For the first time in our nation's history our credit rating has been downgraded. Any way you look at it, that's bad. Perhaps the worst part of it is that instead of doing their jobs and trying to fix our financial problems, Congress is doing all they can to blame this on somebody else. Republicans say it's Obama's fault, Democrats say it's the tea party's fault. But in the end, does it really matter?
Politicians are always concerned about re-election, as they probably should be. If nobody had to worry about re-election there would be little incentive for our representatives to do a good job. But in recent years our politics has become more about demonizing the other side than convincing the voters that either side is more capable, competent, or effective at governing.
As former Senator Robert Bennett (R-UT) said after he lost his bid for re-eection, he wouldn't miss Congress because he'd "gotten tired of being told to plot against the democrats to make them look bad." That's not what being a member of Congress should be about. It should be about getting together to solve problems. That's the kind of representation the American people deserve. Let's hope for our country's sake that our elected officials can do better.
