Just in case you haven't noticed, the stock market is down 400 points in just the last four days. Most think that it'll take another dive tomorrow. That in spite of generally record earnings for most companies.

How much has this childish bickering cost each of you. It's cost me quite a bit and I'm not at all happy.

The country should be equally upset over how the uncertainty being introduced by our politicians is impacting our economy as a whole. There were several articles in today's Wall Street Journal about companies holding back on hiring because of the uncertain economic climate, or if they do hire just hire some temps for a few weeks.

There were two other articles having to do with those companies that are hiring having to hire foreign nationals and get them visas or actually build plants overseas because they can't get qualified people in the U.S. The jobs were technical. Microsoft was one company that was hiring 4,500 people, but had to go elsewhere because of the absence of capable and educated people here.

Another article noted that this year 17,000 graduates with Phd degrees in math, science and engineering left the U.S. for foreign countries after getting their education here. In response, one of our erstwhile Senators, Chuck Grassley of Iowa, said "...just because they're highly educated, that shouldn't be a shortcut for citizenship." Maybe Grassley ought to talk to the companies who can't find qualified talent and hire people offshore as the result. These are the guys we have running our government?

I can tell you for sure that some of the most popular computer products being sold today--I'm typing this posting on one--are all made in China. I placed an order for this computer about two months ago and it was manufactured in Shanghai and shipped to my door in The Villages in five days! And it's one of the highest rated computers available today.

No wonder our economy is a laggard. Our government spends virtually all their time politicizing every single issue and accomplishes nothing to improve the education of our kids and making a fertile environment for companies to invest in this country.

Do they think long-term? Juast consider what they're talking about doing with the debt ceiling legislation they're arguing about now. The Republicans want to make it good for only six months so they can start the argument again during the election campaign.

Couldn't they be doing something more productive for the country? Shouldn't they be doing something more productive?