Reasonable people were sent home

     As I write, Congress has not yet agreed to lift the debt ceiling so we don't go on the world's deadbeat list.
     The reason for this impasse is not principle, as the spinners who interview for the newscast would have you believe; it's because the American people, with a lethal combination of zeal and apathy, have sent too many reasonable people home, and the only ones left to vote on any vital issue are either champions of an absolutist gang or are afraid of the rabid reaction of absolutists. Right or Left.
     Moderation is not valued enough. Too many find moderate politicians bland, neither here nor there, and so voters stay home. If there is a wingnut running, though, there will be a mob to support him or her, and that's how too many of our Representatives and Senators are selected.
     In short, if you voted for an unreasonable absolutist, the impasse is definitely your fault, in part. If you didn't vote, it's also partly your fault, but you will suffer the full consequences of default in less value for your savings portfolio and higher interest rates on your outstanding loans.
     The only people who win if the U.S. does not raise the debt ceiling are those who want to see President Obama lose the job in the White House.
     So, when you watch all those talking heads, particularly the Republicans -- and the Libertarians who have fooled some people into thinking they are Republicans -- and hear the talking points mentioning "jobs," the jobs they're talking about are not your jobs. They don't care about your jobs. What they mean is the job they want, that White House job and all the hand-me-down jobs that go to politicians.
     When they say "economy," they don't mean the economy that affects you. They mean investments for the big-money folks, most of whom have inside information and better connections that the average Joe with a 401K.
     The hold up is just that: You're the one getting robbed.