This Too Will Pass, or Not.

       I had a conversation, the other day, with a friend about politics in general. We talked about the fiscal cliff, the looming debt ceiling crisis and Washington polarization. He didn't seem to think any of my suggestions would be helpful or needed. His answer was, THIS TOO WILL PASS.
       In other words, his advise was, don't worry about things. You can't change anything so just sit back and weather the storm. Everything will work out, one way or the other. We'll all either have higher taxes or not, the country will avoid defaulting on debt or not, and congress will begin to work together to do what's needed, or not.
       Now I'd agree with that way of thinking if I didn't believe that individuals, especially if joined together, can make a difference. But there's that silly obstacle in front of me. That obstacle that tells me that I and we can make a difference, and therefore should try our best to do just that.
       Let's be honest, I don't have the ear of my congressman or Senators. When I write an email to one of them, their answers usually don't match or address my concerns. A staffer glances at my letter and picks a pre-written statement that somewhat closely discusses my subject, or not. So unless it's a letter a staffer thinks might help the legislator's next campaign, it gets filed in the circular file.
       I'm relatively sure none of my letters will ever get used in the Senator's or Congressman's campaign. The reason I know that is because my letters are never complimentary.I simply don't write flattering letters to my representatives. That's because there's rarely anything they've done for which they should be complimented. That's proven by the ratings of our current congress. And, just doing their job, doesn't qualify for a pat on the back.
       But getting back to my friends comment of That Too Will Pass, the comment doesn't take into consideration the harm this congress does to so many thousands of people. When congress does little but bicker with each other, folks suffer loss. Children in school, graduates from High School, or college find it impossible to get a decent job. Working folks see taxes go up, or layoffs in the wind.
       Now most folks can weather almost any storm, with a little help.Where the real problem cones in is not knowing what to expect and how to plan. So, yes, this too might pass, but somebody has to tell Washington to stop, and think about what they're doing. And if all you say is This Too Will Pass, you ain't helping.