Originally Posted by ptownrob

There are some good things happening in Washington- And, to paraphrase Michele Obama- I have never been so proud as I am now to be an American. I have always been proudto be an American, I'm just proud of 80% of what's coming through the government now as well.

There will always be corruption, inaction, cowardliness and self-interest in government. Let's face it, even the Founders were animated by "enlightened" financial self-interest. BUt for the first time in a long time, our government is addressing the environment, credit card usury, our dependence on oil from our mortal enemies, education, physical infrastructure, veteran's benefits, honest FDA inspection of food. On and on it goes.

I realize many conservatives feel that government is growing so huge that it will "Take over" everything, but hey, give this some time. The economy seems to be levelling out, and pressure from the market, as it should, will end TARP a lot sooner than people expected.

I read that Glen Beck & Michele Malike were complaining that the new fuel standards will cost $1,300 per car. Here's a good example of a knee jerk reaction to "liberals" and not thinking it through. First off, the improved fuel economy will deprive those who we are unhappily dependent on for oil- Saudis, Venezuela & OPEC of a year's worth of oil revenue. How many terrorists or anti-American mouthpieces will benefit from that- NONE!
Secondly, the improved fuel economy will SAVE $2,300 in fuel costs over the life of the vehicle. By then, we may be so used to hybrids or electrics that even these newer fuel-effcient cars will be considered gas hogs.

This is the idea of long-term thinking for problems, rather than short-term fixes. Say what you will about the political differences, one of Obama's main promises- and premises- was to get our government, and our nation, to start reinvesting in the longer term. It won't be cheap,and at a certain point, he's bound to push a boundary that people say, "enough!"

But for now, give it a chance, don't try to sabotage everything simply along partisan lines- and stay proud of this great country!