I think this opinion is held by more people than the parties realize. However, there is one group that prides itself for being responsible for this gridlock. This "It's my way or the highway" attitude that has recently been introduced or signing a pledge that isn't in the best interest of the country as a whole confuses me. When I hear a politician say "the American people..." as though we all feel the same way about every issue it really exemplifies the disconnect between them and the country. No one in Washington understands how we feel. If they did, they would work harder to raise thier disapproval ratings.

I think it is especially interesting that with all the complaints, the Republicans haven't come up with any ideas to fix all the problems America faces. What would they have done differently since a Republican got us into this mess in the first place? The Republican candidates are too busy pointing fingers at each other, when they aren't pointing the finger at Obama. It's becoming a joke; a bad one but a joke never the less. If the Democrats are for an idea, the Republicans aren't going to support it, and visa versa. I'm disgusting with both parties, and all the legislators. As an Independent, I don't have to adhere to one party's thinking. However, the Republican mantra that only they are worthy of being called 'true Americans' is becoming more irritating, and one Patch Blogger is making things worse by his 'holier than thou' attitude. I don't know for whom I will vote and won't until I know who is running.

The sooner more American's really start to investigate the ideas of Ron Paul and look past the party fervor, the sooner we can begin tyo move forward. The American public is being spoon fed all kinds of bias spins on the ideas of maintaining freedom as presented by Dr. Paul. The worst part is that they so easily by the fear mongering that is continually being flung about. Wake Up America!! Ron Paul is the only candidate of either party, who is genuinely concerned with the intrusion of government. That is why he is continually ignored! Please read Liberty Defined by Ron Paul. Stop buying in to corporate media propaganda.

I can't stand this socialism motto crap that is getting tossed around right now, as if all the government funding for infrastructure, and development and stuff doesn't fall under that category, as if tax breaks of any kind like the rich get on capital gains isn't government intervention, and as if anyone on the extreme right yapping about socialism is lining up to cut their social security, unemployment ,or disability payments or tax breaks in half in order to light the way. Its only socialism if its other people getting stuff. Everyone in Congress who says the word socialism should get their pension and benefits taken away and ordered to take care of that socialistic crap on their own. See even one doing that? And don't like the current policies, thats fine, but yelling you hate the President is the most disrespectful an immature thing ever. Its like the riots in the middle east where everyone is burning pictures of their guys, who are really bad killing and locking people up, in the streets, and here we are weakening our country by showing division and disrespect for our leader just cause he's following a different play book that can get switched out every four or eight years max. Yet the chicken littles are running around like armagetton or something. You don't like the current President vote him out, and take "back" the country, problem is the people who voted him in did so to take the country back from the likes of you.

I did read Liberty Defined by Paul, and feel that we would be much worse off if he was elected President. He goes too far with his ideas of personal freedom and perhaps that is the problem. When I was growing up, we made sure that our behavior didn't negatively impact upon another person. It's not that way anymore, and Dr Paul's ideas and visions would not support courtesy and consideration to others. One can take personal liberty too far.

Trouble is; a half truth is half lie. It's OK to be a liar if you're "our" liar. I'd say being 'out of touch' means if voters keep sending them back every two years or so they assume they're doing the will of the people. Of course I've been around more than my share of BSers in my life so 'spin' to me is blantantly obvious. The unalterable fact about free market economics is, for one person to make a dollar someone else has to lose a dollar. Money can be printed but there's a limit to that. So who decides the ethics of where to draw the line? Who decides what kind of work is worth how much? How much is a hedge funder worth to me? How much is a trash truck driver worth to me? Maybe it's apples and oranges but if it's a rotten apple? Maybe it's time for someone other than employers to set wages and benefits for workers. An impartial third party. Otherwise, "class warfare" is going to be a way of life for a very very very long time. Don't think the 'Arab Spring' won't ever happen here.

Wow, what an article. It smacks of a one sided outlook with no education toward the operation of our economy and its foundations. Let me explain, downturns in the economy are cyclical; they happen every ten to fifteen years on a regular basis. This was taught in Economics 101 in the years that I attended school. What was supposed to keep this from happening was the agency that neither party wants to talk about; the FED. If you want to place blame, place it on the entity that whose actual responsibility is to alleviate problems and steady our economy. They did not do that, they manipulated it so that it caused bubbles. The big question is, has the FED done its job. The answer is; no. I remember my economics teacher, Mr. Rawlinson, back in the 1960's tell me how FED was going to keep recessions and depressions from happening. Yet, the FED has been the culprit since its inception in 1913 under Wilson, the most progressive president ever. Couple this with our unsound money that we are passing around that does not comply with USC Title18 thanks to FDR, LBJ, and Richard Nixon, you get the spices for our disastrous economy. Part 1

Part 2: I remember my mother telling me, when LBJ took our silver currency, that we will have runaway inflation. She knew then, having lived through the Weimar Republic, that it was totally wrong and nothing but governmental robbery of the people. Therefore, neither party is to blame for our downturn, or they are both to blame, depending upon who you look at through the years of economic destruction. The factor that does take importance, in these swings, is the length of time of the downturn. Calvin Coolidge was president when the depression of the Twenties happen post WWII; it lasted only one year. Why; because he kept government involvement to a minimum. This coupled with a sound money system, and the fact that FED had not yet taken full control made it easy for the economy to rebound. If you want the antithesis of this, look at the New Deal and see how that faired under FDR; it took WWII to get out of that depression. This is what Hayek was trying to address in his books; central planning does not work and only leads us down the road to totalitarianism. He also stated that if the people that purposed this central planning would know the end result, they would have done it to begin with.

Part 3: What made this country great is individualism and our ability to educate ourselves correctly on history and economy. Let us get off our couches and start to learn before we follow this ship of fools in DC to the bottom of the ocean. I am naturalized and we came here to get away from socialism, now it rears its ugly head here, I hear this from my dentist too who came here from China. If you feel that I am wrong, check me out and show me, if you can come up with the history. If we as a people are to remain free and prosperous than we need to start make smarter choices; individual-ism built this country and only individualism will save it, not our government. Sorry for doing in three parts, but these subjects are complex.

I think Tony's idea is a good one. I feel if a company is traded publicly than an outside board would be good to keep all the assets from being diverted to the top to the point of a companys destruction. Too many American companys pay thier executives top dollar even though the companys performance is poor. And bonuses too. While the workers (who are also the American consumer) are invited to participate in the companys "tightening of the belt". We've not seen raises but have accepted more duties/responsibilities for the good of the company. Only to be laid off in the long run while bonuses and salaries in the board room are being handed out.

Tony, your statement that " The unalterable fact about free market economics is, for one person to make a dollar someone else has to lose a dollar" is absolutely wrong. The economy is not a "zero sum" game. In fact, the opposite is true. When a person "makes" a dollar, they do it by creating something; be it a product or a service that someone else wants. The person who spends their dollar on that product/service has not "lost" their dollar, they have traded it for something they want. People don't make a profit "at the expense of others" they make a profit by enriching other's lives. Otherwise, no one would be buying their product/service.

That same attitude says that for someone to suceed, someone else has to fail. Also a flawed and untrue idea. My (or your) success takes nothing away from anyone else. Yours is exactly the attitude that creates division and class warfare in this country. Demonize and punish success rather than trying to emulate it. Wow, talk about self-defeating.

And as for the liberals who are still trying to blame Bush for all of this country's woes...get over it. It's been 3 years now. I'm not a fan of Bush. He took a budget surplus and turned it into a record defecit. But then Obama TRIPLED that in just 3 years.