The Jobs Bill & Republican self-fulfilling prophecies

Once again, Republicans are united in their opposition to a bill (this time, the "Small Business Jobs and Credit Act of 2010") that Democrats are attempting to pass through the Senate. It doesn't matter that the Democrats have a majority; there are now enough Republicans to successfully filibuster a bill even without the aid of a handful of moderate/conservative/sellout Democrat Senators/House members.

Conveniently, this allows Republicans/Libertarians (and anyone else who parrots the "bloated government" mantra) to use this as another example of bureaucratic inefficiency. The tactic works fine for Republican politicians, as they benefit from strengthening their argument that privatization is the answer to everything. Any blame regarding the stalled economic recovery is automatically passed on to "the party in control."

See also: Small businesses hold off spending while waiting for aid

PR: wait... I: wait... L: wait... LD: wait... I: wait... wait... Rank: wait... Traffic: wait... Price: wait... C: wait...

Politics and Current Events...Not Difficult to Follow

Lately I've had several friends tell me they don't 'get politics' or that it's too hard to follow. Oddly enough, most of them are able to keep up with sporting events, remembering which team is on a roll and how many times team X has kicked the crap out of team Y since 1996, as long as their quarterback/pitcher/defender/small forward/etc has Z attributes.

The point is, it's not hard at all. It only seems overwhelming at first (the way Fantasy Football seems to me). Once you get your head around it, it's pretty easy to follow, and you can stay reasonably informed with just tidbits of information here and there. When I have time, I may put together a political crib sheet, er, post to make it easier to understand.

Unemployment Perspective: Reagan and Obama