holes.
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